El Calafate is located in the Lago Argentino department within the Province of Santa Cruz. It is the third most populated city in the province, counting (according to the 2016 census) with 23,065 inhabitants and a population density of 1,007.2 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Its name is due to the thorny bush of the same name that is found in abundance in the southern region of Patagonia Argentina, and is characterized by its yellow flowers and blue fruits. As a curious fact, the fruit of the calafate was used in the past in the boats that arrived to the south of Patagonia to seal the cracks between the boards of the hull and thus prevent the passage of water into the interior of the boat.
Regarding the climate in El Calafate, it can be said that it is a city characterized by its dry and cold environment, with partial cloudiness throughout the year. Its temperatures vary between -2 ° C and 18 ° C, making the time between December and January the ideal time for summer activities.
The fame of this city is mainly due to its proximity to Los Glaciares National Park, it's so splendorous that this national park was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1981. It is made up of scenes worthy of any postcard, with high mountains covered with snow, frozen lakes and dense forests.
The economic activity in El Calafate has undergone an extraordinary transformation, since in the beginning, the indigenous Aonikenk, inhabitants of the area, were dedicated to hunting and exploitation of guanacos, using their skins as clothing and for the construction of temporary housing, since they were characterized by being nomadic people. Then, at the end of the 19th century, large tracts of land were sold to the English that would be occupied for the development of sheep farming and with the purpose of covering the high demand for wool that arose worldwide. It was like this until the 1970s, when travelers began to arrive in the area with the intention of getting to know the Perito Moreno Glacier, a place that boosted tourist activity in the area and was later consolidated with the inauguration of the Comandante Armando Tola de El Calafate International Airport.
However, the tourist attraction is not only in its natural areas, since the city also has exceptional places to entertain its citizens and visitors. Among these places we can mention the Regional Museum, the Toy Museum, interpretation centers and ice bars, the latter being incredible places, since from the furniture to the walls they are built of ice, where customers can feel like they are inside an igloo and enjoy a wide variety of drinks and beverages.
To get to El Calafate from the north, it can be accessed by National Route 3, continuing along provincial routes 5 and 11, which are fully paved. Another option is to drive west, bordering the mountain range along National Route 40 until it joins Provincial Route 11.
The city has regular passenger land transportation services to and from Río Gallegos, El Chaltén and Chile.
Kupos.com is the platform where you find all the transport options to get to and from El Calafate.
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