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El Calafate, Argentina

El Calafate is a small town located in the Region of the Patagonia, specifically in the Province of Santa Cruz, Argentina. It’s located in the shore of the Argentino Lake and at the feet of the Calafate Hill.

Due to its location, El Calafate is the access to the Los Glaciares National Park, where there are more than 350 snowdrifts. To see this spectacle, it’s necessary to travel across 80 km. but in the road it’s possible to observe an important variety of bird fauna among which the black-necked swan, flamingo, steamer duck, coots and kelp goose. In the first 40 km. you can observe a patagonic steppe, passing then to a wooded vegetation rich in Antarctic Beech, Magellan's beech, Lenga Beech and Winter's Bark, as well as colored flowers that give life to this beautiful landscape.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the most famous glaciers, its majesty strikes the visitors, who can spend all day in the glacier view points, enjoying the excursions that the Los Glaciares National Parkhas tooffer. Other ice giants are the Upsala, Onelli, Spegazzini and Mayo Glaciers among others.

Located north of the Los Glaciares National Park and at the Chilean border are the Fitz Roy and Torre hills located, two of the hardest mountains to climb. The Fitz Roy is the main top of a half-moon shaped mountain range. On these mountains you can observe species that are unique and typical of the location, among them are the Pudus, the smallest deer of the world and the South Andean Deer (Huemul). You can as well see birds such as the condor, parrots and hummingbirds.

Chaltén is the nearest town to the Fitz Roy and Torre hills, and it is one of the ideal places to hike, ride, trekking and sailing. In addition its located 8 km. from the Lago Del Desierto Lake, which offers a landscape of tall Antarctic Beech and Lenga Beech forests and a viewto the massifFitz Roy, Torre and the glaciers.

In the proximity of El Calafate are important archeological centers located such as como Las Cuevas de Gualicho and Punta Bonita, places where you can enjoy of replicas and original cave paintings.   

The weather of the El Calafate areas is cold and dry, in the summer month the average temperature is 13º C reaching a maximum of 28º C. In the winter season the average temperature is of 1º C with minimum temperatures of -12º C.

You can access by land or air, the city has regular passenger transportation services. In addition is also the modern International Airport of El Calafate, which has daily flights to Argentina and Chile (Puerto Natales).