Top El Calafate Day Trips

This tour starts out a little early, we went in mid-March and we were very cold in that shuttle until our first stop (the rest area at the historic old hotel). We should have been better prepared for the cold, but the shuttle did not have heat and felt breezy that early in the morning. We lucked out with the weather, with a warm and sunny day and clear views of the mountains. We were only in El Chalten for enough time to eat lunch at one of the local restaurants - there was not time to explore the town. Lunch was just okay, everyone eats together at communal tables. Our group got separated and one of us ended up at a table with a group that did not speak the same language so it was a little awkward for her. We would have preferred less time for lunch, maybe something that was more simple and more time to explore the area. Our tour guide was interesting and charismatic, but she switched back and forth between Spanish and English so quickly that it was difficult to follow what she was saying at times. The walk to the Los Condores viewpoint was by far the highlight of the day. The waterfall walk was fine but there were a lot of tour groups there so it felt a little crowded.

Seem to have dealt with alot of companies on this trip; Tangol, Gigantes Patagones, and the tour operator on the day seemed to be Tiempolibre who supplied the coaches and tour guide. Prompt pickup at my hotel and a bus feeder transfer to a coach outside El Calafate. Was booked to do the optional boat ride at 10AM with balcones after. You can also buy the park ticket at the park entrance 45,000 ars with cash or card. Toilet breaks along the way, and there is a Cafe at the glacier centre. After getting our boat tickets we were then told the boat had departed, and the boat was cancelled until 1PM. So we did the balcones first. No big deal. Stunning glacier and good narration in English. I would recommend this trip.

The drive from El Calafate is about 2.5 hours. On the way you stop at several spots for photographs of Lake Argentina and landscapes. After you enter the national park we drove to some catamarans, boarding one to go to within 200 meters of the south face of the Perito Moreno glacier. Afterwards we went to a restaurant located near walking paths that provide views of the north and south face of the glaciers. The paths are very well constructed but there are hundreds of steps down and them back up. The views were amazing. We saw and heard “calving” of the glacier (where pieces break off and fall into the lake). The drive back was just over an hour.