El
Calafate, Land Of Glaciers In Argentina by Mariel Lizana
El Calafate is the capital of
Santa Cruz province in Andean Patagonia, Argentina and it's located at
the shores of Argentino Lake, becoming the central point of all the excursions
in the zone, from Los Glaciares National Park, Chaltén and Torres
del Paine National Park, in Chile. It has been named El Calafate by a bush
with blue fruits that usually grows in this sector.
 El
Calafate is the closest urban zone to Los Glaciares National Park, who
was named Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO in 1981, for its natural beauty.
This is a wonderful place for adventure tourism and outdoor excursions
like trekking, navigation, horseback riding and others. El Calafate is
also the beginning of Patagonian Ice Fields and the first stage of the
amazing glacier circuit.
Inside of El Calafate there
is also Los Glaciares National Park Administrative Division, the starting
point of every tour and excursion to Los Glaciares National Reserve, located
at 80 kilometers away from the zone.
Inside of Los Glaciares National
Park, the visitors will be amazed by the natural wonders like the worldly
famous Perito Moreno glacier and its detachments, where impressive mass
of ice falls into de water, catching the attention of many tourists who
try to catch the exact moment of the fall.
The visitors can discover
this wonderful argentinean park using the artificial footbridges created
to watch de glaciers or navigating through the waters of the De Los Témpanos
channel and Argentino and Viedma Lakes.
This is the closest journey
you can take to the glaciers, which allows to see them in all their magnificence.
Los Glaciares National Park
counts with 47 impressive glaciers and some of the most important are Onelli,
Upsala, Spegazzini and Seco.
 Another
attraction of El Calafate is the zone of El Chaltén, located at
200 kilometers away from it. Chaltén is called the trekking capital
of Argentina because it has the famous Fitz Roy Mount, a difficult and
attractive mountain that every year is visited for climbers of the entire
world.
In El Calafate there is also
adventurous tourism. The Santa Cruz river is perfect for rafting and fishing.
In the waters of the zone you will find different species such as rainbow
trout, salmon and lake's trout.
Another interesting place
of Santa Cruz is the famous "Hands Cave", which is located in the rocks
of Pinturas River. This is a cave with ancient paintings, representing
scenes of hunting and superposed hands in some kind of magical ritual of
the old natives of the zone.
El Calafate is also one of
the best places to observe the flora and fauna of Patagonia, in the Natural
Reserve of Nimes Lagoon, located at Solitaria Island in Argentino Lake.
Here you will find animals
like red fox, hare, condors, eagles, flamingos and swans in their natural
environment.
El Calafate mixes in one
place the most incredible nature and vegetation, besides the impressive
beauty of the glaciers, making of it the perfect escape for the ones who
look for adventure, to discover new places or simply rest and relax.
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