The main hub for tourists visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Patagonia's Los Glaciares National Park, the small town of El Calafate offers plenty of accommodation options and other amenities for visitors.
Description
It's here that most visitors join excursions to see the park's popular glaciers, most notably the stunning Perito Moreno Glacier, a massive 30-kilometer-long ice formation (and the world's third largest freshwater reserve) just 78 kilometers from the town center.
Named after a 19th-century explorer, it's just a two-hour trip from El Calafate to the glacier's large visitor center, and from here just a short walk to the glacier. For those wanting to climb the glacier, ice trekking tours are available that range from an hour's walk over the ice formation to longer five-hour excursions.
Another important feature of Los Glaciares National Park is the 3,359-meter-tall Monte Fitz Roy, a stunningly beautiful mountain straddling the border with Chile that is reputably harder to climb than Everest.
Official site: www.losglaciares.com/en/index.html