Tour: EL CALAFATE AND THE GLACIERS

DAY 1: El Calafate
Arrival at El Calafate airport, reception and transfer to the hotel of choice. After arrival free day. Stay overnight.

DAY 2: El Calafate - Perito Moreno Glacier - El Calafate
After breakfast we will start on one of the area's most marvelous excursions, visiting Perito Moreno Glacier. After traveling for some time through the Patagonian steppe we will enter an area with more vegetation, and finally arrive at the majestic Perito Moreno Glacier. You will no doubt be thrilled by its splendor, and by the sight of enormous chunks of ice falling thunderously into the waters of Lake Argentino. This is an unforgettable spectacle. Return to the hotel. Stay overnight.

DAY 3: El Calafate - Upsala Glacier and Onelli Glacier - El Calafate
After breakfast we will make another fascinating excursion into the Los Glaciares National Park. This is a boat trip along the waters of Lake Argentino, visiting the Upsala and Onelli glaciers. According to the time of year, the excursion will also include the Spegazzini Glacier. You will enjoy the sight of huge icebergs floating in the lake gleaming in the sunlight to provide a unique spectacle. Return to the hotel. Stay overnight.

DAY 4: El Calafate
After breakfast visitors will be taken to the airport in time to board their return flight.

CLIMATE
In El Calafate itself the climate is dry, with only 300 mm. of average yearly rainfall.
However, in the National Park, situated further to the east it rains much more, above +1500 mm per year. Maximum average temperature during the southern hemisphere summer is +18C, and the average minimum in winter is -2 degrees centigrade. There are no shops in El Calafate that where you can rent clothes for snow or extreme cold. It is also important to take into account the variations of the hours of daylight according to the season: In summer, dawn comes at 5:30 AM and the sun does not set until 11 PM; but during the southern hemisphere winter you can only count on 8 daylight hours, i.e. between 9:30 AM and 5:30 PM.

WHAT TO PACK
An extra coat is always welcome during a trip to El Calafate, since the weather can change from a sunny sky to a cold wind. Look for a coat you can easily take off and hang when you enter a shop or building for longer than a minute. For the excursions into the country side you will need a sweaters and waterproof shoes. Due too the frequent changes of climate, it is a good idea to use different layers of clothing and a small rucksack to carry the pieces of clothing not in use at any given moment. Sunglasses are a must, especially when coming into contact with snow.

HEALTH
There are no endemic diseases in Argentina and thus you will not need any special vaccination before visiting.
Argentina is free of hoof and mouth disease, thus the there is no danger of enjoying a good steak.
Sometimes a red tide will restrict the possibility to enjoy seafood on the shell. Local media will always inform the public whenever this happens.

Argentina has an important network of hospitals, clinics and medical posts. In the big cities the hospitals are fully equipped to deal with most cases, however complicated, whilst in the most remote villages medical attention is on a basic level.

WATER
All the Argentinean cities that you will visit have potable water treatment plants. However, to avoid any unpleasantries we recommend you stick to bottled water during your trip, especially when in places off the beaten track.

TYPICAL LOCAL CUISINE
Apart from the tasty steaks on the spit, the local cuisine has managed to blend the most representative of European cuisine with the best of Regional dishes. Typical regional dishes are the Patagonian lamb, trout or salmon and local sweets, such as i.e. the "Calafate", with which jams and cakes are made.

Restaurants during your trip:
In Calafate: International, vegetarian and local food restaurants.
Restaurants in Calafate

IMPORTANT: We reserve the right to make changes to the order of the trip, without prior notice, due to changes in climate conditions, river water levels, flight or bus arrival and departure times or any other reason relevant to the best development of the trip.