Los Glaciares National Park
Los Glaciares National Park
A setting of mountains, lakes and forests
INTRODUCTION
Los Glaciares National Park is located in the southwest of the province of Santa Cruz, has an area of 726,927 hectares and was created to preserve an extensive area of continental ice and glaciers, the southern Andean-Patagonian forest and samples of the Patagonian steppe. It is the most extensive of the National System of Argentine Protected Areas.
In 1937, through Decree No. 105,433, the status of Reserves for the subsequent creation of National Parks was established for different territories in Andean Patagonia. One of these territories was the Glacier Reserve. In September 1942, the Goverment, by Decree No. 129,433, expanded the coastal margin of the Reserve on the Canal de los Témpanos and the north coast of Lake Rico.
Years later, in April 1945, Decree Law No. 9504, ratified by Law No. 13,895, declared several reserves National Parks, including Los Glaciares Reserve, which, from that moment on, assumed the category of Park National.
RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE VISITING THE PARK
• As in all protected areas of our country, pets are not allowed.
• The use of drones is prohibited.
• Check the status of routes and trails. In winter, due to the presence of snow, the use of covers with nails or chains is mandatory.
• Move slowly, for your safety and that of other visitors. Respect traffic signals.
• Get advice on the sectors of the National Park where you can camp.
• To avoid falls, use footwear suitable for trekking, both for the natural trails and for walking the circuit of walkways of the Perito Moreno Glacier since the floor is made up of a system of metal grids.
• Fishing is regulated, plan to fish with the corresponding permit.
• Respect the instructions of the park rangers. They are the authority of the area.
• Keep garbage outside the National Park. Return with your waste.
• Do not leave traces of your visit. The National Park belongs to EVERYONE, together we ALL take care of the National Park.
Particularly in the North zone of the National Park:
• Climbers must register at the Park Information Center.
• Walk along the enabled trails.
• It is not allowed to make a fire with wood. The use of heaters is allowed only in camping areas.
• In winter season (from May to September) it is necessary to register at the Park Information Center to walk the trails and also to camp in authorized camps and remote areas.
ECOSYSTEM
Los Glaciares National Park is located in the Patagonian Steppe and Patagonian Forests ecoregion. Its name evokes the magnitude of the numerous glaciers that outline the landscape of the southern mountain range. In their slow movements these giant frozen rivers constantly form whimsical silhouettes that move forward and back. Some of them even recall bridges, dykes and caverns.
The detachments of large blocks of ice are just as impressive as the vision offered by the large glacial masses between mountains and forests. The Perito Moreno glacier is the most renowned worldwide due to the ease of access and the regular spectacle of its rupture.
The landscape is completed with the presence of lagoons and melting rivers, lakes, and imposing hills such as El Chaltén or Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.
Due to its spectacular beauty, its glaciological and geomorphological interest and its endangered fauna species, in 1981, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site, becoming the first National Park to obtain such mention.
CLIMATE
The climate temperate is cold and humid. The average temperatures range from 0.6º C in winter and 13.4º C in summer, for the lowest areas (in the highest areas the average annual temperature would be around -3º C). On average, there is from 500 to 900 mm of rain per year, from east to west, distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. There is abundant snowfall during the colder months and more intense winds in the summer.
The ideal season to visit it is spring, summer and early autumn (September-April).
HOW TO GET
BY CAR
From El Calafate by RP 11 to the entrance to the Perito Moreno Glacier (80 km of pavement).
Also By RP 11 and RP 8 to Puerto Bandera (47 km) from where several excursions begin.
From El Calafate to the North section of the National Park (El Chalten), by RP 11, RN 40 and RP 41 to El Chaltén (213 km of pavement).
OTHER TRANSPORT
El Calafate has an international airport and also receives buses from Río Gallegos, capital of the province of Santa Cruz, from Bariloche in the province of Río Negro and from Puerto Natales (Chile).
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