The 10 best excursions in El Calafate

You have everything ready for a holiday in La Tierra de los Glaciares, but you still do not know what to do in this destination of the Patagonia Argentina. Well, take a look at this list with the best excursions in El Calafate! They will help you choose the activities and attractions that you can perform based on your tastes, needs and time. What’s best, with the opportunity to combine them!

1. PERITO MORENO GLACIER, LAS PASARELAS

Although there are several excursions for the also known as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”, a classic of the place is Las Pasarelas. In fact, it is said that if you don’t visit them, you didn’t go to the destination. It’s a three-level viewpoint that gives us several views of the natural monument until we reach the highest point where it shows its full extent: the immense north wall of the Glacier.

You can also witness the breakup of the ice, a must-see natural spectacle that gives you the opportunity to hear the thunderous but surprising sound produced by the movement of the glacier from the moment that comes off until it falls into the icebergs channels. From there comes the reason to top the list of the best 10 excursions in El Calafate.  Find out the details about the operability and services of the tour.

2. BIG ICE

It’s trekking demanding, a four-hour walk on the glacial ice. It starts at the “Under the Shadows” jetty, from where the Rico arm of Lake Argentino intersects –by boat. That’s where the trek on the glacier begins.

During the activity you will be accompanied by official guides from Los Glaciares National Park. The duration is approximately four hours, long enough to live the best of experiences. We will observe seracs, caves, lagoons of spectacular blues, sinkholes and other interesting glacial formations.

If you are between the age of 18 and 50, you have a good physical condition (not suitable for pregnant women), and you want to make this excursion, you can consult the operability, services and restrictions of Big Ice .

3. MINITREKKING 

Similar to the Big Ice adventure, the difference is the number of hours you walk on the ice. It starts with a slow and easy ascent with about an hour and a half of duration. After a toast, you go back through a forest. It’s during the return navigation that the front wall of the glacier is approached and you can take the most splendid photographs.Given the degree of effort it warrants, this tour is suitable only for people between the ages of 10 and 65. Overweight people, pregnant women or people with a certain disability may also not participate. Get to know the details about the operation and services of the Minitrekking tour .

4. RIVERS OF ICE

Unforgettable experience in El Calafate. This excursion takes us to glaciers that are only accessed through navigation. The five-hour adventure begins in Puerto Bandera (47km from El Calafate), where we will go for the respective boarding.

Once on the catamaran you can make way for the fascinating tour. We will cross La Boca del Diablo; a natural gateway to the northern arm of The Argentino Lake that will lead us to the Uppsala channel. Here you are going to sail among the large icebergs that detach from its glacier, the next destination being Spegazzini Glacier, the highest in the Park with walls of 130 meters.

In the meantime, others such as Seco, Heim Sur and Peineta will give us the best of their views before returning to the starting point. Please note that you can take the tour to a higher level by hiring the optional Captain’s Club service. Get to know the benefits of this addition, the operability and services offered by Rivers of Ice; a favorite that deserves a place among the top 10 excursions in El Calafate.

5. THE CHALTÉN

You can choose your own adventure in El Chaltén. Departing from El Calafate with a route of 30 km to the east (by the Mythical Route 40), the east bank of the Argentino Lake and the coasts of the Santa Cruz River are bordered until you meet La Leona River, which gives the name to the stop hotel La Estela. Here you can stop to enjoy a hot infusion accompanied by homemade cake.

We continue the route bordering Viedma Lake, where we will have several stops to capture the best panoramic photos of the Fitz Roy hill and El Chaltén. Once we arrive in the city, the group is divided according to the activities that previously were chosen by travelers: Trekking Laguna Capri, Laguna del Desierto or Miradores. Consult for more details on booking, operability and services .

 6.TORRES DEL PAINE

Unlosable for anyone visiting the Patagonia Argentina after the opportunity to get to know one of the most stunning landscapes in southern Chile, it’s Torres del Paine National Park, famous for the fantastic colors that can be seen among its glaciers, peaks, mountains, valleys, rivers and water mirrors; in addition to its particular flora and fauna.

