El Calafate (or Calafate) is a small city in the Santa Cruz Province of Patagonia, Argentina. Named after the Patagonian Calafate plant and berries, it is known as the “gateway” to Los Glaciares National Park. This includes the famous Perito Moreno glacier as well as the mountains of El Chalten.
My husband, our friend and I traveled to El Calafate after my husband and I traveled for several days to El Chalten and prior to that Ushuaia.
We spent three and a half days in Calafate, including: a half a day watching Argentina win the World Cup (!), a full day for the Big Ice Trek, a full day for the Lago Argentina boat cruise, and the last day wandering the city, birdwatching at Laguna Nimez, and relaxing at our hotel.
You can spend as little as two days in El Calafate (with one day to see the Perito Moreno Glacier, if you are traveling to El Chalten), or as many as four days (including a day to see the Petrified Forest and/or an Estancia).
What to do?
- Perito Moreno Glacier (must do!) – this is the highlight of El Calafate. There are several options to see the glacier. This includes trekking, kayaking, a boat cruise, or the boardwalk. You can book online or in person with a tour operator(Hielo & Aventura and Patagonia Chic are recommended). We opted for the “Big Ice Trek”, which is a full day excursion including walking the boardwalk, a short boat ride and a long trek on the glacier. Although this is the most expensive option, I highly recommend it. However, you do need to be in good shape and there is an age restriction because of the difficulty. If you are unable to do the Big Ice Trek, I recommend the Minitrekking excursion. This will still allow you to get up close and personal with the glacier. **Note that for Big Ice and Minitrekking, you can book with several tour operators, but Hielo & Aventura is the only tour company that actually runs the treks. As such, it’s advisable to book early, especially for Big Ice, as there is limited space.
- Lago Argentina Boat Cruise – there are a couple options for the boat cruise. One includes only Upsala and Spegazzini glaciers (Todo Glaciares) and the other includes both glaciers and Perito Moreno (Experiencia Glaciares Gourmet). We opted for the former since we had already seen Perito Moreno the day before. This is nice to pair with a more active activity like trekking if you have a couple days, and allows you to see the glaciers from the water. After seeing the glaciers, you stop for lunch at a cafe for a couple of hours, where you can buy food or have a picnic with food you bring with you.
- Estancia Visit – an Estancia is a traditional ranch in Argentina and surrounding countries like Chile and Uruguay. There are two main ones in Calafate: Estancia Nibepo Aike or Estancia Christina. You can either stay overnight in them, or do a half or full day tour. This includes an overview of the functioning of the ranch, horseback riding and lunch. If you opt for the half or full day tour, you can book directly through the estancias (links above).
- La Leona Petrified Forest – about an hour and a half drive from El Calafate is a petrified forest where you can do a day trek. A petrified forest is made out of fossil or petrified wood (otherwise known as stone trees). Dinosaur fossils have been found here. You can do this as a day trip either driving on your own or booking with one of the tour operators like this one.
- Walk around El Calafate and Reserva Laguna Nimez – at some point, be sure to walk around El Calafate to pick up some souvenirs at the many stores selling alfajores, calafate berry goods, and wool clothing. About a 15-20 minutes from town, depending on where your hotel is located, is also a state-owned lake that serves as a sanctuary to several native species of birds, like flamingos. It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to walk around the lake, depending on how much you stop at the various “miradors” (or viewpoints). We didn’t try it, but there is a well reviewed restaurant nearby called La Chacrita de Nimez if you want to have a bite to eat or a drink after your walk.
- Day Trip to El Chalten – you can also do a day trip to El Chalten from Calafate. However, given that this is a 3 hour drive and how beautiful El Chalten is, I would recommend focusing on the glaciers when in Calafate, and staying overnight in El Chalten. If you only have time for El Chalten as a day trip and really want to fit this in, you can book a day trip like this one, or drive yourself.
- Day Trip to Torres del Paine – similarly, El Calafate is near Chile, and it is possible to do a day trip like this one to Torres del Paine National Park. However, I would not recommend this, and save Chile and Torres del Paine for another trip.
Where to eat?
- Kau Kaleshen – upscale, women-owned Argentinian restaurant that also offers tea. Must go – our favorite place!
- Isabel Cocina al Disco – traditional Argentinian food in discos, a one-pot stew cooked over an open fire. Get the lamb!
- Pura Vida – pasta dishes, stews and sandwiches. Really nice outdoor patio in the back. Has high reviews, but I thought the food was just okay. Go for a drink instead
- Cerveza Patagonia – didn’t go, but this place looked very popular for beers and more casual bar food
- Chopen – we walked by this place, and it looked good, but didn’t have time to go. Quaint patio for beer, casual parilla and empanadas
- Parillas – below are the three best reviewed parillas that cook Patagonian lamb the traditional way on a stake or cross. The options are a bit touristy, but good to try if you want the experience.
- Ice cream – following are a couple of ice cream shops that are recommended.
- Alfajores – below are two of the top recommended places for alfajores.
Where to stay?
We stayed at the Hotel Posada Los Alamos, but there are plenty of other options through Airbnb and Booking.com.
Hotel Posada is one of the nicest hotels in the center of El Calafate, conveniently located and walking distance from town. They also have a great breakfast buffet and nice rooms.
Sample Itinerary
2 days
Day 1
- AM – travel to Calafate
- PM – walk around the shops in Calafate (visit Laguna Nimez if time)
Day 2
- AM + PM – Big Ice Trek
3 days
Day 3 (with travel in the morning the following day)
- AM + PM – Laguna Argentina Boat Cruise
4 days
Day 4
- AM + PM – Estancia or La Leona Petrified Forest day trip