Perito Moreno Glacier
The little town of El Calafate, the primary hub for tourists visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Patagonia's Los Glaciares National Park, provides lots of lodging options and other services for visitors. The Perito Moreno Glacier, a vast 30-kilometer-long ice formation (and the world's third-largest freshwater reserve) just 78 kilometers from the town center, is where most visitors take tours to explore the park's popular glaciers. It's only a two-hour drive from El Calafate to the glacier's big tourist center, and then a short walk to the glacier itself, which is named for a 19th-century explorer. Ice trekking tours range from an hour's walk across the ice formation to larger five-hour excursions for individuals who want to climb the glacier.
The 3,359-meter-tall Monte Fitz Roy, which straddles the Chilean border and is said to be tougher to climb than Everest, is another notable feature of Los Glaciares National Park.
Address: Los Glaciares National Park, Southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
Entrance fee: $800 Argentine Pesos
Best time to visit: November to March
Hours:
- Summer: September - April: 8 am - 6 pm
- Winter: April - August: 9 am - 4 pm
