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Arrival and information
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Calafate's international
airport
lies 15km east of town, and is connected to town by taxis. All
buses
stop at the terminal on Avenida Julio Roca, on the hillside one block above the main thoroughfare, Avenida Libertador, to which it's connected by a flight of steps. The helpful
tourist office
is situated in the terminal (daily: April-Oct 8am-10pm; Nov-March 8am-midnight; tel & fax 02902/491090 or 492884,
secturelcalafate@cotecal.com.ar
). They can help you track down a room in a
casa de familia
($10-15 per person) if you can't find accommodation (a real possibility in January and February). The
national park information office
, at Libertador 1302 (Mon-Fri 8am-9.30pm, Sat & Sun 1.30-9.30pm; tel 02902/491005), has some useful maps, sell fishing licences, and will give you the latest information on campsites near the glacier.
You can withdraw
cash
with credit cards at the ATM at the Banco de Santa Cruz, Libertador 1285, and Banco de Tierra del Fuego, 25 de Mayo 40. Both the El PingA?ino bus office in the terminal and Planet Patagonia, Libertador 958, change Chilean pesos, but the rates aren't great. Change excess Argentinian pesos into US dollars if you're heading into Chile, as you'll get a better deal here. For
bike rental
, try CuatrociclA?n, Cte. TomA?s Espora 20 (Sept-May 9am-10pm; tel 02902/493255), where they have sturdy 21-gear mountain bikes suitable for
ripio
roads ($9 for 2hr or $25 per day; bring passport for ID). The best
supermarkets
are Los Glaciares at Libertador 902, and Alas at 9 de Julio 59. Stock up here if heading for El ChaltAŠn and the RN40. The town's biggest festival, the
Festival del Lago Argentino
, takes place in the week leading up to February 15, with music and a free
asado
on the final day. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Argentina,
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