El Calafate is located at a 3000 km's distance from Buenos Aires, and 315 km away from Río Gallegos, capital city of the province of Santa Cruz.

Our international airport offers comfortable commodities, and a high amount of flights and combinations to other places in Patagonia.

Finally, there are good roads, most of them paved, which communicate this place to the southern part of Chile, and almost directly to Puerto Natales. For information on Transport Companies, click here.

By Car

From Buenos Aires, by the seaside

You can choose between any of the roads taking you to Bahía Blanca or Río Colorado, and continue to San Antonio Oeste, from where your only option will be to go on by National Road Nº 3.
From that moment on, you'll be able to enjoy the typical Patagonian steppe landscape, and if you're a good watcher, you'll be able to enjoy the sea's colours, guanacos, sheep, choiques, piches, hares and foxes, usually crossing the road, or on its sides.
If you continue, you'll see the following interesting points: Sierra Grande (where you'll be able to do an excursion on a copper mine), Valdes Peninsula (offering views of the different animals all year long), Puerto Madryn (with its amazing beach), and going a little farther away you'll find Camarones, where you'll be able to contemplate the penguins (second in number in our continent), Comodoro Rivadavia (another beach you mustn't miss is Radatilly, 15km away from Comodoro), Caleta Olivia, and if you take the risk of travelling 50km on a debris road, you must visit the National Monument 'Bosques Petrificados', Puerto San Julian (with a fossile coastal road), Piedra Buena (it's worth visiting Pavón Island in order you know our history much better), and from here on you can choose between two different options:

• Continue on National Road Nº 3, up to Río Gallegos, and then take Provincial Road Nº 5, then Nº 40, and finally Nº11.
• In Cmte. Luis Piedrabuena continue on Provincial Road N° 9 and combine then with the N° 11. In this case, Road Nº 9 is not paved, though generally in good condition over the summer; but it's always wise to ask about its condition at the nearest petrol station.

From Buenos Aires, by the Andes

You may choose the road you like until Bahía Blanca, and then go to Río Colorado by Road Nº22. You'll be able to visit Choele Choel, Gral. Roca and Neuquén. Then, take Road Nº237, by the side of Picún Leufú Lake, and visiting Piedra del Águila and Bariloche. If you can spend some time, visit Junín de los Andes, San Martín, and Villa la Angostura, on Roads Nº234 and 231, known as the 'Seven Lakes Road'. From Bariloche you'll continue until El Bolsón and Esquel, until reaching National Road Nº40, which is paved up to Gdor. Costa, and unpaved until National Road Nº11, 15 km away from El Calafate. In the debris road you'll find the following interesting areas: Perito Moreno (where you can visit Cueva de las Manos); and if you go 60 km farther you'll find Los Antiguos (and taste the most delicious berries in our country). 90km away from Viedma Lake you'll find El Chaltén and the Fitz Roy Area, 220 km away from El Calafate.

From the southern part of Chile

It can accede to the Calafate coming from the south of Chile, or through You River dog reach the Calafate from the South of Chile, through River Galician, taking Road Nº225, crossing Step Austral Integration. On the to other hand, if you choose taking Road Nº9, you dog cross the to border in Port Native, and reach River Turbio AT the Argentine side (and take to coal look AT the you mine), or cross by Hill Castle, reaching Field Race. In both you marry, yoúll continue by Provincial Road Nº7, which is paved, until Hope, and take Provincial Road until Nº5 finding Provincial Road Nº11.

By Bus

From Buenos Aires

The following companies will take you to our destination: Andesmar, TAC, El Pingüino and Don Otto. They will all take you to Río Gallegos, where you'll have to take any local bus to reach El Calafate. The journey between Buenos Aires and Río Gallegos takes approximately 36 hours.

From Río Gallegos

From the bus station, making a stop at the International Airport in that city (4 hours).

From the South of Chile

In Puerto Natales you can take any bus, which will take you to El Calafate in only five hours.

By Plane

Since 1999 there's an International Airport in El Calafate, located at 22 km's distance from our town. There are daily flights from Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Bariloche, Trelew, and soon from Córdoba and Mendoza.
You can choose between many different companies, the most common being Aerolíneas Argentinas and LADE.
There are also flights from Chile, by DAP.
Click here for flight schedules.