On the eastern slope of the Andes, Parque Nacional Los Glaciares comprises more than 759,000 hectares of slowly flowing ice, interspersed with Magellanic forests, that give birth to clear, frigid rivers and vast lakes along the Chilean border east and north of El Calafate.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s most famous for the Moreno Glacier, which draws thousands of sedentary visitors for day trips but also pulls in scientists absorbed in glaciology and climate studies.

In general, the southerly part of the park, east of El Calafate, gets day visitors for passive sightseeing. The northerly sector—a four-hour bus trip from El Calafate—attracts those seeking to spend several days in vigorous exercise, either trekking or the far more demanding and dangerous technical climbing. Backpackers should note that no campfires are permitted within the park—carrying a campstove is obligatory for cooking. Wildlife includes the endangered, rarely seen Andean huemul.

Information

At the Río Mitre entrance, the main Moreno Glacier approach, the Administración de Parques Nacionales (APN) collects a US$10 admission fee (payable in pesos only) for nonresidents of Argentina. At present, the Lago Roca and El Chaltén sectors continue fee-free.

At the southern approach to El Chaltén, the Administración de Parques Nacionales (tel. 02962/493004) has turned a former hostería into a visitors center. In addition to natural history exhibits, it provides a decent trail map (scale 1:75,000) and also issues climbing permits (free). Hours are 9 a.m.–8 p.m. daily.

Getting There

The Moreno Glacier is about 80 kilometers west of El Calafate by RP 11, which is paved to the park entrance; the trip takes slightly over an hour. Both Cal Tur and Taqsa, at El Calafate’s bus terminal, have scheduled services at 9 a.m. daily (US$20 round-trip), returning in the afternoon.

In addition to regularly scheduled services, guided bus tours are frequent, but both are less frequent in winter. In alphabetical order, suggested operators include Aventura Andina (Avenida del Libertador 761, Local 4, tel. 02902/491726, aventuraandinafte [at] cotecal [dot] com [dot] ar), Cal Tur (Avenida Libertador 1080, tel. 02902/492217, caltur [at] cotecal [dot] com [dot] ar), Cordillera del Sol (25 de Mayo 43, tel. 02902/492822, www.cordilleradelsol.com), Mundo Austral (Avenida Libertador 1114, tel. 02902/492365, mundoaustral [at] cotecal [dot] com [dot] ar), and Rumbo Sur (Avenida Libertador 960, tel. 02902/492155, rumbosur [at] cotecal [dot] com [dot] ar). El Calafate’s Albergue del Glaciar runs its own guided minivan excursions (US$30 pp), leaving about 8:30 a.m. and returning about 5 p.m.