El Calafate Trip Overview
See the best of South America’s spectacular Patagonia region on this 9-day tour from El Calafate. With a combination of guided activities and free time, this tour allows you to easily make the most of your time in Patagonia. Discover some of Patagonia’s most beautiful features, including the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Perito Moreno Glacier and Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, on our guided tours. Then use your free time to explore Patagonian towns or go on an adventure such as taking a self-guided hike to Mt Fitz Roy.
Additional Info
Duration: 9 days
Starts: El Calafate, Argentina
Trip Category: Multi-day & Extended Tours >> Multi-day Tours
Explore El Calafate Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina
See the best of South America’s spectacular Patagonia region on this 9-day tour from El Calafate. With a combination of guided activities and free time, this tour allows you to easily make the most of your time in Patagonia. Discover some of Patagonia’s most beautiful features, including the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Perito Moreno Glacier and Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, on our guided tours. Then use your free time to explore Patagonian towns or go on an adventure such as taking a self-guided hike to Mt Fitz Roy.
Itinerary
Day 1: El Calafate
Stop At: El Calafate Airport, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
Upon arrival at El Calafate Airport, you’ll be transported to your hotel (shared service).
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: El Calafate, El Calafate, Province of Santa Cruz, Patagonia
After check-in, you have the rest of the day free to explore local shops and restaurants around town, or venture outside El Calafate to surrounding areas like Laguna Nimez, where you’ll see a beautiful sunset (the front desk personnel at your hotel can give you information on transportation, hiking and more).
Duration: 4 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at a hotel of your chosen category in El Calafate
Day 2: El Calafate – Full-Day Perito Moreno Glacier with Boat Tour Included
Stop At: Perito Moreno Glacier, Los Glaciares National Park Argentina
After an early breakfast, head out for a full-day guided excursion to Los Glaciares National Park, where you’ll see Perito Moreno Glacier.
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes
Stop At: Pasarelas Perito Moreno, Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, El Calafate 9405 Argentina
Admire beautiful views of this UNESCO World Heritage Site on a boat cruise, which allows you to see the glacier up-close. Then take a walk on nearby walkways that will lead you to viewing platforms which showcase the 19-mile-long (30 km) Perito Moreno Glacier from different angles. Stop for lunch at the park before continuing your exploration (lunch is not included). After your visit to the national park, you’ll be driven back to your hotel in El Calafate, where you’ll have free time to eat dinner and relax.
**OPTIONAL: If you would prefer to upgrade your tour to include the Mini-Trekking or Big Ice excursions, both of which allow you to hike the glacier, please write it down in the special requirements box (while booking) and we’ll quote it for you.
Duration: 5 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at a hotel of your chosen category in El Calafate
Day 3: El Calafate
Stop At: El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
Today is a free day. Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before heading out to spend the day as you wish and explore El Calafate on your own.
Duration: 1 day
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at a hotel of your chosen category in El Calafate
Day 4: El Calafate / El Chalten
Stop At: Road to El Chalten, El Chalten Argentina
In the morning, your transfer will pick you up at your hotel to take you on a 3-hour journey to El Chaltén (shared service).
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: El Chalten, El Chalten, Province of Santa Cruz, Patagonia
After a scenic drive surrounded by the Patagonian steppe you will reach El Chalten and have the rest of the day free to get familiar with the town or go for a short hike from your hotel.
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at a hotel of your chosen category in El Chalten
Day 5: El Chalten: Self Guided hiking
Stop At: El Chalten, El Chalten, Province of Santa Cruz, Patagonia
After breakfast, head out to one of the many nearby trails for an optional self-guided hike. You can get all the necessary hiking information at your hotel or at the Tourist Information Center located right next to the bus station. There are full-day hiking options to Cerro Torre and Mt Fitz Roy, located on the border of Argentina and Chile, as well as shorter, 2- to 3-hour hiking trails near the mountain. Don’t forget to pack lunch if you decide to take one of the full-day hikes! Also, if you don’t feel like hiking, you can take an optional boat tour down Lago del desierto (Desert Lake) to discover more of Chalten’s natural beauty.
Duration: 1 day
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at a hotel of your chosen category in El Chalten
Day 6: El Chalten / El Calafate
Stop At: El Chalten, El Chalten, Province of Santa Cruz, Patagonia
Enjoy an early breakfast and spend your last few hours in El Chalten at your leisure. This is the perfect day to go for a morning hike and buy some souvenirs before departing to El Calafate.
Duration: 7 hours
Stop At: El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
In the afternoon, your transfer will pick you up at your hotel in Chalten to take you back to El Calafate where you’ll have the evening free to do as you wish.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at a hotel of your chosen category in El Calafate
Day 7: El Calafate / Puerto Natales
Stop At: El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
Today, you’ll leave Argentina behind and head to Puerto Natales in Chile. After breakfast at your hotel, make your way to El Calafate bus station for your public bus ride to Chile. Please make sure to keep your passport handy!
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Puerto Natales, Natales, Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, Chile
Upon arrival in Puerto Natales, you’ll make your way to your hotel (transport not provided). Taxis cost roughly $7 USD. After checking into your hotel in Puerto Natales, you’ll have the rest of the day free to explore this Chilean coastal town on your own.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at a hotel of your chosen category in Puerto Natales
Day 8: Puerto Natales – Full-Day Torres del Paine
Stop At: Torres Del Paine National Park, Torres del Paine National Park Chile
After breakfast, you’ll go on a full-day guided excursion to Torres del Paine National Park, one of the most beautiful parks in Patagonia. On the way to Torres del Paine, you’ll visit Milodon Cave, a natural monument composed of three caverns (entrance fee is not included). After reaching Torres del Paine, you will visit the most scenic panoramas of the park that are accessible by vehicle. Covering 447,260 acres (181,000 hectares), this national park is full of stunning natural beauty. Some highlights of this tour are: Grey Lake, Pehoe Lake, Salto Grande waterfall, Nordenskjöld Lake, Amarga Lagoon, etc. On the way, your guide will point out local wildlife like wild guanacos, caramel-colored animals in the llama family, which can be found roaming the nearby plains. After admiring the breathtaking views you can call it a day as your transport takes you back to your hotel in Puerto Natales. The evening is yours to do as you wish.
**OPTIONAL: If you would prefer to change this tour to a full-day hiking tour please write it down in the special requirements box (while booking) and we’ll quote it for you.
Duration: 11 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at a hotel of your chosen category in Puerto Natales
Day 9: Puerto Natales / El Calafate
Stop At: Puerto Natales, Natales, Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, Chile
After breakfast, make your way to Puerto Natales bus station (transportation not provided). It is highly recommended that you reach the bus station at least 30 minutes before your departure time.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
Upon arrival to Calafate, you’ll take a taxi to our local operator’s office, from where a transfer will take you to El Calafate airport (shared service).
IMPORTANT: Please make sure that your flight out of El Calafate departs at 4:30 p.m. or later, since your bus from Puerto Natales will arrive in El Calafate at 2 p.m.
NOTES: Our itinerary is pretty flexible so if you need to add extra nights at any of the mentioned destinations we can quote them for you. Also, we can quote extra tours or replace any of the included tours for a different one of your preference at an extra cost. Just make sure to let us know in advance using the special requirements box while booking.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
