El Calafate

Why visit El Calafate

El Calafate is the gateway to Patagonia’s most extraordinary landscapes, where immense glaciers, turquoise lakes and vast open spaces create one of South America’s most spectacular wildernesses. At its heart lies the remarkable Perito Moreno Glacier, whose towering walls of blue ice regularly crash into the waters of Lake Argentino in a dramatic natural spectacle.

While the glacier is reason enough to visit, El Calafate rewards those who venture further. Cruise across the lake to the remote Estancia Cristina, a beautifully restored historic ranch that can be enjoyed as a rare overnight stay. Reached only by boat, it offers exceptional hiking, horse riding, 4×4 expeditions to the Upsala Glacier viewpoint and a unique insight into life on one of Patagonia’s oldest estancias. Spending the night here, surrounded by mountains and glaciers after the day visitors have departed, is one of Patagonia’s most memorable experiences.

Back in El Calafate, excellent restaurants, stylish boutique hotels and easy access to El Chaltén and Torres del Paine National Park make it the perfect base from which to explore southern Patagonia. It is a destination that combines iconic sights with genuine adventure and a wonderful sense of space.

Highlights of El Calafate

Perito Moreno Glacier – Witness one of the world’s few advancing glaciers, where towering walls of blue ice regularly calve into the waters of Lake Argentino in an unforgettable natural spectacle.

Stay at Estancia Cristina – Reach this historic Patagonian estancia by boat for an exclusive overnight stay, combining exceptional hospitality with glacier views, hiking, horse riding and rich pioneering history.

Cruise through the icefields – Navigate among floating icebergs to the remote Upsala Glacier and Spegazzini Glacier, surrounded by some of Patagonia’s most dramatic scenery.

Walk on a glacier – Strap on crampons and explore the ancient ice of Perito Moreno with expert guides, discovering crevasses, ice caves and brilliant blue lagoons.

Wildlife and wide-open landscapes – Spot guanacos, Andean condors, foxes and flamingos as you explore the Patagonian steppe, lakes and mountains surrounding El Calafate.

The perfect Patagonian base – Combine El Calafate with El Chaltén, Torres del Paine National Park or a journey along the legendary Ruta 40 to experience the very best of southern Patagonia.

Take to the sky – Experience the Southern Ice Field from the air in a helicopter from El Calafate, either as a sightseeing flight or as part of the journey to Torres del Paine in Chile.

Vast Ice Fields

Despite spanning around 250 km², the Perito Moreno Glacier only accounts for about 3% of the vast Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Hidden behind the Andes, this frozen wilderness is the third-largest reserve of fresh water on Earth after Antarctica and Greenland.

The same latitude as London?

Although El Calafate sits at almost exactly the same latitude south as London does north, the landscapes couldn’t be more different. At 50° south, its proximity to Antarctica and the cooling influence of the Southern Ocean create a climate where vast glaciers can thrive, despite being no further from the Equator than the UK.

When to go

Best time to visit

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Average time to visit

OUR FAVOURITE TIME TO VISIT

Like much of Patagonia, El Calafate is busiest in December and January, and like everywhere else it is also at its most beautiful in the spring of October or the autumn of March, when the colours pop and there are far fewer people.

Why visit El Calafate

Highlights of El Calafate

Best hotels in El Calafate

Eolo, El Calafate

Esplendor, El Calafate

Estancia Cristina, El Calafate

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Getting to El Calafate

When to go

Best time to visit

Good time to visit

Average time to visit

OUR FAVOURITE TIME TO VISIT

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