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El Calafate
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Our most recommended El Calafate UNESCO sites

El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier & Optional Boat Cruise

1. El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier & Optional Boat Cruise

Depart from your hotel in El Calafate at around 10:30 AM and set off for the Perito Moreno Glacier located inside the Los Glaciares National Park. Travel to the west end of the Magallanes Peninsula and enjoy plenty of time to explore this natural ice formation. Begin your tour of the national park by strolling along a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) network of boardwalks. Admire the glacier from multiple perspectives as you climb up to different levels and balconies. Spend 2 hours exploring the runways and use this time to eat a packed lunch or make a stop in at one of the restaurants. Go on an optional 1-hour boat ride in front of the northern wall of the glacier. After the tour, return to El Calafate via the same route and arrive in the evening.

El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier Trekking Tour and Cruise

2. El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier Trekking Tour and Cruise

Discover Patagonia on this trek in Los Glaciares National Park. Explore the park on foot, and trek on glaciers with crampons. Learn about the flora and fauna from your guide along the way, and sail in front of a glacier on Argentino Lake. This unmissable experience begins at the “Bajo de las Sombras” Port, within Los Glaciares National Park. Take a boat to cross the Brazo Rico, to the west coast. After crossing, take a rest stop and meet your guides who will brief you on the activity. Strap on your crampons and trek along the glacier, following along with your licensed guides. See unique ice formations and learn about glacier ruptures and the natural life of the region. Return to the refuge through the Magellan forest where you can enjoy your lunch (not included) with a view of the Perito Moreno Glacier. Return through the Brazo Rico of the Argentino Lake, sailing in front of the glacier. You can also enjoy the view of the Perito Moreno from the catwalks: another way to see and appreciate its immensity.

From El Calafate: Full-Day Tour to El Chaltén

3. From El Calafate: Full-Day Tour to El Chaltén

Discover the National Capital of Trekking on a private or shared guided day trip from El Calafate El Chaltén. Let yourself be amazed by this mountain town as you discover incredible landscapes and walk part of its trails. Start the morning with pickup from your hotel in El Calafate. Relax on the trip to the town of El Chaltén which is 220 km from El Calafate. Cross the Santa Cruz River and make a rest stop for a few minutes at Estancia La Leona where you can buy homemade cakes and a hot drink. Continue to El Chaltén, bordering Lake Viedma with its homonymous glacier. Take in stunning views of Cerro Chaltén (also known as Fitz Roy) and Torre on clear days, as well as the Viedma Glacier with its impressive icebergs. Upon arrival at Chaltén, have 5 hours to explore and enjoy this small mountain town. Enjoy a 700-meter guided walk to the Mirador de Los Cóndores viewpoint and visit the Chorrillo del Salto with a 300-meter walk over flat terrain. To return, meet at a previously arranged meeting point for the drive back to El Calafate, arriving at approximately 8 PM.

From El Calafate: Torres del Paine Full Day Tour

4. From El Calafate: Torres del Paine Full Day Tour

Embark on a fascinating excursion to Torres del Paine, departing from El Calafate. Hike through a stunning national park, surrounded by glaciers, lakes, and waterfalls. Take in mesmerizing landscapes, explore a variety of natural landmarks, and enjoy an included lunch. Get picked up from your hotel and take the road to the Republic of Chile border crossing. After the customs and immigration procedures, meet your guide and begin to travel the last 80 kilometers to the National Park. Gaze at the Mirador del Lago Sarmiento de Gamboa, the Saltos del Río Paine, the upper viewpoint of Cerro Almirante Nieto/Cuernos del Paine, and the entrance to Laguna Amarga. Once inside the Torres del Paine National Park, dive into the different trekking trails and receive your packed lunch. Follow a trail from the Salto Grande and enjoy a low-difficulty walk towards the Mirador de Los Cuernos del Paine, on the shores of Lake Nordenskjold. Then, back in the vehicle, begin the ride to Lake Pehoé, the last viewpoint, overlooking the Cuernos del Paine and the French Valley. Continue exploring and getting to know the southernmost part of Chilean Patagonia. Learn about its flora and fauna on your return to Calafate.

