Lake Argentino
The largest lake in Argentina, fed by glaciers from the Andes and tinted a milky blue. Boat trips on it reach glacier fronts, and the shoreline is lined with viewpoints.
El Calafate
At the Perito Moreno Glacier, walls of ice regularly crash down into the lake, and this Patagonian town is the way in.
Attractive locations
Glaciarium
A museum and interpretation centre outside El Calafate that explains how glaciers form and move, with exhibits on Patagonian ice and a small ice bar.
Laguna Nimez
A small nature reserve on the edge of town beside Lake Argentino, with flat walking paths and wetlands. It is a good place to watch flamingos and other birds.
Perito Moreno Glacier
A huge glacier that ends in a wall of ice on Lake Argentino, with roads, viewpoints and boardwalks close to its front. Visitors can watch chunks of ice break away and crash into the water.
Los Glaciares National Park
A large protected area of ice fields, glaciers, lakes and peaks in southern Patagonia, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It includes the Perito Moreno Glacier and, further north, the Fitz Roy range.
Upsala Glacier
A very large glacier reached by boat trips from Puerto Bandera, through channels of floating icebergs on Lake Argentino. It is usually seen from the water rather than on foot.
Spegazzini Glacier
A tall glacier at the end of a long arm of Lake Argentino, reached by boat. Its ice front is among the highest in the park, rising far above the water.
Airports
El Calafate - Commander Armando Tola International Airport FTE
It is about 16 km in a straight line from El Calafate.
28 de Noviembre Airport RYO
It is about 141 km in a straight line from El Calafate.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Argentina page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan6.1 °C71 mm
- Feb6.3 °C62 mm
- Mar4.6 °C75 mm
- Apr2.1 °C71 mm
- May-1.1 °C71 mm
- Jun-3.8 °C68 mm
- Jul-4.4 °C61 mm
- Aug-3.4 °C63 mm
- Sep-0.6 °C51 mm
- Oct1.8 °C54 mm
- Nov3.5 °C57 mm
- Dec5.2 °C68 mm
Driest months: Sep, Oct, Nov. Wettest months: Jan, Mar, Apr, May.
Costs
Prices here are about 46% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
Police 911. Ambulance 107. Fire 100.
local government
National emergency centre 911
Helps with: Argentina's national emergency number, listed on the government's emergencies page. The same page lists separate numbers for fire (100), civil defence (103) and medical emergencies (107).
Who qualifies: Anyone in Argentina facing an emergency, including visitors.
Phone: 911
local government
National tourism office (Turismo, Ambiente y Deportes)
Helps with: The national government's tourism area, in Buenos Aires. Its page gives a phone, an email and an address, and links to a consumer-complaint service for tourists.
Who qualifies: Anyone travelling in Argentina or planning a trip there.
Phone: +54 11 4316-1600
Email: [email protected]
Address: Suipacha 1111, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, C1001
ngo
Argentine Red Cross (Cruz Roja Argentina)
Helps with: Argentina's national Red Cross society. Its site lists emergency support, first aid training, health cover at mass events and programmes for migrants and for reconnecting separated family members.
Who qualifies: People in Argentina who need its emergency, first aid, migrant or family-reconnection services.
Phone: +54 11 6065-0450
Email: [email protected]
Address: Hipolito Yrigoyen 2070, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, C1089
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Argentina
Helps with: The UN migration agency, working in Argentina since 1953 on migration management, crisis response and international cooperation. Its office is in Buenos Aires.
Who qualifies: Migrants in Argentina and partners working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +54 (11) 4813-3330
Address: Av. Santa Fe 1460, 5th floor, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, C1059ABU
embassy
Foreign embassies in Argentina (official list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The Argentine foreign ministry's page lists foreign missions by country, each linking to its own entry.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.
local government
Civil defence (emergency number 103)
Helps with: Argentina's government emergencies page lists 103 for civil defence, the number for disasters. It advises contacting your local civil protection office in any emergency.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Argentina affected by a disaster or emergency.
Phone: 103