Calafate mountain park is a recreational activity center that offers summer and winter programs. It’s located 15 km from El Calafate in the Huyliche mountain, at an altitude of 1.050 m.
To reach the park you have to go first to the base of the mountain and take the chairlift that will take you to the Balcony, in a 350 mt. inclination climb. Once in the top you will have one of the best views of the Argentine Lake and its surroundings. You will see El Calafate town, the Argentine Lake and the Andes Mountain Range, the glaciers area and, if you are lucky and the day is clear, you will even see the silhouettes of the Fitz Roy and the Torre Mountains looking up to Chaltén.
To help you to choose the activities that suit your tastes better we now give you the complete possibilities for each season of the year. There are options for each age and with different difficulty levels.
Activities for the southern winter (June to September)
In winter the El Calafate Mountain Park is transformed into a Snow Park, that allows you to enjoy the different activities, without waiting, at your own pace and an awesome environment. It’s the perfect complement for your stay in El Calafate combining two unbelievable activities: Glaciers and Snow.
Learn to ski: Is the ideal option for those who want to spend a different and fun day and try to learn the basics of skiing. Rental equipment and installations feature cutting edge technology as well as specialized bilingual trainers are all at skilled at snow programs
The track, with curves and banked curves, gives you several options for descent.
Moto Snow Fire: An impressive winter ride in modern snow motorbikes through the Cerro Huyliche valleys, enjoying one of the most desolate and extreme surroundings of Patagonia.
The adventure starts with the ascension in the chairlift. Then the guides provide you with helmets and adjust the equipment for the journey. There are several circuits and they are chosen in the spur of the moment according to the conditions of the terrain. Finally, you can enjoy a lunch in the Huyliche bar, or a snack in the open air.
Journeys in Snowshoes: The snowshoes, known for over 6.000 years, are a very useful instrument to make long walks in the snow.
The technique is very simple and suitable for everybody, whatever the physical condition and age.
There are options from 2 to 5 km long, either with a guide or self-guided. In any case equipment can be rented.
The best: Get to know the “Stone Labyrinth” a formation with over 85 million year old.
Full Day Calafate Mountain Park: It is a program designed to enjoy all or several park options. You can combine a group ski lesson with any recreational activity, such as Tubing or snow bikes, and the snowshoes circuit through the Stone Labyrinth.
At noon the mandatory pause for lunch can be made in the Huyliche Bar, with several menu options including a vegetarian one.
Tubing: It’s a very fun activity that can be enjoyed by everybody, adults or children. It consists of the descent in a rubber tube, that allows you to slide and guarantees safe amusement on snow tracks.
Tubing is perfect to feel the adrenaline in the snow, without any need of prior technical knowledge or lessons.
Southern Summer Activities (October to March)
During the summer Calafate Mountain Park is ideal to plan an activity at noon, something many people value during their visit to Calafate, since the arrival and departure dates are pretty much wasted.
El Calafate Balcony: From the Balcony, a stunning natural viewpoint, a panoramic view of El Calafate can be seen as well as the central part of Argentine Lake. There is a chairlift from the Balcony and during the ascension you can see the Andes Mountain Range, the accumulation of glaciers, the Devil’s Mouth (most narrow part of the lake, in the direction of the Upsala Arm), and if the day is clear, you can even see the Fitz Roy and Torre mountains. Once at the top you may also see the condors flying.
This activity lasts 3 – 4 hours, depending on the option you choose and you can include a typical country lunch or a evening snack.
Quad Escape: is a 12 km voyage in quad motorcycles that allow you to get well inside the best corners of the Huyliche Mountain, as the Mega Labyrinth.
This activity has a duration of 3 hours and is performed 3 times a day.
Bike Park: For some people, this Bike Park is the best in the southern hemisphere. It has several levels of sliding, green, red and black and is located in an incomparable place: the national capital of glaciers!
Depending on the slide you choose, this activity is apt for groups or families. Is a 13 km voyage in a descending way, by a soft terrain and ample with several levels of slopes. Is the longest journey in the Calafate Mountain Park.
It is an activity that requires certain skills. There are two daily departures and you can choose among several circuits.