El Calafate: Todo Glaciares Boat Trip

5. El Calafate: Todo Glaciares Boat Trip

Start the tour with a pickup from your hotel in El Calafate around 7:00 AM to undertake the 47km route to the Punta Bandera Port where your boat departs at 9:00 AM.  The first part of the trip takes place in the north arm of the Argentino Lake before crossing into the Boca del Diablo, the narrowest part of the lake. Then, go to the Upsala and Spegazzini channels where you can view the respective glaciers. The Upsala Glacier is the largest on Argentino Lake and can be seen from about 20km away. The Spegazzini Glacier is the highest and you can also see the Dry, Heim Sur, and Peineta glaciers. After entering the Spegazzini Channel, a 300-meter path will be crossed without difficulty through the forest along the coast of the lake making stops at viewpoints overlooking the entire Bay of Glaciers.  Arrive at the Spegazzini Refuge where you can enjoy an optional 3-course lunch with drinks, visit the shop, and contemplate the landscape from the terrace.  For those who enjoy walking, the mountain path offers a 700m trek of medium difficulty through a wooded path with natural viewpoints of the Spegazzini Glacier ending at the landing point. Return to the boat and head back to El Calafate where you’ll be dropped off back at your hotel.

El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier Guided Day Tour & Sailing

6. El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier Guided Day Tour & Sailing

Spend a magnificent day visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier on a day trip from El Calafate. Sail on Argentino Lake and get stunning views of the glacier. Leave early in the morning from El Calafate to arrive at the Perito Moreno Glacier. During this morning, you will have time to walk around the walkways to discover different views of the glacier. Next, enjoy an hour-long sailing tour through the Rich Branch of Argentino Lake. As you sail, enjoy views of the glacier and the lake.

El Calafate: Safari Azul Los Glaciares Trekking Tour

7. El Calafate: Safari Azul Los Glaciares Trekking Tour

Embark on an icy adventure across Patagonia’s Los Glaciares National Park with a guided trekking trip. Sail in front of the Perito Moreno Glacier and stop at sandy shores to feel the massive glacier’s unique color and texture. Start the tour in El Calafate and travel to Los Glaciares National Park. Once at Bajo Las Sombras Port, just 7 km away from the footbridges, hop on the boat to cruise across Lago Rico. After a 20-minute journey, disembark on the opposite shore. Trek for 30 minutes always within view of the southern wall of the glacier. Journey across a natural terrain of sand and stones with some slopes and stairs, along the shore of the lake and through a lush forest. Reach the ice wall and take your chance to touch its surface. Take in the ice’s intense and varied blues and whites and its whimsical shapes. Snap some pictures before returning to the boat. From the port, take a bus to the footbridges and have 2 hours to eat your packed lunch and enjoy a panoramic view of the glacial park. On the bus back to El Calafate, admire views of the Patagonian Steppe.

