Monte San Lorenzo

Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

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Monte San Lorenzo (also called Cerro San Lorenzo or Monte Cochrane) is the highest mountain in Argentina’s Santa Cruz Province at 3,706 meters (12,159 feet), sitting on the international border between Argentina and Chile in the southern Patagonian Andes. It is the third-highest peak in the southern Patagonian Andes and one of the most prominent in Patagonia, distinguished by its massive, shifting silhouette that looks different from every angle and its crown of three large glaciers—two on the Argentine side and one (Glaciar Calluqueo) on the Chilean side. The Argentine side lies within Río Chico Department, about 100 km from Ruta 40 and just north of Parque Nacional Perito Moreno, while the Chilean side is in the Aysén Region’s Capitán Prat Province. The first successful ascent was made on December 17, 1943, by 60-year-old Salesian priest Alberto De Agostini, a passionate Patagonian explorer, together with guides Alejandro Hemmi and Heriberto Schmoll, and the mountain has received very few climbers since due to its severe weather, including intense winds and frequent snowstorms that make even the “traditional” route challenging. Monte San Lorenzo is prized for its remote, wild setting in one of Patagonia’s most inhospitable zones, offering spectacular glacial views and serving as a key landmark for treks in the region, including multi-day traverses between lakes like Pueyrredón and Belgrano within Parque Nacional Perito Moreno.