Something you’ll hear a lot when travelling Patagonia is there isn’t much to do in El Calafate, except seeing the famous glacier. So is it really worth it?
This is my guide to everything you need to know about El Calafate and why I strongly don’t recommend giving it a miss!
About El Calafate
First of all it’s a very beautiful touristic town with many travellers passing through to see the Perito Morino Glacier. The town is filled with lovely restaurants, bars and cafes. It’s small so everything is assessable by foot. It’s a beautiful part of Patagonia to come to, especially if you are on your holidays. It’s also an amazing town to have a rest, or a bit of a break. If you are arriving here after finishing the Torres del Paine W or O hikes this is the place to enjoy some delicious food. After all, you’ve probably had a powder and dry food diet the past few days!
The glacier is about 1h30 hours away from the city so as you can imagine, El Calafate has many tours to offer. There are many agencies along the town with varying prices. So its a perfect way to organise your trip. We found that the cheapest place to get the transfer is from the El Calafate Hostel. They have a discounted price if you pay in cash and also the pick up is from the hostel at either 7am or 1pm.
When is the best time to visit El Calafate?
The best time to visit it is during the summer months which is between November and March. The weather is mild staying between the 18-25 degrees. This makes it the perfect time to visit the glaciers as the heat makes it much more active than the winter months.
Perito Moreno
The Perito Moreno glacier is one of the places in Patagonia I 100% recommend you do not miss! There are so many ways you are able to experience the glacier, ranging from pricy tours to just paying your entrance fee.
I recommend if you are on a tighter budget to take the board walk. This is what we did, I don’t think all tourists realise how good this experience is. If you can’t afford it, it is not necessary to buy boat tours or ice walks you can just go and see it. This is enough to blow your mind and have a perfect view of the glacier.
It’s also very common for people to hire a car for the day. You’ll see many tourists splitting the cost between a group as this can work out cheaper than the bus transfer, or you can hitchhike.
Hitchhiking is obviously at the disgression of others. However I’m almost certain you’ll be picked up if you go at a reasonable time and are persistent. The drive to the national park is breathtaking especially when you first enter, you’re surrounded by blue lagoons and mountains.
The cost to enter the park is $5500 Argentinian pesos for any foreigners.
5 other activities to do while in El Calafate!
1 – Take a horse back ride around Lake Argentino, on this tour your get to enjoy the amazing scenery and its immeasurable landscapes. All while relaxing on horse back, this is a very unique way to be able to experience some of southern Patagonia. The Lake is a stunning blue with a backdrop of the mountains.
2 – Relax in a local pub and enjoy hand crafted beer with some traditional Patagonia food. Like I said before there are so many lovely bars and restaurants for you to enjoy after a long day hike or as a treat to yourself. Patagonia recipes are usually very meaty and going to be quite a heavy meal! Nothing better on a cold evening to warm yourself up with a hearty plate of goodness. I highly recommend trying Patagonian lamb!
3 – Enjoy the 20 minute tour around Intendencia Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. If your a history lover this quick 20 minute walk is worth checking out. It is full of historical information and can give you some insight into Francisco Moreno himself, with many life size statues explaining the history. You also get to enjoying the stunning flower gardens surrounding the area.
4 – Discover some geology and take a visit to the Glaciarium. This is a very modern glacier museum. It was built to entertain its audience and teach you all about ice, glaciers and the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. It is located in the town and is a great experience for anyone into studying their science. I’d recommend to go before visiting the glacier, this way you can know a bit more about the stunning landscape before you visit it. This is something I very much wish I did when in El Calafate. Instead my geologist cousin gave me my information!
5- Go for a walk around Lago Argentino or do the Reserva Laguna Nimez borad walk. From here you’re able to observe all the wetland bird species. This is a tranquil parkland which offers sanctuary too many indigenous species such as the Swans and Flamingos. At sunset and sunrise its an extra special time to enjoy this walk. The sky turns the most beautiful shades of reds and oranges and as you can imagine the lake looks stunning. You’ll find many Argentinians enjoying a traditional Mate down at the lagoon for sunset.
Day transfers to other parts of Patagonia:
That’s right not only does El Calafate offer return transfers to the glacier. It also offers them to El Chalten and Torres del Paine national park. Making it a very assessable part of Patagonia to reach other attractions.
Luckily for you if you’re traveling on limited time or you can only afford a day trip to some of Patagonia highlights, El Calafate has you covered.
Although I personally don’t recommend only visiting these places for one day, I totally get it if you’re short of time but don’t want to miss out on these famous beauties. They’re popular because they are stunning and that Is why these day tours have been put in place.
Torres del Paine national park day tour
This national park is one of the most visited in Patagonia. It has several hikes you can go on ranging form a day hike to a 8 day hike! This park is absolutely stunning and although not the easiest of walks, totally worth it once you’ve made it all the way. If you are taking the day tour from El Calafate you will be doing the Base of the Towers hike. This walk takes roughly 7 hours and is very rewarding when you make it the the top. This is one of the main highlights of the national park, so definitely worth it! However being in Chile it means you’re going to have a few border crossings in one day. So don’t forget your passport and be prepared for a very long day and a very early start!
El Chalten Return bus or Day tour
El Chalten was probably one of mine and Eds favourite towns in Patagonia. It is only a three hour bus journey away from Calafate so very assessable when you’re on limited time. There are a few days walks you can go on from El Chalten but if you’re only visiting for the day I suggest you do the “Laguna de los Tres.” This is the most famous and iconic walk in El Chalten. The views are breathtaking so you’ll 100% be blown away. This walk is 20km return with 2km being a steep incline. Take it slow and make it to the top, as it’s one of the most beautiful views you can see in Patagonia.
Where to stay in El Calafate?
As El Calafate is a major tourist destination there are many great accomodations to choose from. Ranging from pricey and posh to budget and simple! We stayed in two places while in the area so our recommendations are below:
Calafate Hostel – booking.com
This is a great social hostel and also very large. Its in the town centre so very convenient for tours. The hostel also has cash discounts for most attractions. It’s definitely worth it having a chat with them about this at the reception. The hostel has a breakfast included in the price along with a communal kitchen, lounge space and a lovely garden to enjoy the nice weather. The price is pretty average for Patagonia at around $6500 Argentinian Pesos for a 4 bed dorm. Which was the cheapest they had to offer at this time.
Aves del Lago – booking.com
This hostel is a great stay and I couldn’t recommend more! This beautiful family run business is situated out of the hustle and bustle and located opposite the Laguna, where the flamingos live. This place is so refreshing and artistically decorated to make you feel at home and relaxed on your stay. The owners do anything they can to make you feel welcome and to make your time in El Calafate go as smooth as possible. The price is very reasonably for El Calafate with dorm rooms starting at 4000 pesos a night. The bonus here is they also have many options for accomodation, including self catering bungalows and beautifully styled apartments.
Thanks for reading this blog post, I hope it can help you a little more with your stay in El Calafate and planning your Patagonia trip. You’ll realise its totally worth the visit!
