El Calafate Travel Guide: What to Do, Where to Stay, and Travel Tips
If you are planning a Patagonia trip, you are likely to end up in El Calafate at some point in your travels. It’s home to one of the main airports in the region, providing accessibility to hiking hotspots El Chalten and Torres del Paine national park.
We came to El Calafate twice on our trip – the first time as a stop off between Puerto Natales after completing the O Circuit in Torres del Paine, and then again following 11 days in El Chalten as we weren’t able to get an earlier bus.
There isn’t a lot to do in El Calafate, so I would recommend spending just a couple of days there. The main highlight is visiting the Perito Merina Glacier which I’d highly recommend.
Apart from the glacier, you can find a lot of restaurants, souvenir shops, and tour offices. We rented a car for two days and did a short half-day hike out of town which was beautiful. Unfortunately, we found out afterwards that it was actually closed to the public at that time of year – oops!
There are some other hikes in the area with similar views, so although I won’t share the details from that exact hike, if you type "Estancia Nibepo Aike" in your maps you will be able to find some other hiking paths nearby, or check out the area on AllTrails. Here are some photos so you know the effort is worthwhile!
We really enjoyed our time in El Calafate, but after four full days there (two of them being rest days), I don’t think we would need to return. Although the accommodation is reasonably priced, everything else is expensive - especially groceries, thanks to Argentina's huge import taxes on pretty much everything in the supermarket minus a few brands (which seem to still be expensive, I guess you have that luxury being a local producer in the market!).
If you are planning a trip to Torres del Paine for the O or W circuit, I would suggest starting off in Puerto Natales instead of El Calafate. Read more on why in my 'O-Circuit: Know Before You Go' post.
Where we stayed:
Hotel Jardin El Calafate
Cost per night: AUD$53/USD$35.50 inc. breakfast
Room type: Double room (double bed) with private bathroom
Website: https://mermoz.hotelesenpatagonia.com/es/
We got this hotel on a great deal as an Expedia silver member, making it half the price than an other hotels in the area. It was a close 10 minute walk to the town, in a tranquil area. We liked our stay here, the only downside was the room temperature – we couldn’t change it, and the room was super hot. All the rooms had balconies, so we ended up leaving the door ajar each night.
Where we ate:
La Cantina Piadineria & Beer House
What I ate: Piadina (Flatbread) – Pork Loin
What I drank: Diet coke
What I spent: AUD$17/USD$11.30
This restaurant is about a 15minute walk from the main town, opposite Lago Argentino. Although it’s out of the way, it’s a beautiful setting especially for sunset and worth making the walk out there. The portions were HUGE – I took half of my flatbread to have for lunch the next day, so really the prices worked out quite cheap in that regard.
El Gaita Pizza Bar
What I ate: Grande Chicken pizza
What I drank: Glass of House Malbec
What I spent: AUD:$24.70/USD$16.50
This may sound like a lot for a pizza, but it was massive and we only just made it through half each. It was also one of the best pizzas I have had in a LONG time. You can see the chef making the pizzas in the woodfire oven, with him generously throwing all the toppings and plenty of herbs on before it went in. It was so good we went twice and ordered the exact same pizza the second time!
Mexico Street Food
What I ate: Nachos, Chicken Quesadilla, Pork Quesadilla
What I drank: A VERY generous pour of Chardonnay
What I spent: AUD$30/USD$20
Compared to our other meals out, this one was a little underwhelming. My blue cheese burger had so much blue cheese it drowned out the taste of the other fillings, and Tim’s medium rare steak he ordered turned out to be very well done.
*photos are from booking.com
Hopefully this post has helped you plan your El Chaltén trip, or inspired you to visit, even if just for Perito Moreno Glacier!
What We Did:
The highlight of El Calafate, as mentioned earlier, is the Perino Moreno Glacier. It's the one attraction you can't miss! I wrote about this excursion in more detail here:
Apart from the glacier and some nice hikes out of the town, there isn't too much to do in El Calafate itself outside of shopping and dining out. There are some beautiful souvenir shops, and I had list of restaurant recommendations from other people I'd met on the road, but unfortunately the budget didn't stretch far enough to indulge!
Due to us having a few extra days here more than we had anticipated, this was the location where I finally put pen to paper (or in this case, fingers to keyboard) and started this blog! It's also where I came to the very fast realisation that it is a timely endeavour setting up a blog from scratch - what I thought I could get done in days became months!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to Argentina's ever-fluctuating currency, please check prices before planning your travels. These prices were correct as at April 2024. For more on Argentina's money situation, click here.
