Los Glaciares National Park covers more than 720,000 hectares in southwestern Santa Cruz and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981. It is the second largest national park in Argentina and protects a portion of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the third largest freshwater reserve on the planet.<\/p>\n
The park is divided into two access zones, separated by about 200 kilometers of road.<\/p>\n
The southern sector<\/strong>, Accessible from El Calafate, this area features glaciers that reach the water: Perito Moreno, Upsala, and Spegazzini. It is primarily explored via walkways and boat trips on Lake Argentino.<\/p>\n The northern sector<\/strong>, Accessible from El Chalt\u00e9n, this area is the high mountain region: the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre massifs, trekking trails, hanging glaciers, and high-altitude lakes. Here, the park is primarily explored on foot.<\/p>\n It's a distinction that should be clear when planning: although it's the same park, the experience is completely different and most travelers visit both sections.<\/p>\n The area around El Chalt\u00e9n combines Andean Patagonian forest of lenga and \u00f1ire trees, glacial lakes, and the granite cliffs that made the destination famous. The fauna includes the huemul, an endangered native deer that gives its name to several geographical features in the area, as well as Andean condors, foxes, and a wide variety of birds.<\/p>\n The glaciers in the area, such as Piedras Blancas, Torre, Cagliero and Vespignani, are mostly mountain and hanging: they are seen from below or from viewpoints, unlike the large ice fronts in the south.<\/p>\n The unique feature of El Chalt\u00e9n is that the main trails start right from the town, eliminating the need for transfers. The most popular trails are those that lead to Laguna de los Tres<\/a>, to Laguna Torre<\/a>, to Capri Lagoon<\/a> already the Hill of the Fallen Fold<\/a>.<\/p>\n The trails are freely accessible. Hiring a guided trek adds safety, emergency communication equipment, and environmental interpretation, and in some cases allows for routes that cannot be done otherwise, such as the complete circuit to Laguna de los Tres starting from the Puente del R\u00edo El\u00e9ctrico (Electric River Bridge).<\/p>\n Entrance to Los Glaciares National Park is paid separately and should be arranged in advance through the official website of the National Parks Administration. It is not included in the price of the tours.<\/p>\n Within the protected area, there are rules of use that must be respected: stay on marked trails, do not light fires outside designated areas, take all trash with you, and do not feed or approach the wildlife. During nesting season, some areas may have additional restrictions.<\/p>\n There are also private reserves bordering the park, such as Los Huemules, where the Ice Trek to the Cagliero Glacier<\/a>, with its own income system included in the activity.<\/p>\n Check the complete catalog of excursions<\/a> or the guide to What to do in El Chalt\u00e9n<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: el sector norte El Parque Nacional Los Glaciares se extiende sobre m\u00e1s de 720.000 hect\u00e1reas en el sudoeste de Santa Cruz y fue declarado Patrimonio Mundial por la UNESCO en 1981. Es el segundo parque nacional m\u00e1s grande de Argentina y protege una porci\u00f3n del Campo de Hielo Patag\u00f3nico Sur, la […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"folder":[],"class_list":["post-80086","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat does the northern sector protect?<\/h2>\n
The trails<\/h2>\n
Entry and rules<\/h2>\n
Plan your visit<\/h2>\n