Fun things to do in El Calafate: 13 fun attractions and activities

Solid museum worth 2 hours! There is a lot of great information on the science of glacier formation, historic explorers, and regional glaciers. There are also neat films of Perito Moreno. I don’t think this is a good museum for kids though, since the exhibits are almost exclusively plaques of detailed small text. As an adult I loved it though! FYI there’s a free shuttle that leaves from Calafate downtown at the top of every hour (as of April 2025) and returns to town at the half hour mark.

Interesting museum to learn about glaciers and be ready for your adventure on lake argentino! However the museum is “vintage”, I’ll recommend a guided visit instead reading numerous panel to enjoy better the place! Ice bar activity is fun, but not so unique.

Amazing lookout view. Friendly staff and great exhibition. recommended

Really well curated little museum covering geology, history and the effects of climate change. Good way to spend a couple of hours. Also has some lovely books in the gift shop. Just avoid the café which sells the most disgusting coffee at a hugely inflated price

Love it! Learned a lot about glaciers. They even have VR experiences. I also tried the glacier bar 💯 I got free transport from Calafate downtown to the museum (back and forth)

Really interesting and informative displays and models about snow, ice and glaciers. Also the history of Glaciology and the pioneer explorers. Amazing films about the Moreno glacier and the arch collapsing after blocking the lake! The ice bar is fun and worth the extra 3000. (Combined ticket 10 000). Gift shop and cafe on site too. Definitely worth the visit when in town. Free shuttle from the centre (see location on Google maps)

Very interesting museum - good way to spend an hour or two. You pay extra for the ice bar but can only stay inside for 20 minutes which isn’t worth it! You can take a free shuttle bus from the town and back

I am a big nature fan and so when I had a few hours to kill while in town, I decided to come over here and check it out. The reserve is taken care of very nicely and there is a lot of birdlife to view. The price was a little steep, if I recall about the equivalent of $10, but I suppose that is also to help out the refuge since it is privately run. If you have the time, this is a nice stop while in town, but I would not go out of my way to visit either.

We had a lovely stroll around the reserve. It was quite windy and I was a tad underdressed, so we rushed it a bit. But it was beautiful. We had drinks at a cool cafe/bar afterwards! Across the street.

A brilliant initiative but kinda expensive at 12k per person for a very short walk, however we were happy to support their work. The info boards are weather worn and very difficult to read. The birds themselves though are great and it's truly gorgeous at sunset.

The Laguna itself was great with great wildlife visible for us. However, what really made me sad is that I saw two white horses in really bad condition tied up outside of the Laguna for several days in a row without appropriate feed or water. As a place preserving wildlife providing good care of local animals should be a no-brainer. Otherwise a beautiful place.

Super peaceful place to visit the birds and you also get to see Shrek's swamp?? Amazing experience Also pink Flamencos were there They sell water at the entrance, definitely recommend bringing of buying some. It's about 3km or 1.5 to 2 hours long. Also recommend bringing binoculars to see better the birds. They also Rent some pairs at the entrance. Took a taxi from the main bus station since it's a long walk. Would recommend doing so if your are in a hurry. If not it's totally walkable.

A great place to spend ~2hrs walking and birdwatching! We didn’t see as many bird species as we had hoped but the serene wetlands trail made up for it. The flamingoes at the end were the highlight. This place is cash only and they take pesos, USD, and euro. We used all currency since we were short on cash (they even let us pay less since we didn’t have enough cash for 5 people). Would highly recommend renting binoculars for 5,000 pesos!

Beautiful spot!!! Great place to see a good variety of birds! I’d recommend

Seems as though as usual they will charge what ever price they feel at the time. I called and was advised 14,000 peso when I got there it was 15,000 peso? Like what the hell. In all honesty it’s not the price it’s the fact that I’m finding a common occurrence with how they think visitors are stupid. Well I do not recommend this place at all. Don’t waste your time. It’s a shed and common knowledge of you have an education. Nothing is authentic it’s all fake garbage. ——————————————————————— Thank you for your prompt reply. It seems you missed the point. The point is i came with exactly 14,000 peso because that is what you told me. It’s the inconvenience of having to return to my hotel over $.80 as you put it. So please be more respectful to your customers.

