Calafate and Ice Hiking

Calafate and Ice Hiking

Spend 03 days at the edge of the Patagonian steppe and lakeshore is El Calafate. 

Located at the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park, this breathtakingly beautiful area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. Within the 600,000-acre park are some of Patagonia’s most important places, such as the Perito Moreno and Upsala glaciers, and Cerro Fitz Roy.

El Calafate is 80km from the national park and acts as a base from which the majority of the region’s activities are accessed. Trips to more remote places like El Chalten, and even the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile are all possible from El Calafate.

El Calafate’s tourism infrastructure is ideal, with the city offering a variety of hotels, local cuisine and transport services.

Day 01 Buenos Aires- El Calafate, Patagonia: upon arrival you will be taken to the hotel and have the rest of the day to relax or explore the city. In the evening, you could also walk to the Laguna Nimez Reserve to look at the huge variety of birds in the sanctuary and enjoy the beautiful Patagonian sunset over Lago Argentino.

Day 02 El Calafate- Minitrekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier: the excursion begins by boarding the "Bajo de las Sombras" where you embark on a 20 minute sailing trip across the Rico Arm, enjoying breathtaking views of the glacier's front walls and Icebergs Channel. You disembark on the opposite shore, where specialized mountain guides welcome you and lead you to a small shelter. After a short briefing, groups of 10 follow their guides along the lake's shore towards the edge of the glacier. Once on the ice the guides give each participant a pair of crampons, and explain how to use them. The two hours circuit that follows introduces you to the fascinating landscape of the glaciers: streams, small lagoons, gullies, crevasses and plenty of ice formations in the most incredible blue colours. The flora, fauna and general glaciology of the region will be explained to you and also the particular phenomenon that happens in the Perito Moreno Glacier that eventually produces its rupture. After the walk, a stroll through the forest brings you back to the shelter after which you will eat.

Day 03 El Calafate, Patagonia – Buenos Aires:  Free day. Today you can do a Kayak tour trough the Glaciers, or do a horse back riding in an Estancia. Ask for some optional tours available in Calafate. According to your flight departures time you will be transfer to the airport to take your flight to next destination.