Los Glaciares National Park is located in the region known as the Southern Andes of
Argentine territory, southwest of the province of Santa Cruz on the border with Chile. Due to
its impressive natural beauty, it constitutes a unique wonder in the world and was declared a
“World Heritage Site” by UNESCO in 1981.
It owes its name to the presence of numerous glaciers that originate in the great Patagonian
Ice Field – the largest ice mantle in the world after Antarctica – which occupies almost half of
the Park. Also known as Patagonian Continental Ice, it feeds 47 large glaciers, of which 13
descend towards the Atlantic basin. In addition, there are more than 200 smaller glaciers
independent of the Patagonian Ice Field.
Although large masses of ice are usually found on our planet at more than 2500 meters
above sea level (masl), the glaciers in the province of Santa Cruz originate at only 1500 masl
and descend to 200 masl, allowing unique access and visualization in the world.
Perito Moreno Glacier
In the southern part of the Park is the most famous of all the glaciers: the Perito Moreno
Glacier. It owes its fame to its continuous movement, which produces a cyclical
phenomenon of advance and retreats with spectacular detachments of its ice front. The
nearest town to the glacier is El Calafate, the epicenter of all activities and services.
Mount Fitz Roy
At the other end of the Park are the highest peaks and the greatest diversity of granite forms
in the mountain range, which together with forests, glaciers, and lakes, make up one of the
most extraordinary sites in our country. The maximum height is Mount Fitz Roy or Chaltén
(3405m) and Cerro Torre (3102m). In this scenario is the small town of El Chaltén, which
attracts numerous mountaineers and trekking enthusiasts.
How to get there
Access to the Park is via a “comb” type road network, made up of a series of routes that
branch off from National Route 40. This access network, basically motivated by the existence
of the large Viedma and Argentino lakes, is very suitable for area management, allowing
good control of access routes to the area and avoiding the consequent impact of road
construction in mountainous areas. The National Park can be accessed by bus or car from
the town of El Calafate, which can be reached through various air and landlines.