Nice and cozy little museum with a small cafeteria. Covers the history beginning with dinosaurs up to present day. Explaining the "not so nice" history of the 19-20th century. Spent there like 2,5 hours and could do a one hour more Worth a visit, yet a little expensive for what they offer. 14 000 AP for non Argentinians.

Very well structured museum, covering from dinosaurs until today! Must see to understand the history of the area (and before)

Was not open at the advertised time, but did open about 30 minutes late. The chap who opened up was not really up to the task (he said he was sick, but was more likely stoned ... dark sunglasses he wouldn't remove, slurred speech, stumbling about, and asking for payment twice). The museum was great, very informative and well set out.

We had never expected local history going back to the dinosaurs... This is a pleasant museum with a lot of info on animals and later the people indigenous and pioneers. It is well done and we spent a good hour there. It is a bit chilly so keep that in mind. If you need english, they have a folder with all the texts in english, ask for it. The locals usually don't speak english; google translate goes a long way. Totally recommend it!

Definitely I recommend to visit it in your visit to Calafate. It's a small museum but lot of information. It's like walking through time, start with dinosaurs and the fisrt culture in La Patagonia. It has also a special section for The Tehuelches, it was really emotional. Great experience!!

Very interesting museum and very well researched (although in Spanish only). At the end of the tour they let you try mate and explain you how to do it - which is v rare as it isn’t served in ‘cafeterias’ and every local has its own pot.

We bought trip to Estancia Cristina with this agency, we had the type - trekking. Everything was absolutely perfect, transfer, boat trip, 4x4 up to view point, guide, trek, lunch, way back. I can only recommend it. Perfect trek in national park and perfect place for having a rest in a silent place with pleasant people.

(Translated by Google) The excursion to Estancia Cristina in El Calafate Province of Santa Cruz is unmissable! It combines navigation on Lake Argentino with views of the Upsala Glacier with a four-by-four tour of the ranch until descending to an approach to little-known glaciers and trekking to the waterfall. Amazing landscapes! Includes an extraordinary lunch and historical tour of the ranch. Moving farewell to the team of guides at sunset at the departure dock of the ship that returned us to the port in El Calafate! (Original) La excursión a estancia Cristina en El Calafate Pcia de Santa Cruz es imperdible! Combina navegación por el Lago Argentino con vistas del glaciar Upsala con recorrida de la estancia en cuatro por cuatro hasta descender a un acercamiento a glaciares poco conocidos y un treking hasta la cascada . Alucinantes paisajes! Incluye un almuerzo extraordinario y recorrido histórico por la estancia. Conmovedora la despedida del equipo de guías al atardecer en el muelle de partida del buque que nos regresó al puerto en El Calafate!

(Translated by Google) We took the day trip. It's a highly recommended experience. The boat trip, the scenery, and the friendliness of the staff all deserve five stars. (Original) Tomamos la excursión por el día. Es una experiencia sumamente recomendable. El viaje en barco, el paisaje y la amabilidad de sus empleados merecen 5 estrellas.

(Translated by Google) Well organized and structured to accommodate a large amount of people at once. Attentive staff, excellent food from chef Mercelo. 4x4 excursion conducted as safely and comfortably as possible. (Original) Bien organisé et structuré pour accueillir une grande quantité de personnes à la fois. Personnels attentifs, excellente nourriture du chef Mercelo. Excursion en 4x4 menée de façon sécuritaire et confortable autant qu'il est possible de le faire.

The overall experience was so funny 😝 Especially when you already drunk before getting into the ice bar 😂 It's super commercial, but we could just laugh about that. You get dressed and then they make so many pictures of you, which you can buy (overpriced) at the end of the experience. Making the pictures was fun tho. 1 drink + shot is enough, because there is not much time in the ice bar itself. Recommend to do it just for the whole experience which is fun.

This place was COOL. The people are extremely friendly and the locals are pretty much the same. Drinks are good and stiff and the music is great to dance to.

