Comments on: Visiting Patagonia (El Calafate and Ushuaia)

By: DMB

DMB — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:18:30 +0000

Would I be crazy to go in AUgust to Ushuaia and El Calafante? I;m cnocnerned not only about the cold, but will everything be closed out of season, stores, restaurants. Cold is OK if it is clear and we can go on the boats, etc. Any input is appreciated. A trip to Patagonia mid to end of this August.

By: DaVe

DaVe — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:43:53 +0000

Giorgos, if you have to choose between the two, I would definitely pick El Calafate. Ushuaia is beautiful, but does not compare to the glaciers in El Calafate. You will only need a couple of days there to really see everything though.

By: giorgos

giorgos — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:08:38 +0000

Geia sou melina
Did you go there ?
I am also from Greece (athina) and I will be in Argentina with my wife in two weeks. We still haven't decided between el calafate ushuaia etc. Perhaps your experience could help us.
An mporeis steile mou entiposeis. Euxaristo

By: melina

melina — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:26:12 +0000

hi, I am planning to go there next month. I need some advice on lodging and other activities. I will be in Buenos Aires and we want to spend only 2 days in patagonia we want to see the glaciers and we are not sure whether to choose el calafate, ushuua or tiera del fuego…
can you contact me privately. We are a couple from Greece… and we would appreciate your advice… regards Melina

By: Donigan

Donigan — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:07:48 +0000

A correction. My wife informs me that our flat is not in Belgrano, but Palermo Chico. To me, having seen none of it, it’s six of one, half dozen of another. It’s on Cervino (with a tilde over the n). Is it a decent barrio?

By: DaVe

DaVe — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:44:09 +0000

Marc – we were expecting $30 AR crab too! Our friend told us all about it, so when we got there and saw the prices we were a bit disappointed!

By: DaVe

DaVe — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:43:00 +0000

Donigan – the weather was cool, and in the 50s, but like Marc said can change quickly. We needed to buy hats, gloves and long underwear for the trip out to the glacier and we were glad we did. We could stay out on the deck of the boat longer and enjoy the views.

By: Marc

Marc — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:18:17 +0000

Yeah for the price of one or two train tickets you can probably hire someone to drive you around the national park for a few hours and see the same setting. I only recommend it for people who really have a love for trains, want to say they rode the southernmost train, like guided tours of historical sites, or if the ticket prices won’t effect the travel budget.

For the crab, $90 seems way too high but I guess that depends on where you went and how it was served. However, pretty much all of the restaurants have touristy prices. Crab is really expensive to buy in the stores too. I think something like 70 pesos for about a half kilo. Was about $30-ish about a year ago.

@Donigan

Weather is unpredictable. Can be warm ,sunny, and calm at one hour and super crappy the next. There was a big snow storm last year in mid-December for a day or two. Not a problem in January. At least bring clothes that will make you feel comfortable in 40 degree weather. Nice days sometimes get up to the mid-70′s and you may get lucky have that kind of weather for your whole stay. At night the temp can drop down to the 40′s. If the weather is a bit chilly just layer yourself properly because it might warm up while you are out and about.

By: Still Life in Buenos Aires

Still Life in Buenos Aires — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:48:10 +0000

The Alexanders are such nice people.

I’m glad you enjoyed the trip. We are going to the Chilean side of Patagonia at the end of December. I can’t wait to see penguins!

By: Donigan

Donigan — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:14:27 +0000

What a grand trip! My wife and I are arriving in Buenos Aires on the 16th of January and have a flat in Belgrano. This is one of the first trips we want to make when we get time to travel. Question, though: This is in summer, right? How cold was it?