El Calafate in Argentina, Santa Cruz

Introduction :
El Calafate is a small town located in the southwest part of the province of Santa Cruz in Argentina. It is often referred to as the National Capital of the Glaciers due to its location of being a hub for visitors going to the Los Glaciares National Park and other attractions. The main attractions in the town is the Los Glaciares National Park which houses the Perito Moreno Glacier. Other attractions include the scenic mountains of Cerro Torre and Cerro Chalten and the Argentino Lake which is the largest fresh water lake in Argentina.

Overview of the El Calafate town
Image attribution to Reemer @ Flickr

The Argentino Lake
Image attribution to Lluis Cabarrocas @ Flickr

The Argentino Lake
Image attribution to Luca Galuzzi

History :
The small town of El Calafate was little known to the outside world and simply a sheltering place for wool traders. The town was officially founded in 1927 by the Argentine government. The creation of the Los Glaciares National Park around the area sparked tourism and made to place more accessible.Soon more people began to settle into the town and it currently has a population of around 22,000.

The Cerro Torre mountain

The Cerro Chalten mountain

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the destination is the El Calafate Airport which is 17km away from the town itself. International wise, it is recommended to do a domestic transit from the capital city of Argentina at Bueno Aires at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE), otherwise the nearest international airport would be at the Piloto Civil Norberto Fernández International Airport (RGL) or known as the Rio Gallegos International Airport which also takes 320km of road journey to El Calafate.