Well decorated & theme oriented ice bar. Interesting experience to be inside under -16 Celsius degrees

Cool spot. They have an open bar option or a 1 shot 1 drink option. The open bar is worth the money. IT IS COLD

Amazing ice cold experience!

Very tiny room to take pics. Not a great experience. For teenagers who want to share a drink in a short period of time and get low-quality pictures. Total cost: 6000 Pesos for entrance for 2 people and 6000 Pesos for the photos. Very expensive for what it is!

Had such a fun time here! 700 peso for 25 minutes inside the ice bar (trust me you don't need more than that, it's super cold), with unlimited free drinks! Drinks range was not great but still such an awesome experience

Had such a great tour this morning! Mateo, our driver, was right on time and super chill, perfect start to the day. Then we went for a 2–3 hour horseback ride through some seriously gorgeous scenery 🤩 Our guide, Issis, was the best, super friendly, helpful, and full of fun, colorful stories that made the ride fly by. The views were just magical, we saw cows, rabbits & even a rainbow that felt like the perfect touch to the whole experience. 😇 Honestly, it was such a fun, relaxing morning. Totally recommend if you want a mix of adventure and beautiful views! 🐎🌈

Absolutely wonderful ride in the beautiful mountains of El Calafate. The guides were super friendly and only wanted to make sure we were comfortable and happy. I am also a discerning tourist when it comes to animals; these horses looked very healthy and they were super, super chill. We went up and down steep, sometimes muddy slopes and they managed it perfectly. They were really calm horses. I highly recommend this lovely tour.

I would highly recommend doing the 4x4 ride into the mountains. Everything was good about this trip.I was lucky enough to have this trip on my own,and had one to one experience. The guide Lou was excellent. Spoke really good English, very knowledgeable and nice,you could see that she loved doing her job.Brilliant trip.

It was beautiful and fun. The guides are super friendly. The views are so gorgeous. The ride is very peaceful and fun. The horses are very calm. The Tea time(with Gluten free options!) afterwards is a perfect end to the tour.

We had an amazing ride with Isabella, the horse were gentle and the view couldn’t get better. I highly recommend booking the horse ride and diner! Thank you so much

The horse ride is worth every penny, the horse guide, Esses, will take you to see breathtaking vistas that you'll remember for the rest of your life. It does get windy, so bring a wind breaker. For a moment, you'll dream of being an Argentinian cowboy.

The horseriding was amazing!! I was a bit nervous, but the guides, Nacho and Lucas, were excellent, and Nacho spoke excellent English and chatted the whole time. I learnt so much about the ranch, horses and landscape. The terrain was interesting, quite hilly and exciting when you go downhill. We rode for 1.5 hours, which was the perfect amount. The guides took photos of us when we asked. Views are incredible! Horses were calm! Dogs walked with us. Lots of laughs had by everyone. A great day out with some nice pastries and coffee in the 2pm - 6pm session! Thanks, Cerro Frias!

Awesome collection of toys, very neat place

Very nice place. Cool to see history in toys. Would recommend a quick cisit

Enjoy your stay in El calafate and visit this adorable museum with a lot of memories and nostalgia from the time you were Young.

A surprisingly deep and broad exhibition of toys and miscellanea, mostly but not only from Argentina. The museum is deceivingly large and you can easily spend a couple of hours reminiscing about older times through the things people bought and used to entertain themselves from 1870 to 1970.

Superb museum. Very well displayed, though cramped, but understandable considering the large number of artifacts. Toys of various eras and multiple countries. Brings a lot of nostalgia.

Was just meh. Maybe more interesting if you are argentinian although they have quite a few toys from Germany and Japan. Gift shop is way over priced, $30US for a kids t shirt. If you have spare time maybe visit

A lot of interesting antique toys. Kids 7-13yo and parents appreciated to see the collection. There is also a section on Évita (Eva) Peron.

(Translated by Google) Very nice place to take photos at sunset on the tour of the center of Calafate (Original) Muy lindo lugar para sacarse fotos al atardecer en la recorrida del centro del calafate

(Translated by Google) Very beautiful place! I highly recommend it to take photos of the city's name! (Original) Local muito bonito! Recomendo super para tirar fotos do nome da cidade!

