The entrance to Glacier National Park
The town of El Calafate is located on the southern shore of Lago Argentina, 315 km. Rio Gallegos, capital of the Province of Santa Cruz, and 80 km. the entrance to Glacier National Park.
Situated on a steppe landscape, surprises visitors the breadth of his views, turquoise Lago Argentina and the vegetation of a desert area.
In his trip to Calafate is required to visit before Glacier National Park, as it is the last inhabited place before entering it. Its infrastructure is dedicated to providing tourist services, with a wide variety of hotels, transport and excursions, local cuisine and sale of local products and crafts from around the country.
This site came about as Hostel carts, in the days when this area was inhabited only in order to raise sheep for their wool marketing. Over time, the international wool prices did little interesting this business, and the town was losing its raison d’etre. In 1938 the area of the southern continental ice field was declared a National Park. Since then the site started being visited by travelers from around the world and El Calafate was increasingly oriented to provide better service to tourists.
The name of the place is due to the bush which formerly occupied the area, is a characteristic of the steppe plant in spring is covered with showy yellow flowers and its fruit is the family of berberys, very small and dark purple. Today, visitors can meet through handmade sweets and liqueurs. An old legend tehuelche concludes that “testing the caulking, come back!”
When you make your trip to Calafate should be noted that the climate of this area is cold and dry, with average temperatures of -2 º in winter and 18 º in summer rainfall is low, mainly rain during the fall and not exceed 300 mm. Annual.
Within the National Park highlights a few glaciers, mainly because of its easy access, but also for its particular natural characteristics.
No doubt in your trip to Calafate should visit the Perito Moreno the only thing you can see from the ground, its main attraction is the frequent ruptures, landslides sometimes small pieces of ice, sometimes of large walls. These occur because the front is shallow, causing the pressure to advance is in conflict with the brake at its base.
The Breakdown: The phenomenon of large ruptures were achieved when the front of the glacier reaches land on the Peninsula Magallanes (under the area of the runways), this forms a natural dam that causes water to the southern arm of Lago Argentina generating increasing pressure on the dam, because its level rises fed by the thawing of the area.
Also when traveling to Calafate Upsala Glacier can learn. In this glacier is only possible to navigate, as it is in the north arm of Lago Argentino. Its main attraction is, besides its size (several times the Moreno), the size of the blocks off of his forehead. Huge blocks are generally larger than the vessels which runs through the area. It is very difficult to see a break in the glacier, but sailing among icebergs is a fascinating experience!
Calafate invites other activities like horseback riding, by the Round Bay area within the urban area, where you can appreciate the arid landscape, birds and visit different rooms, there are several tours to travel in 4 x 4, can be performed fishing and excursions to different parts of the site.
It has the best hotel and restaurant to have a comfortable evening not to be deprived of anything.
Calafate is a different option is to live with a majestic landscape, joining the Patagonian nature.
