Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia
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What does a visit to Los Glaciares National Park entail?
Getting active
If you’re traveling as part of a small group tour then these hikes may be guided, or you may be given free time to explore independently. The trails around Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, for example, are all well marked and well trodden so self guided walking is an easy option – and there’s plenty here to suit all levels of willing walkers. Ice climbing, ice hiking and even kayaking are also possible around the region’s more accessible glaciers: Perito Moreno near El Calafate and Viedma near El Chaltén.
A more leisurely approach
Los Glaciares National Park can be enjoyed at a more relaxed pace if you prefer. Easy walks of just two hours will still take you from El Chaltén, for example, to some of the most spectacular viewpoints over the Fitz Roy Massif. Alternatively, you can forgo hiking here and enjoy horse-riding with local gauchos instead.And while you can choose to strap on crampons and try ice hiking and ice climbing on Perito Moreno Gacier, you can just as easily enjoy a leisurely boat cruise along the glacier’s snout, or a wander along its network of wooden viewing platforms. Despite its popularity, the immediate area around Perito Moreno has been kept as natural as possible, so your glacier views remain unimpeded by souvenir shops and tourist cafes.
For a cultural fix, a few estancias – Argentine cattle ranches – just outside El Calafate welcome visitors to share in traditional gaucho life, complete with horse riding and mouthwatering asado (barbeque) dinners. Alternatively brush up on your icy knowledge in the Glaciarium Museum, just outside the town.
Where will I stay?
Accommodation here is as varied as the activities on offer. Depending on the style of your trip, what activities you’ll be doing and your preferences, you could find yourself staying in anything from boutique hotels with splendid mountain views and spas, to basic campsites in the heart of the national park.How to visit Los Glaciares
National Park
Self drive tours are easy in this part of Patagonia, with El Calafate equipped with a variety of decent car rental outfits and a small airport with excellent links to Buenos Aires, Ushuaia and San Carlos de Bariloche. Main roads linking El Calafate to Perito Moreno glacier (80km or a 1.5 to 2 hour drive) and to El Chaltén (215km or a 3 to 4 hour drive) are paved, smooth, often dead straight and cut through astounding scenery. Alternatively, Argentina’s excellent and very affordable bus network plies the same routes.
Our top Patagonia Vacation
Chile and Argentina tour
Santiago, Lake District, Patagonia, Glaciers & Buenos Aires
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Los Glaciares National Park highlights
Perito Moreno Glacier
Fitz Roy Massif
The fairytale rocky fingers of Cerros Fitz Roy and Torre reach skywards over 3,000m to create one of Patagonia’s most phenomenal mountain vistas. A network of well marked trails from El Chaltén take you to isolated lagoons, hanging glaciers and spectacular miradors. Hikes here vary from strenuous, multi-day scrambles necessitating a stay at one of the Massif’s campsites, to two-hour, but no less lovely, round trips to a viewpoint and back.El Calafate
El Chaltén
Argentina’s sleepy ‘trekking capital’ has a certain backwater charm fuelled by decent food and an abundance of locally brewed craft beer. A mecca for hikers in summer, its appeal lies in the variety of trails that lead directly from the village into the surrounding mountains. A highlight is the challenging 26km trek to Laguna de los Tres for spectacular views of Mount Fitz Roy. Horse riding with local gauchos and boat rides on the nearby Lago Viedma are also options here.When to visit Los Glaciares
National Park
To avoid the peak tourist crowds – and the most expensive rates – consider traveling during the Patagonian spring and autumn. Mid-November to December are green and pleasant, with spring flowers in bloom, and while rain showers are more likely these are rarely particularly heavy. Mid-March to late April are ideal for photographers who want to capture vibrant autumn colours and spectacular sunsets.
You’ll need to come equipped with warm layers and waterproofs at any time of year, however, as the Patagonian wind can be cold, and the weather unpredictable even in the height of summer.