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Easily accessible by jet aircraft services
or by road ( some 319kms from Rio Gallegos ) this region
lays claim to hosting a myriad of Patagonian year round
outdoor activities.
 Archaeological
sites, ancient cave paintings, bird watching, hot-air
ballooning & in winter, ice skating, cross-country
skiing & skidoo hire all provide for wonderful outdoor
recreation opportunities.
El Calafate is a picturesque village of some 7000 residents
located at the foot of Mt Calafate & on the shores
of Lago Argentino which is Argentina's largest lake
of some 60kms in length & 21 kms wide. The town
is characterized by red roofed cottages & colourful
vegetation - especially roses in spring & summer
- as well as poplar & fur trees. The township is
a buzz with wonderful boutique hotels & bed &
breakfast lodges as well as there being a plethora of
local restaurants catering to all tastes.
El Calafate is located at 50 degs South latitude &
the protection of the nearby mountain, the abundance
of forests, vegetation & the proximity of the lake
make for a micro-climate which is much milder &
certainly dryer than the surrounding table lands.
Summer daytime temperatures average 18C & on December
17th, the longest day in the year here, there is sunlight
for 17 hours with sunrise at 0530hrs & sunset at
2300hrs.
'Los Glaciares' National Park is a
must & the day excursion to the Perito Moreno or
the Upsala Glaciers is truly awesome. The Moreno Glacier
descends from the Andes mountain range & this amazing
ice river, has often gone beyond the Canal de los Timpanos
, reaching the opposite shoreline on the Magellanes
Peninsula facing the glacier valley. It is the longest,
& widest glacier in the world currently advancing.
The terminal face of the glacier erodes continuously
in the lake it forms & when this occurs, hundreds
of thousands of tons of ice cascade, creating an unbelievably
spectacular sight.
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For
those persons who perhaps prefer to stay at a typical Hacienda or
working farm rather than in the township, in the heart of this virgin
immensity of wilderness, lies Estancia Alice. 22kms from El Calafate,
this working ranch offers excellent quality accommodation, good
food & the comforts of home. The guest accommodation of 16 private
rooms with en-suite facilities look out onto an incredible landscape
dominated by Lago Argentino & the Andes mountains. 
