What to do

Food and Wine: El Calafate and El Chalten

An area that has really made huge jumps forward on the gastronomy front.

El Calafate and El Chalten - Glacier
El Calafate and El Chalten- Glacier

Similar to Bariloche and Ushuaia, the El Calafate and El Chalten region is not necessarily known for its agricultural output…although this is slowly changing. As the tourism, trade has developed and the global interest in this area of Argentina has increased, so more and more of the hotels and restaurants that are springing up are realizing that they need to cater to an international clientele that is expecting international standards of food and service.

Just out of the town there are a series of estancias that have braved these cold and windy climes for a few generations and which are producing a good range of fresh lamb, fuelling the Argentine demand for the Parilla.

Along the main street in the town, there is also a wide range of options, from very high quality pizza houses (the Italian community in Argentina is very prevalent and, they would argue, there are better pizzas served in Argentina these days than in Napoli!), to relaxed steak houses to high end, fine dining.

There are quite a few restaurants that we would recommend and so, please ask your consultant for where is popular and producing good food at the moment!

Click here to view some video footage of the El Calafate area.

Click here to view some video footage of the El Chalten area.

When to go to El Calafate and El Chalten:

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    El Calafate and El Chalten

    At a glance…Western Patagonia

  • Size: 250,000 sq kms
  • Location: Southern Argentina
  • Recommended time: 3 to 5 nights
  • Time to visit: September to April
  • Go here for: Walking, the southern ice shelf, The Perito Moreno glacier
  • Further reading...

  • › Nature and wildlife
  • › Walking
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