El Calafate
A steppe town on the shore of Lago Argentino, eighty kilometres from the ice wall of Perito Moreno, with a runway long enough for airline jets.
- Arrival
- El Calafate International · FTE
- To the town
- About 23 km to the centre
- Private jets
- At FTE, on a 2,550 m runway
- Best time
- October to April
The city
Steppe on one side, ice on the other.
El Calafate is the gateway to Los Glaciares, a national park of more than 726,000 hectares created in 1937 and listed by UNESCO in 1981. It guards part of the third-largest continental ice field on earth, and its glaciers run down into Lago Argentino, the town's own lake.
The season runs from October to April, when the days are long and summer afternoons reach about 19 °C. Perito Moreno can be seen in every month, but in winter the light lasts only eight hours. Rain is scarce all year, about 160 mm in total.
- Perito Moreno Eighty kilometres out along Route 11, a front of ice watched from walkways as it calves into the lake.
- Upsala One of the principal glaciers of Los Glaciares, feeding the north arm of Lago Argentino.
- El Chaltén The trekking village beneath Fitz Roy, about 200 km away by road.
Arriving
A runway on the lake shore.
The airport sits on the south shore of Lago Argentino, about 23 km from the centre. Its runway, 2,550 metres long, opened in 1999 and was built from the start for airline jets.
- Santiago 2 h 45
- Buenos Aires 3 h 00
- Punta del Este 3 h 10
- Lagos 12 h 40 long-range jet
- New York 13 h 20 long-range jet
When to go
October to April.
Cool and very dry, with about 160 mm of rain a year. Summer highs reach 18 to 19 °C from December to February, and spring and autumn stay in the teens; from May to August afternoons barely pass 5 to 9 °C and the days are short.
- 19° J 7
- 19° F 14
- 17° M 17
- 13° A 20
- 9° M 20
- 6° J 15
- 5° J 14
- 7° A 14
- 11° S 11
- 14° O 14
- 16° N 7
- 18° D 10
Where to stay
Estancias, the lake and the town.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Xelena Hotel & Suites On the edge of the lake, with an indoor pool and the water in view.
- Imago Hotel & Spa Looks straight onto the bay, with a spa, indoor pool and sauna.
- EOLO – Patagonia's Spirit A lodge on a 4,000-hectare estate in the open steppe, with two MICHELIN Keys.
- Estancia Cristina A ranch inside the national park, raised to two MICHELIN Keys in 2026.
- Design Suites Calafate Sixty rooms with views of the lake, outside town, with a spa and indoor pool.
- Alto Calafate Hotel Patagónico A hundred and three rooms on the hillside at the entrance to town, with a heated outdoor pool.
- Kau Yatún Hotel de Campo A country hotel among native plants, within walking distance of the main street.
Where to dine
Dinner on the estancia.
No MICHELIN restaurant guide covers Santa Cruz. EOLO’s restaurant is listed by Relais & Châteaux.
- EOLO Relais & Châteaux Patagonian, tasting menu EOLO, on the estancia between the town and the park
Elsewhere in Argentina
More reasons to come.
- Buenos Aires Recoleta, the tango halls of San Telmo, and the Teatro Colón.
- Mendoza Vineyards at the foot of the Andes, with Aconcagua in view.
- Bariloche A chocolate-making town on Lake Nahuel Huapi, with Cerro Catedral above it for winter.
- Ushuaia The southernmost city, where most Antarctic voyages set sail.
- Salta Colonial churches, and the red gorges and high vineyards of the north-west.
- Puerto Iguazú The falls seen from the Argentine side, on walkways over the water.
Flying to El Calafate?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.