From El Calafate: Laguna de los Tres Trekking Tour

8. From El Calafate: Laguna de los Tres Trekking Tour

We will begin our activity with pick-up from the hotels starting at 06:00 AM. (During the months of June and July, the collection time may be modified) Tour the most magical mountain in Patagonia. Travel to El Chaltén from El Calafate to venture on this trekking to Laguna de los Tres, at the foot of the famous Mount Fitz Roy. It is a challenging walk along the Fitz Roy path, 20 total kilometers. The duration of the trek can vary depending on the pace and physical condition of each person, but generally it is estimated between 8 and 9 hours, including short breaks and stops to admire the landscape, which will amaze you throughout the entire journey. The activity begins with pickup from your hotel. During the journey, you take Route 40, you will surely be able to spot the local fauna and if the weather is good, see the sunrise over the hills. Once at your destination, we give you a talk about the trail, we give you walking sticks and the map, and the trekking begins. During the first section you will cross the forest until you reach Laguna Capri, the first technical stop. You will be surprised by the color of the water and the nature that surrounds this lagoon, in addition, the views of Fitz Roy are unmissable. Returning to the trail, we cross the Río Blanco bridge until we reach Camping Poincenot, a totally wild camp in the middle of the native forest. Crossing Poincenot, we arrive at the beginning of the climb to Laguna de los Tres. Due to the altimetry it presents and the terrain conditions, this last kilometer is the most difficult of the trail. During this climb, the views of the landscape are incredible, being able to appreciate the Mother and Daughter Lagoon from above. When it seems like you are about to arrive, another 300 meter climb awaits you, but once at the top, all the effort was worth it. You are surprised by the immense nature and the color of the water. The feeling is impossible to describe in words. Arrival at Chaltén: 18:00 Arrival at your hotel in El Calafate: 9:00 p.m.

El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier Big Ice Trek

9. El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier Big Ice Trek

The trip begins with pickup from El Calafate and travels 1 hour and 30 minutes to Bajo de la Sombras Port. From here, sail across the Rico Channel and descend on the southwestern coast of Patagonia to reach Perito Moreno Glacier. Upon arrival at the glacier, enjoy a 1 hour and 30 minute hike with your mountain guides along a path next to the glacier. Arrive at a magnificent view point and marvel at the vast frozen landscape that stretches out before you. From here, attach the iron crampons to the ground and begin your hike walk across the ice. Trek across the ice for around 4 hours, admiring the fascinating ice formations from start to finish. From your expert guides, learn about the flora and fauna that thrive in this unique environment, and listen to interesting facts about the glaciology of the region, and in particular about the phenomenon of glacier rupture. Finally, return to Bajo de las Sombras Port to gaze at the view of the glacier from the walkways and balconies, and then return to the city of El Calafate.

El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier Sightseeing Tour

10. El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier Sightseeing Tour

Prepare to marvel at the main attraction of Los Glaciares National Park, declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. We will begin our activity within the Los Glaciares National Park, located 80 km from the city of El Calafate. The glaciers protected in this Park, generated centuries and even millennia ago, are testimony to enormous masses of ice that dominated part of the planet during the last two million years and witnessed the birth of humanity. Preserving and enjoying this site refers not only to biodiversity, but also opens a door to imagine what the ice age was like in the third largest current continental ice field on the planet. Los Glaciares National Park was created in 1937 and declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1981. Upon arriving at the Park, we will have the opportunity to see the magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier. This, without a doubt, complements your visit to be dazzled by the imposing nature of its landslides, not only from the height of the walkways, but now from the level of the lake: the front of the Glacier ranges between 40 and 80 meters high above the lake level.

El Calafate

El Calafate

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What people are saying about El Calafate

Overall rating

4.6
(14 reviews)

This experience was 10/10. Being picked up and dropped off at your hotel made everything super easy and nonstressful. There were a couple hours to explore the boardwalks and take in the glacier and then we opted for the boat tour which I would highly recommend! We loved seeing the glacier from the water. It was honestly the perfect tour/activity and we had zero complaints. Definitely recommend in Patagonia! Worth every penny!!

The glacier is AMAZING! Definitely have to visit when in El Calafate. We did not book with the boat and do not regret. The boardwalks are extensive and give a good perspective from different angles and heights. The cost is a bit high, considering it’s transportation to and from the park only.

Tamar our Guide was exceptional. The driver Nico was also great. Tamara knowledge was very good and her ability to cater for all languages appreciated. A great example of a guided tour.

Everyone was polite and caring for people Scenery was beautiful and transportation well maintained.

Very well organized, the glacier ís nature's marvel, it was a really amazing day!!!