Introduction to El Calafate and Perito Moreno Glacier – Argentina

El Calafate is a small town in southern Argentina’s vast Patagonian region. The once tiny remote town has become one of the country’s major tourist towns ever since its airport was built in 2001.

The main draw is its proximity to Glacier National Park, and more specifically to spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier. It’s one of the world’s easiest and most beautiful glaciers to visit.

Charms of El Calafate

But El Calafate also has other charms and intriguing attractions. To start with, the cute town is filled with adorable mountain-alpine style shops, cafes, bakeries, restaurants, petite hotels and tour companies, making the small downtown area a very pleasant place to stroll, shop and dine.

It’s also immersed in large shady trees and has several small parks situated smack downtown. Looking at town from a hillside vantage point, El Calafate looks more like a forest with scattered roofs peaking up through the dense greenery. Glacier National Park Visitors Center and its park-like grounds are also located downtown.

El Calafate is also beautifully situated on the shores of huge, milky-green Argentina Lake. On the edge of town is a long golden beach and a large preserved wetlands full of birds.

Glacierarium

The biggest attraction after Perito Moreno Glacier is the fantastic Glacierarium Museum, situated a few miles outside town. This extremely well-designed museum teaches visitors everything there is to know about glaciers and their many properties; formation of snow, ice, snowfields and glaciers; worldwide glacial areas and great details about the 300+ glaciers found nearby in the high Andes Mountains.

Wisely, Glacierarium provides free round-trip shuttles from town at regular times throughout the day.

Spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier

But, as noted above, by and far, the main reason so many people flock to quaint little El Calafate is to visit Perito Moreno Glacier. It’s located just a one-hour drive west of town.

There are several reasons Perito Moreno Glacier is so spectacular. First of all, the front edge of this glacier is set on the shores of vast Lake, which gives it added scenic beauty. The glacier’s front wall looms 50-70 M / 165-230 ft above the lake surface, presenting quite an imposing wall of sheer ice. The uneven, jagged surfaces glow in multiple shades of blue, from palest sky-blue to vibrant turquiose to deep cobalt.

The glacier’s lakeside location also means that the near-constant calving ice from the front wall falls dramatically into the lake, creating huge splashing sounds and massive sprays of water up into the air.

Adding the incredibly loud cracking of the ice and its thunderous break away from the glacier to the booming splashes and water spray all create a spectacular audial and visual experience.

These chunks of fallen ice, from small to ship-size, become icebergs of an astonishing variety of shapes, textures and colors. They’re all floating around the base of the glacier, moving slowly through the lake waters, adding even more beauty and intrigue to the scene.

Finally, the front wall of the glacier is incredibly long. This can be appreciated most thoroughly by taking a boat cruise close to the glacier and along its entire wall from one end to another.

How to Reach Perito Moreno Glacier from El Calafate

Visitors have the choice of driving their own vehicle, taking the public bus or joining a tour. They could also try their hand at hitch hiking out and back.

The glacier is located within Glacier National Park. At the entrance all arrivals must stop to pay the entry fee before proceeding on.

Once you reach the glacier area there are several options for viewing the glacier. The primary choice is to walk along the vast boardwalks that have been built up and down a steep hillside just across a narrow section of lake from the face of the glacier.

A second option is to take one of two boats that cruise up close to the glacier and along its long face. These trips can be arranged by tour operators in town or else out at the national park at two different boat piers.

There are also specialized tour companies that take adventurous travelers kayaking near the glacier face, hiking on the top of the glacier wearing ice shoes or walking to the base of the western side of the glacier. Not surprisingly, these tours are very expensive.

Other, longer cruises travel along the complex lake system within the national park to visit several other nearby glaciers and/or to walk through forests to visit other glacier viewpoints.

No matter how you visit the glacier and national park, it’s sure to be spectacular. Just don’t forget to save enough time to visit the amazing Glacierarium, stroll around town and walk along the shores of the lake on the edge of town.

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