El Calafate Transportation Tips by TheWanderingCamel Top 5 Page for this destination

Getting to see what you came here for

Patagonia - the word conjures up images of travel to the ends of the earth, and for many, many travellers is a dream destination. The big attraction in El Calafate's corner of the vast province is, undoubtedly, the glaciers, with Perito Merino at the top of the list.

Whether your plans for the glaciers include rugged and strenuous activities or you're content to make your visit a more passive form of sight-seeing, there are any number of agencies who will be more than happy to take your bookings. You can do as we did and arrange most of your visit beforehand - try to leave yourself a little time to fit in some more ad hoc activities though as you will find there is more on offer than you perhaps anticipated.

We had booked both our glacier excursions along with our hotel through Ripio Turismo. They in turn used local agents Tiempo Libre, who were excellent. They were punctual and efficient, and their courier was very pleasant, making suggestions and providing information for alternative activities but not the least bit pushy. I have no doubt the vast majority of other agents are just as satisfactory but always appreciate a personal recommendation myself so am happy to hand this one on.

Mode: AROUND

Other Contact: 25 de Mayo 43 - L.1

Phone: 49-1207 / 49-2203

Type: Bus

Agent or D-I-Y ?

Surfing the net for travel bargains and booking online is quite the normal thing to do these days, usually it works just fine and there are some excellent deals to be found; however, there are no such deals available for domestic fares in Argentina, and given the level of disorganization and misinformation you are likely to encounter on your travels around the country, you may well decide to book through a travel agent - the chances are you'll need their services before you leave . We did - and were very glad of their contact and help given the confusion that could have arisen over Aerolineas Argentinas' seemingly permanent state of chaos.

I'd picked up on BwanaBrown's recommendation of Ripio Turismo on his Mendoza page. A quick email to Glenn came back with a sound endorsement, so I contacted them. Not only were they prompt in answering and extremely helpful, our travel agent here at home could not match their prices and advised us to go with them, which we did, using said local agent as a middleman, giving us the insurance of all our payments being made through our regular agent.

He's happy - he's made a valuable contact in Argentina that he'll use again.

We were happy - generally the arrangements they made for us were excellent, and the small niggles of the hotel in El Calafate were a result of our own decision.

Mode: TO

Type: Airplane

Thank you, Mr President

The locals in El Calafate will tell you they owe their beautiful new airport to the country's president choosing to acquire a holiday home in the town. They may be cynical about it but they're not complaining. Before the airport opened in 2001, the nearest airport was at Rio Gallegos, 4 hours drive away. The building of the airport has been a huge boost to tourism. Flights arrive and leave daily now for Buenos Aires, Trelew, Bariloche, Puerto Natales, Ushuaia and other cities in Argentina and Chile and they are very heavily booked all through the tourist season.

Aerolineas Argentinas is notoriously unreliable in its timekeeping so be prepared to get to know the airport well but, given the distances and the state of the roads, flying is probably the best option. If you are travelling independently, be aware that flights will be full of pre-booked tour groups, large and small, so make your bookings well in advance.

Their policy of a two-tier fare system means non-Argentinians pay a premium on fares and - to add insult to injury - you'll pay more if you haven't flown into Argentina with AA as well. You really need to do your homework on these fares - or make sure your travel agent does, the difference is hundreds of dollars. I don't know what fares we actually paid as our ticket was all-inclusive BA - El Calafate - Bariloche - Iguazu - BA that, given the prices for the individual sectors, seemed very reasonable. .

Mode: TO

Type: Airplane