In and Around El Calafate
Highlights • Visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier. • Ice hiking on a glacier. • Hiking for days through the Torres del Paine National Park. Twelve thousand locals, and over two hundred and fifty thousand tourists per year. Bottom line, try and travel outside of the peak season (January/February) and book your accommodation in advance. The same goes for the town of El Chalten, some 220km away. The sights one can see in the area are mind-boggling and well known. So, we’re not going to spend time trying to convince you that visiting these spectacles is worthwhile. If you’re in Patagonia, or heading there, then you’ve already heard of these places – we’ll just provide some tips form when you are there. Getting Sorted in El Calafate • What you might not know (unless you’re already here) is that the prices down here are high – at least by Argentine standards. Laundry prices in the range of P$10-12/load are the norm. Internet is typically around P$4 to P$6/hour although there’s a huge Internet café a few blocks out of town, Centro Integral de Comunicaciones, on Avenida del Libertador 1486, which is super fast and also the cheapest in town. So you know, Internet prices are high because all the connections are still via satellite. You are in Patagonia after all! • Don’t forget that on weekends it can be precarious to rely on the ATM´s to spew out money. They’re usually empty some time Saturday afternoon. Also note that in El Chalten there are no ATM´s. • Take sun cream if you go on the Perito Moreno tour. It might not be hot, but the sun is very, very strong. • The Boutique del Libro in Paseo de los Pajaros sells a decent collection of English books. It’s a good, service-oriented book shop. • A good ice-cream place is Aevarela. • If you’re carrying a laptop and want to hook-up to the Internet (wireless) you can head off to Hotel Posada Los Alamos. Food and coffee there are actually cheaper than the places on the main drag, even though it’s a 4 star hotel. The Guru Team |
