CHAT:
El Calafate
Something you cannot miss during your visit in Argentina is the Perito Moreno glacier, which, together with other twelve glaciers, makes up the biggest sliding masses of ice and snow of Los Glaciares National Park. This 5-Km-wide glacier, which is 60 meters above Lake Argentino, continues in advance. Throughout the year, ice towers detach from the glacier and plunge into the water as small icebergs. Perito Moreno glacier can be reached from El Calafate. Sailing across Lake Argentino, among white and blue icebergs, you can see 50-Km-long Upsala glacier. Onelli and Agassiz glaciers can be admired after walking 1,5 Km from Onelli bay.
The breathtaking scene of huge ice towers in this vast ice field that plunge into the waters of lakes Viedma and Argentino, Glaciers Perito Moreno, Mayo, Spegazzini, and Upsala’s fronts fall into the latter, at a short distance from glaciers Agassiz, Onelli, Ameghino, and Frías. Tertiary granite elevations covered with thick Andean forests are also part of this spectacle. You can go sailing on the lakes to better appreciate the glaciers’ front, or you may go trekking and climbing on ancient blocks of ice. El Calafate is the closest service center, which can be reached by air from Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, or by bus from Río Gallegos. Mounts Torre and Fitz Roy, both of them are located in El Chaltén area, inside Los Glaciares National Park, and they represent a challenge even for expert mountain climbers and trekking lovers.
Other places of interest within the area include:
Bosques Petrificados Natural Monument
130 million years ago, this area was covered by giant forests. Volcanic eruptions took place simultaneously with the rising of the Andes mountain range, burying the landscape with ashes. As time went by, trees were fossilized and, later on, an authentic rock forest with trees of up to 35 m. long and a diameter of 3 m. was unveiled by the action of the wind and the rain.
Cuevas De Las Manos
In this amazing canyon we find one of the most significant displays of cave painting in Patagonia: Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the Hands) receives its name from the human hand stencils appearing on the rocks, and 9,300-year-old paintings of guanaco and ñandú (South American ostrich) hunting.
Please take a look at our Add-On tour section for information on tours we have to this area of Southern Patagonia. The tour to this destination is available to book separately or as part of a larger tour of Argentina. The stand alone price can be found within the above mentioned section. We are also currently taking advanced reservations (no obligation to book until final itinerary/price is published- currently only guide price available) for a “Total Argentina” tour in November 2010 which will include Buenos Aires, Iguazú, El Calafate & Mendoza (wine route). Please contact us for further details.