(Translated by Google) A must-see to see a large number of very beautiful birds, and a good postcard photo to remember your trip to Lake Argentino and the Nimez Reserve. (Original) Una parada obligatoria para ver una gran cantidad de aves muy lindo, y una buena foto de postal para recordar tu viaje en el lago argentino y la reserva nimez

(Translated by Google) Beautiful place, my favorite of the trip. Beautiful landscapes, polite and kind people. (Original) Lindo lugar, o meu preferido da viagem. Paisagens lindas, povo educado e gentil.

(Translated by Google) A spectacular spot, ideal for birdwatching a wide variety of birds. In winter, it freezes over and becomes one of the largest ice rinks in the world. (Original) Un sitio espectacular, ideal para el avistamiento de una gran variedad de aves. En invierno se congela y se vuelve una de las pistas de hielo más grandes del mundo.

(Translated by Google) Today there's a wetland where you can see horses grazing or resting, and some birds in the distance. (Original) Hoy hay un humedal desde donde se pueden ver los caballos pasatando o descansando. Algunas aves a lo lejos.

(Translated by Google) Lovely interpretive trail. Lots of birds, but it needs a little more care from the municipality. But it's a nice walk when you have a day off from Calafate's more interesting activities. (Original) Lindo sendero interpretativo. Muchas aves, le falta un poco de cuidado por parte de m municipalidad. Pero es un lindo paseo cuando tenes un día libre de las actividades más interesantes del calafate.

Just a playground with some steps to climb and watch the view.

Nice!

Ok

Linda

Active and the main park in El Calafate town. Nice place to relax and chill with the locals.

(Translated by Google) Ideal for drinking mate surrounded by nature, it has a viewpoint from where you can see the city. We went in autumn so the yellow leaves struck us with their beauty on the trees and on the ground. (Original) Ideal para ir a tomar mate rodeado de naturaleza, tiene un mirador desde donde se puede apreciar la ciudad. Fuimos en otoño por lo que las hojas amarillas nos impactaban con su belleza en arboles y en el suelo.

(Translated by Google) Beautiful square, they have tables with benches, bathrooms and a variety of games (Original) Hermosa plaza, tienen mesas con bancos, baños y variedad de juegos

(Translated by Google) IT HAS SADDENED ME TO SEE SUCH A BEAUTIFUL OLD PLACE SO BELONGED IN ABANDONMENT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REASON WOULD BE EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A SIGN IN ONE OF ITS CORNERS THAT SAYS IT IS UNDER REPAIR, BUT TALKING TO PASSERS BY THEY TELL ME THAT THIS SIGN WAS UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO.(2020.) I THINK THAT SINCE IT IS IN AFTER REBUILDING IT, CUT THE GRASS IF YOU GO AND IT'S IMPROVED, LET ME KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S SORRY TO SEE IT LIKE THIS, ALSO DOING A LITTLE RESEARCH ONLINE WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION IT SAYS OPEN AND FREE (FREE IN ENGLISH) BUT IT'S NOT LIKE THAT I HOPE THEY HAVE THE DECENSITY SINCE ALL THE FOREIGNERS AND LOCAL US USE THESE TOOLS PROVIDED ON THE INTERNET MAY BE CLOSED OR NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR AN INDETERMINATE TIME, SO ONE DOES NOT ENCOUNTER WITH THIS REALITY (Original) ME HA ENTRISTECIDO DE VER TAN LINDO SITIO ANTIGUO TAN VENIDO EN ABANDONO, NO SE CUAL SERIA EL MOTIVO AUQUE HAY UN CARTEL EN UNA DE SUS ESQUINAS QUE DICE ESTAR EN REFACCIONES , PERO CONVERSANDO CON LOS TRANSEUNTES ME REFIEREN QUE ESE CARTEL HASTA HACE UNOS CUANTOS AÑOS.( 2020.) CREO QUE YA QUE ESTA EN POS DE RECOSTRUIRLE CORTEN AL CESPED SI VAIS Y ESTA MEJORADO HACEDMELO SABER , YA QUE DA PENA VERLE ASI, TAMBIEN INVESTIGANDO UN POCO EN LINEA CUANDO BUSCAS INFORMACION DICE ABIERTO Y FREE (GRATIS EN INGLES) PERO NO ES ASI OJALA TENGAN LA DECENSCIA YA QUE TODOS LOS EXTRANJEROS Y LOCALES USAMOS ESTAS HERRAMIENTAS BRINDADA POR INTERNET PONERD CERRADO O NO ABIERTO AL PUBLICO POR TIEMPO INDETERMINADO, ASI UNO NO SE TOPA CON ESTA REALIDAD

