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El Calafate

It is one of the main tourist destinations in Patagonia. It is located in the south of Argentina, more specifically in the province of Santa Cruz. This city is famous for the Perito Moreno Glacier, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The ideal season to travel to El Calafate is in summer (December to March), as daylight lasts approximately 17 hours. It is recommended to stay at least 3 days in order to visit and get to know the main attractions offered by this beautiful destination.

Travel to El Calafate

Explore the Majestic Glaciers and Natural Wonders of El Calafate with Expert Tours and Guides

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El Calafate highlights!

Some of its unmissable tourist attractions:

  • Perito Moreno Glacier: it is located inside Los Glaciares National Park, which is the largest and in the department of Lago Argentino in Santa Cruz, 80 km away from El Calafate. This glacier has its source in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field (17000 km of extension that it shares with Chile). It is considered the eighth wonder of the world and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is an active glacier, because there are breakages that always generate expectations around the world for its spectacularity.
  • Trekking in the Perito Moreno Glacier: the tour takes about an hour and a half of walking and you can enjoy the different ice formations such as crevasses, seracs, sinkholes and small lagoons. This trekking is of a moderate level.
  • Navigation to the Upsala, Spegazzini and Onelli glaciers.

Other things to do in Calafate and surroundings

  • El Chaltén or Fitz Roy: it is a mountain peak of 3405 metres high, it stands out 100 km away. It is an ideal destination for trekking and mountain lovers. It is located 220 km from the city of El Calafate and can be reached by bus, by private car along the most popular National Route N°3, which is the most popular one, asphalted and borders the Atlantic coast. Or by National Route 40, which is the one that runs along the Andes Mountains, but has some gravel stretches. The duration of this trekking is about 5 hours or 8 hours round trip.
  • Glaciarium Museo del Hielo Patagonico: It is a Glaciological Interpretation Centre dedicated to the divulgation of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and its glaciers, located in the centre of El Calafate.
  • Laguna Nimez: it is located only 1 km away from the centre of El Calafate. Very close to the Argentino Lake, it is an ideal place for bird watching. It has around 80 species.
  • Balconies of El Calafate.
  • Bahía Redonda and Punta Soberana.
  • Downtown El Calafate and small squares.

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More info about Calafate

From Argentina Pura we can arrange these excursions so that all you have to do is enjoy these majestic places.
As for the gastronomy of El Calafate, the guanaco dishes are the most autochthonous due to the enormous quantity of these animals in Santa Cruz. Also the Patagonian lamb, the trout, the salmon, the deer, the sweet of Calafate. In addition, the ice bars are well known.

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