El Calafate Travel Guide: Kayaking Glaciers and Hiking in El Chaltén
Two of the best outdoor adventures in Argentine Patagonia, explained in full.
El Calafate is one of those destinations that sounds remote until you actually get there and realize how well set up it is for travelers. It sits in the Santa Cruz province of southern Argentina, about three hours by plane from Buenos Aires, and its entire economy runs on the Los Glaciares National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 47 active glaciers and some of the most dramatic landscapes on the planet.
Most people come for the Perito Moreno glacier, which is the right call. But the mistake most first-timers make is stopping there. El Calafate and the surrounding area offer a range of outdoor experiences well beyond the standard walkway tour — and if you're doing the trip right, you should plan for at least three full days to fit in the highlights. Here's a breakdown of two activities that are worth building your itinerary around.
Kayaking at the Perito Moreno Glacier
The walkways that overlook the Perito Moreno are genuinely impressive — three kilometres of elevated platforms with views across the glacier face — but they put you at a distance. The kayak experience at Perito Moreno puts you at water level, among the icebergs that have already broken off the glacier and are floating in the southern arm of Lago Argentino. It's the same glacier, completely different perspective.
The logistics: operators run small groups only — capacity is limited and these tours sell out weeks ahead in high season (October through March), so booking in advance is not optional. All equipment is provided: a dry suit, thermal underlayer, Gore-Tex outer shell, boots and gloves. No prior kayaking experience is necessary — guides handle all instruction on site. Time on the water runs approximately 90 minutes to two hours.
What makes the experience different from anything else in the park is the scale. The icebergs range from the size of a coffee table to the size of a house, and the blue of the ice — the product of centuries of compression that removes air bubbles and shifts the light absorption — is genuinely unlike any blue you'll see in a photograph. The glacier face looms in the background throughout. You'll also hear it: the clicks and groans of moving ice, and occasionally the crack that precedes a calving event somewhere along the wall.
It's one of those activities that sounds like it's for serious outdoor people and turns out to be accessible to almost everyone. If you can sit in a kayak and follow basic paddle instructions, you can do this.
El Chaltén: a full day in Argentina's trekking capital
About 220 kilometres north of El Calafate lies El Chaltén, a small mountain village at the base of the Fitz Roy massif. It's known as the trekking capital of Argentina, and if you've ever seen dramatic granite spire photography from Patagonia, there's a reasonable chance it was taken from somewhere around El Chaltén. The two main peaks — Cerro Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre — are among the most recognizable mountain silhouettes in South America.
A day trip to El Chaltén from El Calafate covers the three-hour drive each way plus a full day in the village and the surrounding trails. The main options are the hike to Laguna de los Tres — a high lake directly below the Fitz Roy face, about 8 kilometres each way with significant elevation gain — and the slightly shorter hike to Laguna Torre, which faces Cerro Torre. Both are free-access, well-marked trails that don't require guides.
For those who want something less strenuous, the Chorrillo del Salto waterfall is a 4-kilometre round trip from the village and takes about 90 minutes. The Condors Viewpoint hike is another popular shorter option, with the possibility of seeing Andean condors — birds with a wingspan of up to nine feet — soaring at close range above the valley.
A few practical notes: El Chaltén sits at a higher altitude and in a more exposed location than El Calafate, so weather changes faster and more dramatically. Waterproof layers are not a suggestion. Winds in the valley can be strong enough to require leaning forward to walk. The village has a handful of restaurants and a microbrewery that's worth stopping at before the drive back.
Planning your El Calafate itinerary
If you're trying to fit both activities into a short trip, here's a workable structure for three days:
- Day 1: Arrive, get oriented, afternoon at the Perito Moreno walkways.
- Day 2: Kayak excursion (morning departure, back by early afternoon). Rest or town in the evening.
- Day 3: Full day El Chaltén — early departure, choose your trail, drive back by evening.
Best season is October through March. Flights from Buenos Aires (Ezeiza or Aeroparque) to El Calafate airport are around three hours and run daily with Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM. The town has solid mid-range and upscale accommodation options — book ahead for high season.
Patagonia rewards preparation. Show up with the right kit, the right bookings, and a flexible attitude about weather, and it delivers on every expectation.