(Translated by Google) Cute little museum, but unfortunately closed the entire time we were in town. (Original) Süßes kleines Museum, aber leider durchgehend geschlossen, als wir in der Stadt waren.

(Translated by Google) Cute and well presented. (Original) Lindo y bien presentado.

(Translated by Google) Unfortunately, closed for months. It reads on the door because of "Refacciones" (repairs, I suppose) and the inhabitants of the city confirmed to me that it has not been opened since 2020. (Original) Lamentablemente, cerrado desde hace meses. Se lee en la puerta por motivo de "Refacciones" (reparaciones, supongo) y los habitantes de la ciudad me confirmaron que no se ha abierto desde el 2020.

(Translated by Google) A new look at history that is not told in books. (Original) Una nueva mirada a la historia que no se cuenta en los libros..

(Translated by Google) Regrettable abandonment of the museum by the local municipality, the same thing happens with the first house in the city. It is almost an insult to all of us who visit this beautiful city with great interest. (Original) Lamentable abandono del museo por parte de la municipalidad local, lo propio ocurre con la primera casa de la ciudad. Es casi un insulto para todos los que visitamos con mucho interés esta hermosa ciudad.

(Translated by Google) We were there in June, excellent and warm place. Exquisite Patagonian lamb, with garnish of your choice... We will definitely return. (Original) Estuvimos en junio, exelente y cálido lugar. Exquisito el cordero patagonico, con guarnición a elección... Sin dudas volveremos.

Lady at the front was so rude. Didn't speak a word of English, didn't want to look at my translator, and just kept repeating $5k pesos fee. Imagine paying a fee to go in and lose your money at a casino. Never seen that in my life. Avoid.

This is the only casino in El Calafate. If you want to gamble here it is. Something to try here.

We had a good time there on Easter Sunday. There is a small (at least for tourists) fee to enter, which we didn’t mind paying. There was no one to be found at the bar but a security guard kindly helped us get some beers from the vending machine. One of the slot machines was very generous with me, I actually ended up winning more than spending so can’t complain!

You have to pay to go inside 🤣🤣 so you charge people to enter and people won’t go inside out of principal. Don’t charge people a dollar to go in and people would bring money to play

Very nice building from the outside, inside is okay as well. A lot of different table games and machines.

No tables. Only machines.

Official rate only here for cambio

Very large playground located right next to a beautiful body of water. Plenty of room for children to run and wear themselves out. Open space with clear views and good line of sight. Safe area with walking/ biking/ fitness trails adjacent to to the playground.

Great space. Enormous wooden and cast iron structures that invite kids (or kids-at-heart) to climb, run, slide, and swing. Perfect for kids brimming with unspent energy after a day in the car.

What a phenomenal play set for children and adults alike! The structure is composed of raw wooden posts made of debarked trees and wrought iron supports. It’s both beautiful and completely functional. The location is excellent with views of the azure lake in the foreground and mountain and glacial views in the background.

Nice spot for a run in the morning, beautiful views of the lake and the mountains.

We spent New Year's Eve there and had a great time. Birds, frogs, rabbits, and even owls came to join us. 5 stars.

Nice place to watch people windsurfing in the late summer evenings

A bit rudimentary, don't trust the wooden slides and one of the swings was visibly falling apart, sapping my confidence about the safety of the other swings. Not sure why they had to build that road through it though, where kids are playing. Nice view over the lagoon though.