While thousands come to marvel at the Perito Moreno Glacier, Explora El Calafate goes further — offering a deeper, more authentic experience of Patagonia’s vastness and diversity.
With Explora, you’ll venture deep into Patagonian nature guided by our expert team, through crafted excursions that lead you to hidden landscapes, remote estancias, windswept steppes, and little-known mountain corners — revealing Patagonia’s quiet wonders and untold stories.
Every journey blends the iconic highlights with exclusive, immersive experiences — offering a deeper connection to the land’s enduring beauty.
Our crafted explorations feature classic routes to iconic sites as well as signature explorations, designed and operated exclusively by Explora.
Select your options to explore to match with your skills and interests. Every evening, you will meet with an Explora guide to tailor the next day’s explorations with your preferences. We also aim to create a personal atmosphere and in-depth discovery by limiting group sizes to no more than eight guests.
Our guides have an unyielding passion and knowledge for the Patagonian wilderness surrounding El Calafate. Trained at our own School of Guides, these bilingual experts possess a profound connection with the region’s glaciers, steppe, lakes, and estancias. They not only reveal the hidden stories and wonders of this extraordinary landscape but also share our commitment to protecting its fragile beauty, ensuring every exploration respect and preserves Patagonia’s enduring spirit.
Stay tuned! Soon, you’ll be able to discover the full range of explorations we’re crafting to connect deeply with this territory.
Explore five distinct zones across one of Patagonia’s most remote territories — from up-close encounters with the Perito Moreno Glacier to horseback rides through a historic estancia, deep hikes into hidden valleys, and overland journeys across the open steppe.
The realm of ancient ice.
Stand before the Perito Moreno Glacier — one of the few advancing glaciers left on Earth — and witness the slow, thunderous performance of ice that has been unfolding for thousands of years. This zone is dominated by the glaciers of the Southern Ice Fields, within Los Glaciares National Park: a cold, windswept ecosystem shaped by vast masses of ice and water.
Explore the glacier from multiple perspectives — approaching its towering walls by boat, walking the network of boardwalks that reveal its scale from every angle, and taking in the silence that surrounds one of Patagonia’s most dynamic landscapes. Here, the glacier is not a photograph. It is a living, breathing force, and every crack and collapse reminds you that this land is still being shaped.
The realm of ancient ice.
Stand before the Perito Moreno Glacier — one of the few advancing glaciers left on Earth — and witness the slow, thunderous performance of ice that has been unfolding for thousands of years. This zone is dominated by the glaciers of the Southern Ice Fields, within Los Glaciares National Park: a cold, windswept ecosystem shaped by vast masses of ice and water.
Explore the glacier from multiple perspectives — approaching its towering walls by boat, walking the network of boardwalks that reveal its scale from every angle, and taking in the silence that surrounds one of Patagonia’s most dynamic landscapes. Here, the glacier is not a photograph. It is a living, breathing force, and every crack and collapse reminds you that this land is still being shaped.
The most remote territory within reach.
Venture into the most isolated corner of Los Glaciares National Park. Cross the southern arm of Lake Argentino and Lago Frías to reach valleys, lagoons, and glaciers surrounded by mountain ranges that create the conditions for dense, humid forests and hidden ice.
Navigate between ice-carved shores, hike into interior valleys, and immerse yourself in a landscape where the cold and moisture from the Southern Ice Fields shape everything — from the vegetation to the silence. This is Patagonia for travelers who want to push further, to reach the places that remain almost entirely off the map.
The most remote territory within reach.
Venture into the most isolated corner of Los Glaciares National Park. Cross the southern arm of Lake Argentino and Lago Frías to reach valleys, lagoons, and glaciers surrounded by mountain ranges that create the conditions for dense, humid forests and hidden ice.