The tour that starts in 4×4 to the base, continues with walks through other excursions among which the Circuit W stands out; ideal to get in and get to know the best of the place, while sharing with tourists from other parts of the world. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see cougars, otherwise it will be enough to know they’re so close! The majesty itself represented by the Horns of Paine and the Torres del Paine.

But it doesn’t end there. Other places that are shown to delight us are: the Blue Lagoon, the saints of the River Paine, the hill Almirante Nieto, Amarga, Condor or Toro and the Interpretation Center of the National Park, where you can investigate everything concerning this place. Ask more details about Torres del Paine, its excursions, operability and services.

7. STAY CRISTINA

Excursion full of magic, after combining history and natural charm. Located on the northeast coast of Argentino Lake, at the end of Brazo Cristina, this room represents a unique corner of Los Glaciares National Park. This park preserves the essence and history of the family that founded it in 1914, transforming into a small paradise what was an inhospitable and lonely place.

The tour to the place contains a real adventure. After navigating Argentino Lake (between icebergs and mountains), and visiting the Estancia, they give way to the programs: Discovery, Trekking, Horseback Riding and Classic, which were designed to satisfy all visitors.

There are walks through semi-arid spaces, climbs between ñires forests to the waterfall, visits to the Costumbrista Museum, 4X4 rides through the Feruglio cordon and so many other activities that will allow you to witness the beauty of the Uppsala Glacier and the South Patagonian Continental Ice Field without leaving aside the opportunity to trek to the Cañadón de los Fósiles. Get to know the recommendations, operability and services of the Estancia Cristina tour .

8. MORENO KAYAK EXPERIENCE EXPERT

Suitable for the more adventurous. A unique excursion after the opportunity to kayak among icebergs. You get so close to them that you can even touch them with your hands! The best thing? Having the Perito Moreno ready for the best photographs.This navigation includes a visit to the north wall of the glacier, combining this activity with Las Pasarelas; those balconies that are famous for giving us the best views of this wonderful natural monument. Get to know the operability, restrictions and services included in Perito Moreno Kayak Experience .

9. NATIVE EXPERIENCE

Crossing in 4×4 that will allow you to go back in time after the opportunity to experience how the ancestors lived in this area, what was the man’s passage through these inhospitable lands and the first contact of expeditionary men with natives… You’ll get to see it all through direct contact with the caves and their millennial paintings.

Indeed, this tour takes place along the coast of The Argentine Lake between cliffs, overlooking the Andes Mountains. It will take you into the Tehuelche world with a special stop in the caves, whose rocks were marked by that culture. Discover its duration, operability and the services that Native Experience includes .

10. CALAFATE BALCONIES

Reaching heights of up to 1050 meters above sea level, this crossing takes us through steppe landscapes until we give ourselves the best views of the Andes Mountains and the area of accumulation of glaciers towards Boca del Diablo. Depending on the weather, you can also see the majestic silhouettes of the Fitz Roy and Torre de El Chaltén hills.

The tour starts aboard 4×4 vehicles necessary for entering to the Huyliche stay, where we have an uneven climbing of 350 meters awaiting us to reach the top. There, a tour is undertaken over the line of the hills that are located behind the village, the goal being the Labyrinth of Stones. This labyrinth is a formation of the Cretaceous period (85 million years old!), where fossil remains can be found. The descent, meanwhile, allows us to capture the best views of the Argentino Lake. Get to know all the activities, operability and services of the Balcones de Calafate excursion .

This was the top 10 best excursions in El Calafate. Remember that you can combine it through travel packages whose itinerary you can create from zero by the hand of our advisors; it’s convenient to know a little more about the Perito Moreno Glacier -the main scene of many of the attractions- by clicking on “The Eighth Wonder of the World”.

Consult via whatsapp, we will be pleased to be able to help you in everything you need: adding tips for accommodation, gastronomy and more. El Calafate is also history, culture and nightlife.

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