Things to do
5-
Glaciarium
Purpose-built on the steppe outside town, this ice museum explains how the Patagonian ice fields formed and why a few of their glaciers still advance. Exhibits are bilingual and well made, and a bar below is built entirely of ice. Shuttles run from the centre of El Calafate, which matters because the walk out is long and exposed.
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Laguna Nimez
A reserve of reed beds and shallow water on the edge of town, walked on a gravel loop in under two hours. Flamingos, black-necked swans and upland geese are regular, and the light off Lago Argentino late in the day is the reason to come then. Entry is ticketed at the hut, and the loop stays flat throughout.
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Los Glaciares National Park
Ice fields on the Chilean border feed dozens of glaciers into two long lakes, and the park splits into a southern half reached from El Calafate and a northern half walked from El Chalten. Entry is ticketed separately for each. The two halves are treated as separate trips with a road transfer between, since no route links them inside the park.
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Other
Perito Moreno Glacier
Sixty metres of ice front meet the Canal de los Tempanos at the end of a paved road, and a system of steel boardwalks descends the opposite headland to face it. Blocks calve into the water through the day, loud enough to carry over the noise of the crowd. Boats cross for a closer angle, and short crampon walks are sold on the southern face.
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Other
Upsala Glacier
Reached only by boat, the largest glacier in the park calves into the northern arm of Lago Argentino, where icebergs the size of houses drift and run aground. Day cruises leave from Puerto Bandera and are often blocked by loose ice at the face, turning back short of it. Wind on that arm cancels sailings at short notice.