Experience the best of Patagonia in four days: visit a massive glacier, sail across its lake, hike in the mountains, and discover an archaeological excursion.
Get ready to fly 2,000 km south from Buenos Aires to the city of El Calafate, in the province of Santa Cruz, in the heart of Patagonia.
Discover the star of this trip: the Perito Moreno Glacier, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located within a national park, you can admire it from over 5 kilometers of walkways.
⛳️ Where is El Calafate in the map?
🏕 What are you going to do?
🛖 Visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier, a massive, moving ice formation covering 250 km².
🛖 Sailing across Argentina's largest lake.
🛖 Travelling along Route 40, known as "the scenic route" for the many landscapes it traverses.
🛖 Journeying 220 km to El Chaltén to hike toward the iconic Mount Fitz Roy, on the border with Chile.
🛖 Having lunch inside a cave where early indigenous inhabitants once lived.
🛖 Embarking on an adventure in 4x4 vehicles.
🛖 Entering an archaeological site featuring caves and ancient rock paintings.
🧭 Itinerary
We outline exactly what you will be doing on each of the four days, starting from your arrival in El Calafate.
Welcome to El Calafate.
Upon your arrival at El Calafate Airport, transportation will be available to take you directly to your hotel.
Nativo Experience.
After checking into your hotel, you will be picked up for your first excursion in a 4×4 vehicle. This tour follows the shores of Lake Argentino from an anthropological perspective, taking you on a journey through time to discover how humans have left their mark on this land.
Along the route, you will be shown the native flora as the excursion progresses toward the Mirador del Acantilado -Cliff Viewpoint-, where you can step out of the vehicle to enjoy panoramic views of the Andes Mountains and Lake Argentino.
Afterward, you will descend to the coast, where you will gain insight into the world of indigenous peoples by visiting an archaeological site that preserves rock paintings dating back to 2000 BC.
The experience concludes inside a climate-controlled cave overlooking Lake Argentino and the Andes mountain range, where you will enjoy a lunch or dinner that transports you back to those ancient times.
Difficulty level: low.
This excursion can start in the morning or the afternoon. At the end of the excursion, you will be taken back to your hotel.
Visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier.
Once you have had breakfast at the hotel, a tour guide will come to pick you up for this new full-day excursion.
You’ll travel 80 km toward Los Glaciares National Park while your guide describes the geography and history of this part of Patagonia.
Also, you’ll have several hours to walk along the elevated walkways and take in the best views of the glacier, or you can choose to stay at the Balcón Principal – the Main Balcony-, waiting for an explosive ice calving event.
The experience facing the glacier is multisensory and hypnotic: you’ll see its massive scale (its face is 5 km wide and 70 meters high) and hear constant noise (sections of the glacier crashing down into the lake).
The walks along the walkways cater to varying levels of physical fitness, allowing visitors to choose to walk along the initial viewing platforms, which are more easily accessible.
At the end of the tour, you will have free time to enjoy lunch at one of the restaurants near the walkways, if you wish. Lunch is not included in the final price of the trip to El Calafate.
Difficulty level: low/medium.
Technical gear: jacket, hat, and gloves. The duration of the excursion is subject to weather conditions.
Lake Argentino Boat Tour.
As an ideal complement to your visit to the glacier, this one-hour excursion allows you to view the glacier from a different perspective. Departing from the foot of the walkways, the boat will take you right in front of the spectacular North Face of the Perito Moreno Glacier, where you can marvel at the impressive rupture zone—the area where ice calving occurs.
As you navigate Argentina’s largest lake, you will be amazed by the varying shades of turquoise, which shift depending on the time of day.
During the boat tour, a guide speaking English and Spanish will explain the glacier’s formation and its unique phenomena. Please inquire about guides in other languages.
Difficulty level: low.
Technical gear: jacket, hat, and gloves.
At the end of the excursion, you”ll be transported back to your hotel.
Trekking in El Chaltén.
Bright and early in the morning, after breakfast at your hotel, a tour bus accompanied by a guide will pick you up for a full-day excursion.
You’ll travel 220 km to El Chaltén—known as Argentina’s trekking capital—traversing the famous National Route 40 and following the shores of Lake Argentino.
This is a moderate-level hike that takes approximately four hours, though the actual time depends on your personal fitness level. The main goal is to reach Laguna de los Tres, where you can enjoy the most spectacular views of Mount Fitz Roy. Along the way, you will encounter several scenic viewpoints, and there are also shorter alternatives available for those who prefer not to walk as far.
If you decide to make your way to Laguna de los Tres, keep in mind that the final stretch of the ascent will be more challenging; however, if you proceed steadily and with determination, the experience will prove immensely rewarding.
Difficulty: medium/high.
Required equipment: water bottle, sunscreen, sunglasses, a spare pair of socks, gloves, and a hat. Lightweight backpack, warm and waterproof (or quick-drying) clothing. Hiking footwear and trekking poles.
You will arrive at your hotel in the evening, around 8 p.m.
Farewell to El Calafate.
After breakfast, you will check out of the hotel and have some free time until your transport to El Calafate Airport arrives.
What is included in El Calafate package?
☀️ 4 days and 3 nights🌙
✈️ Flight tickets, direct flights by Aerolíneas Argentinas.
🧳 Luggage
🏨 3 hotel nights with breakfast.
🚌 Transportation in-out from El Calafate airport to hotel.
🏥 Medical assistance.
⛺ 4 excursions with licensed touristic guide:
• Visit to Perito Moreno Glaciar.
• Lake Argentino boat tour.
• Nativo Experience excursion.
• Trekking in El Chaltén.
For all excursions, the tour guides speak Spanish and English. Please let us know if you require a guide in other languages.
📅 Availability
Departures are scheduled from October to December 2026. You can book a trip within these dates. We will add more dates later.
💰 Price per person
Prices are in US dollars, per person, based on double occupancy (minimum of two people). Please let us know if you need pricing for a single person or for more than two people.
Prices depend on the hotel you choose.
Below are three recommended hotels, each in a different category. The price for each hotel represents the final price for the entire trip.
Hotel Kelta ⭐️⭐️⭐️
TRAVEL FINAL PRICE
u$d 1275
per person
Hotel Bahía Redonda ⭐️⭐️⭐️ sup
TRAVEL FINAL PRICE
u$d 1355
per person
Hotel Posada Los Alamos ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TRAVEL FINAL PRICE
u$d 1460
per person
What is not included?
✖️ Los Glaciares National Park entrance fee: $ 50.000 pesos (aproximately u$d 30) per person.
✖️ Lunches, meals, drinks, snacks, or expenses not mentioned in this tour package.
✖️ Early check-in or late check-out at hotels.
✖️ Personal expenses, laundry, telephone, and hotel minibar consumption.
✖️ Specific seat selection on flights.