Navigate between ice-carved shores, hike into interior valleys, and immerse yourself in a landscape where the cold and moisture from the Southern Ice Fields shape everything — from the vegetation to the silence. This is Patagonia for travelers who want to push further, to reach the places that remain almost entirely off the map.
Where forest, mountain, and glacier converge.
Discover the Patagonian forest at its most vivid — where moisture from the Southern Ice Fields feeds dense woodlands and river valleys rich with life. This zone covers sectors of Los Glaciares National Park, including Cerro Cristal and the Peninsula de Magallanes, where mountains trap the humidity rising from the ice and create ecosystems full of diversity.
Hike through forested valleys, climb to natural viewpoints, and take in sweeping panoramas that frame the distant Perito Moreno Glacier from unexpected angles. These are the walks that reveal how ice, water, and forest converge to shape southern Patagonia — each ascent rewarding you with a new perspective on the vast territory you are exploring.
Where forest, mountain, and glacier converge.
Discover the Patagonian forest at its most vivid — where moisture from the Southern Ice Fields feeds dense woodlands and river valleys rich with life. This zone covers sectors of Los Glaciares National Park, including Cerro Cristal and the Peninsula de Magallanes, where mountains trap the humidity rising from the ice and create ecosystems full of diversity.
Hike through forested valleys, climb to natural viewpoints, and take in sweeping panoramas that frame the distant Perito Moreno Glacier from unexpected angles. These are the walks that reveal how ice, water, and forest converge to shape southern Patagonia — each ascent rewarding you with a new perspective on the vast territory you are exploring.
The open steppe, shaped by wind and time.
Cross the vast Patagonian steppe that stretches from El Calafate to the valley of the Río La Leona. This is the land of wind — of resilient grasses, of horizons that refuse to end — historically the ground on which estancia life and Patagonia’s ranching traditions took root.
Explore by foot or overland vehicle, taking in the striking contrast between open plains, distant mountains, and the massive bodies of water and ice that define the region. Along the way, the deep connection between the steppe and the human history it has sustained becomes part of every route — an invitation to read the landscape through the eyes of those who have called it home for generations.
The open steppe, shaped by wind and time.
Cross the vast Patagonian steppe that stretches from El Calafate to the valley of the Río La Leona. This is the land of wind — of resilient grasses, of horizons that refuse to end — historically the ground on which estancia life and Patagonia’s ranching traditions took root.
Explore by foot or overland vehicle, taking in the striking contrast between open plains, distant mountains, and the massive bodies of water and ice that define the region. Along the way, the deep connection between the steppe and the human history it has sustained becomes part of every route — an invitation to read the landscape through the eyes of those who have called it home for generations.
The lodge’s home territory — where Patagonia’s history lives on.
Immerse yourself in the land that surrounds the lodge — the historic Chorrillo Malo estancia, located southwest of the destination and near the border with Chile. Marked by a long tradition of ranching and border crossings, this territory preserves the traces of human history in Patagonia and is dominated by Cerro El Fraile, whose river valleys, forests, and the Río Rico form a diverse and layered landscape.
Ride horseback through open meadows, hike forested ridges, or venture into the most secluded corners of the property overland. Every route here is an invitation to experience the estancia from the inside — to feel the rhythms of pioneering life, the presence of the land, and the enduring spirit of a place that has shaped Patagonia for generations.
The lodge’s home territory — where Patagonia’s history lives on.
Immerse yourself in the land that surrounds the lodge — the historic Chorrillo Malo estancia, located southwest of the destination and near the border with Chile. Marked by a long tradition of ranching and border crossings, this territory preserves the traces of human history in Patagonia and is dominated by Cerro El Fraile, whose river valleys, forests, and the Río Rico form a diverse and layered landscape.
Ride horseback through open meadows, hike forested ridges, or venture into the most secluded corners of the property overland. Every route here is an invitation to experience the estancia from the inside — to feel the rhythms of pioneering life, the presence of the land, and the enduring spirit of a place that has shaped Patagonia for generations.
