Glaciar Moreno

The only accommodations near the glacier, multiday packages with full board and excursions are the rule at the lavish Hostería Los Notros (tel. 02902/499510 in El Calafate, US$215/293–377/514 s/d), which rivals Torres del Paine’s Hotel Explora in the “room-with-a-view” category; all 32 rooms face the ice. For details, contact Hostería Los Notros (Arenales 1457, 7th floor, Buenos Aires, tel. 011/4814-3934, www.losnotros.com).

Also at the glacier, the Unidad Turística Ventisquero Moreno operates a snack bar (sandwiches for US$3–4, plus coffee and desserts) and a separate restaurant with meals for US$8–12, plus an à la carte menu. A couple kilometers east of the park entrance, highly recommended by Calafate-based guides, Los Ventisqueros serves a limited lunchtime menu of pasta, chicken, lamb, or beef.

Lago Roca

La Jerónima’s Camping Lago Roca (tel. 02902/499500, lagoroca [at] yahoo [dot] com [dot] ar) charges US$3 per adult, US$1 for children, and also has four-bed cabañas for US$40. Hot showers are available, and its restaurant/confitería serves meals.

At the terminus of Ruta Provincial 15, 56 kilometers southwest of El Calafate, the casco at Croatian-founded Estancia Nibepo Aike (Perito Moreno 229, Río Gallegos, tel./fax 02966/436010, www.nibepoaike.com.ar, US$100/130 s/d with half board, minimum two-night stay) preserves its rustic style but is now a five-room guesthouse with contemporary conveniences—all rooms have private baths, for instance. Open October–April, it also has a newer Quincho Don Juan for day-trippers to lunch or dine; overnight guests may choose to eat in the restaurant rather than the main house’s dining room. “Day-in-the country” excursions from El Calafate cost US$30 per person.

© Wayne Bernhardson from Moon Chile, 2nd edition