Best Tourist Places to Visit in El Calafate, Argentina, America

Best Tourist Places to Visit in El Calafate, Argentina, America

El Calafate is a city situated in the Patagonia region (which is shared between Argentina and Chile) in Argentina. It belongs to Santa Cruz Province, is located at the southern border of Lake Argentino and around 320 km from the Río Gallegos city.

El Calafate is the gateway for Los Glaciares National Park to reach different attractions such as Cerro Chaltén, Cerro Torre and Perito Moreno Glacier.

Geography of El Calafate:

El Calafate coordinates with 50°20′ S latitude and 072°17′ W longitude and enjoys a semi-arid climate with dry summers and wet winters.

History of El Calafate:

El Calafate takes its name from a little bush with yellow flowers and gloomy blueberries that can see everywhere in Patagonia. It was initially used by wool traders to reside and in 1927, the Argentina government founded it as a town and after 10 years, in 1937, it was re-founded near the Perito Moreno National Park.

Getting El Calafate:

El Calafate is catered by Comandante Armando Tola International Airport which is situated around 20 km away from the heart of El Calafate with scheduled flights to Cordoba, Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Río Gallegos, Río Grande, Mar del Plata, Puerto Madryn and many other domestic and international locations.

Due to the presence of many tourist attractions in El Calafate, there are many private bus companies running regular bus services between El Calafate and its nearby cities including Perito Moreno. Agency Chaltentravel is one of the major bus operators.

Food and Shopping in El Calafate:

Here is the list of best restaurants in El Calafate:

Isabel – Cocina al Disco
Pura Vida Resto Bar
Viva La Pepa Creppes & Passion
Borges y Alvarez Libro-Bar

Avenida del Libertador is the main street of El Calafate boasting many Handicraft and souvenir stores. Buy food items in the city prior to reaching glaciers, because there are fewer shops around glaciers.

Things to do in El Calafate:

Mountain Climbing
Hiking
Skiing

Places of interest in El Calafate:

Perito Moreno Glacier:

Located in the Los Glaciares National Park, Perito Moreno Glacier is one of Argentina’s famous tourist attractions with 250 sq. km. ice formation. It is situated around 2 hours bus journey from El Calafate and it will be better to take the help of guided tours for easy exploration.

Monte Fitz Roy:

Monte Fitz Roy is a beautiful mountain located in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field near the village of El Chaltén. It was discovered by Francisco Moreno on 2 March 1877, named after Robert FitzRoy. French alpinists Lionel Terray and Guido Magnone were the first climbers of Monte Fitz Roy, climbed in the year 1952.

Upsala Glacier:

Upsala Glacier is a great package for nature lovers, covering an area of 595 square kilometers and is visited by a large number of tourists from all around the globe. The Bahía Onelli Bay is a typical attraction near Upsala Glacier.

Other places of interest in El Calafate include:

Lago Argentino
Cabalgata del Glaciar
Estancia Cristina
Onelli Glacier
Glaciarium
Bosque Petrificado La Leona
Cerro Frias
Intendencia Parque Nacional Los Glaciares
Laguna Nimez Reserve
Av del Libertador
Centro de Interpretacion Historica
Museo Regional El Calafate
Santa Teresita del Nino Jesus
La Aldea de los Gnomos
Calafate Mountain Park

Best time to visit El Calafate:

Probably from October and March is the best time to visit El Calafate.

Accommodation options in El Calafate:

There is a wide range of hotels and villas in and around El Calafate to serve tourists who come from the different regions of the world to enjoy natural scenery. Here is the list of prominent hotels and villas in and around El Calafate: