The biggest reason to visit El Calafate with kids is that the city is the perfect base for the beautiful Glaciares National Park. You have in the El Calafate area one of Patagonia’s highlights for most families with kids: the Perito Moreno glacier. Yet you can do more here in the area than just visit this glacier. In this blog, we list the best children’s activities in El Calafate.
Best travel time El Calafate with kids
The best travel time to visit El Calafate with kids is during the months of December through April. These are the summer months in Patagonia and this is when the temperature is most pleasant to get out and about with the family. The temperature will be around 15 degrees.
So make sure that when you visit this area as well that you bring warm clothes for the kids. By the way, you can still buy this just fine in El Calafate itself if you don’t have anything with you.
El Calafate’s high season is in January and December, and that’s because of the Argentine vacations. You should then keep in mind that accommodation prices are higher than the rest of the year. If you have the ability to avoid this period then it can save a lot of money.
Transportation to and in El Calafate
Most families with kids who tour beautiful Patagonia do so by car. For most families, a tour of Argentina starts at Buenos Aires airport and you can possibly rent a car there and then drive all the way south to Patagonia. You should then keep in mind that you will spend several days driving to get to El Calafate.
You can rent a car at Buenos Aires airport with the rental company Sunny Cars and we always find this to be a very nice rental company. We really recommend this rental company because of its all inclusive principle and always rent a car almost anywhere in the world through this organization. For more information on renting a car in Buenos Aires, take a look here.
Of course, you can also choose to fly to El Calafate and then rent a car at the El Calafate airport. This can also be ideal with kids because you won’t have to spend so long in the car to reach Patagonia. From all major cities in Argentina you can fly to El Calafate. For more information on renting a car at El Calafate airport, take a look here.
Children’s activities El Calafate
#1 Perito Moreno
As we mentioned in the introduction to this blog, one of the highlights of a tour of Patagonia is a visit to the enormous glacier Perito Moreno. This glacier is located in Los Glaciers National Park. It is truly a beautiful sight when you stand in front of this glacier and we thought it was one of the most beautiful natural phenomena we saw during our trip through South America.
This glacier is kilometers long and up to 60 meters high in some sections. It really makes a huge noise when another piece of ice breaks off from this glacier and ends up in the water. Sometimes these are really huge chunks of ice. You can choose to view this glacier from the viewing platform or from a boat. A boat, of course, gets you much closer to the glacier.
By the way, from El Calafate, it is still over an hour away by car to this national park. Of course, you can also choose to book a tour to the glacier. We ourselves visited this park with an organized day trip. You will then be picked up at your hotel and then drive to the national park.
Here you can choose whether to view the glacier from the viewing platform or take a boat to the glacier. This boat trip then usually lasts an hour, during which you sail past the glacier. For more information about this tour, take a look here.
The park is open year-round, only the opening hours do vary. In the summer months (September through April) the park opens as early as 8 a.m. and in the winter months (May through August) the park opens at 9 a.m. By the way, what is also a very cool activity to do here with kids is to do a mini trekking of about 40 minutes on the glacier.
This mini trekking is possible for kids as young as 8 years old. You then get crampons, a helmet and a harness and then go for a hike on the glacier. This is also definitely a great experience to do with kids and you really do walk through a beautiful landscape of ice. For more information on this mini trek, take a look here.
#2 Lago Argentino
You can go to several lakes in El Calafate in addition to the glaciers. The largest lake you can visit in the El Calafate area is Lago Argentino. Several glaciers also discharge into this lake, including the famous Perito Moreno glacier. The lake is a beautiful shade of blue.
You can book several boat tours on the lake and view different glaciers from the boat. Keep in mind that it can be quite windy on the lake, making it very chilly, so be sure to bring warm clothing for the kids. You can walk to this lake from El Calafate and it is also possible to bike around the lake.
You have several bike rental companies in El Calafate and also rental companies that, for example, rent a bike with a cart for the kids. You can also see lots of different birds at the lake, including flamingos and black-necked swans. Another lake you can visit near El Calafate is Lake Nimez.
#3 El Calafate Balconies Experience
Many tourists think of El Calafate only in terms of the glaciers you can see in the area, but you can also see very different landscapes in this area and so you also have a tour called the El Calafate Balconies Experience. Here you go out in a 4×4 truck and in the process really drive into the mountains. You will also pass Lago Argentino during this tour.
You drive all the way into the mountains on dirt roads with the truck and on the mountain you have a beautiful view of the surroundings of El Calafate. This tour lasts only half a day, making it an ideal tour even with kids. For more information on this organized tour in El Calafate, take a look here.
Another nature reserve you can visit in El Calafate with kids is Laguna Nimez Reserve. This is a small nature park, which is great for hiking with kids, and it is possible to see flamingos in the park here as well. You also have views of Lago Argentina during this hike.
You can take a nice walk here of just over an hour and kids up to 11 years old have free admission to this park here. This nature park also includes a large playground for the kids.
Another cool day trip could be to the Torres del Paine Natural Park in Chile. We thought this was perhaps the most beautiful natural park in South America. You can go here in an organized day trip from El Calafate. This is a very long day trip with kids though, but the park is really a wonderful place to take beautiful walks. For more information on a day trip to the Torres del Paine park in Chile, take a look here.
#4 Glaciary
You can also visit a museum in El Calafate with kids that gives more information about the glaciers you can see in this area. This can be very educational especially with kids. Because the museum is also interactive, it is also a fun museum to go to with kids. The museum is located a few kilometers from the town of El Calafate on a hill and looks very futuristic (it looks like an iceberg). There is a shuttle service from downtown El Calafate to the museum.
Kids can learn at the museum how glaciers are formed and how glaciers are increasingly disappearing, partly through our own fault. In addition to Spanish, the information is also available in English. The museum’s entrance fee is a bit on the hefty side, though. You can also watch several films about glaciers here.
You end up spending an hour or 2 at the museum if you want to get a good look at all the exhibits, and you have a nice view of the lake and mountains from the museum. The museum also has a café where you can have a drink, and you can also go to an ice bar in the Glacarium and have a drink at -5 degrees. You do get to wear a whole suit and gloves.
#5 El Chalten
Another day trip you can take from El Calafate is to the town of El Chalten. El Chalten is known as the area where you can really get into the mountains. The most famous mountain in this area is Mount Fitz Roy. You can reach this village from El Chalten by car or an organized tour in about a 3-hour drive. Of course, since a day trip would require you to spend quite a long time in the car, you can also choose to spend a night in El Chalten.
You can also go on beautiful hikes with kids in this area. For example, you have several hikes that are only a few hours and are also doable with kids. For example, you have the Laguna Capri Trek which is about 10 kilometers of walking (with some uphill in the beginning) and where you spend half a day on the road with stops in between. Other hikes for kids in this area include Chorillo del Salto Trek and Mirador Cóndores Trek.
You can also go horseback riding, kayaking or biking in the area with kids. In short, you can also do lots of outdoor activities with the family at this destination. That, of course, is what Patagonia is known for! You can also take an organized day trip to El Chalten from El Calafate. You will then visit the highlights of El Chalten in one day during this tour and for more information about this tour to El Chalten, take a look here.
We wrote about El Chalten, the blog El Chalten with kids.
Family-friendly restaurant El Calafate
You can eat fine food in El Calafate with kids. You have plenty of nice restaurants where you can have something to eat with the family. Many of these restaurants can be found on Avenida del Libertador. We list some of these restaurants in El Calafate below.
Pura Vida: if you are looking for a restaurant in El Calafate with the family, where you can eat healthy, this is a good one. You also have many vegetarian options here. It can be a nice change from the many meat dishes offered in most restaurants in Argentina.
Calafate Brownies: if you are looking for a nice sandwich or cake, this catering establishment is a good option. This restaurant sits near El Calafate’s bus station and is a good place to have breakfast or lunch.
El Gaita Pizza Bar: This small pizzeria is located a little outside the center on a side street, but it offers delicious pizza. A great place if you want a quick bite to eat with kids. You can eat outside in the garden of this family-friendly restaurant.
La Lechuza Pizza: This is a downtown pizzeria where many families with kids go to eat. You have screens on the wall here watching soccer. Online reviews do vary a lot about this restaurant in El Calafate.
Family-friendly hotel El Calafate
You can stay in El Calafate with kids just fine. You have plenty of family-friendly accommodations you can book. We list below the top rated accommodations in El Calafate. Click on the blue link for more information.
Budget accommodation: Apart Haiken
Mid-range accommodation: South Apartments
Luxury Accommodation: Mirador del Lago Hotel
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in El Calafate, take a look here.
