What's on in El Calafate (Perito Moreno), Argentina through the year

Peak crowds — Argentine summer holidays, Summer holidays in Argentina

• Rule

  Los Glaciares entry fee

  1 Jan – 31 Dec

  The national park charges at the Perito Moreno gate and foreign visitors pay a higher rate; no bus or boat ticket includes it. The tariff is revised often, so check it the day before. Source ↗

Still on: Flamingos on Laguna Nimez (1 Oct – 31 Mar (usually)), Argentine summer holidays (20 Dec – 28 Feb)

Peak crowds — Fiesta Nacional del Lago, Argentine summer holidays

• Festival

  Fiesta Nacional del Lago

  16–21 FebMajor festivalCrowded

  Six free nights of folk and rock at the Anfiteatro del Bosque, with jineteadas and a stock-car meeting either side. The one week of the season when the crowd is Argentine rather than foreign. Source ↗

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Flamingos on Laguna Nimez (1 Oct – 31 Mar (usually)), Argentine summer holidays (20 Dec – 28 Feb)

Busy — Summer holidays in Argentina, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Flamingos on Laguna Nimez (1 Oct – 31 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Winter shutdown

  1 May – 31 Aug · usuallyOff-season shutdownClosures

  Half the hotels and most of the excursion desks close, the boats drop to a short timetable and the glacier walkways can be iced over. What stays open is cheap and nearly empty.

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter shutdown (1 May – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — Winter recess in Argentina, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter shutdown (1 May – 31 Aug (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter shutdown (1 May – 31 Aug (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Nature

  Flamingos on Laguna Nimez

  1 Oct – 31 Mar · usuallyBirdlife season

  The reserve on the edge of town fills with Chilean flamingos, black-necked swans and upland geese through the southern spring and summer. A flat hour's walk, and the wind is the only difficulty.

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Flamingos on Laguna Nimez (1 Oct – 31 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Argentine summer holidays, Summer holidays in Argentina

• Holiday

  Argentine summer holidays

  20 Dec – 28 FebSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  January is the town's month: every glacier boat and every bed is taken by domestic holidaymakers and the walkways at Perito Moreno queue from mid-morning. Book the ice trek before you fly. Source ↗

Still on: Los Glaciares entry fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Flamingos on Laguna Nimez (1 Oct – 31 Mar (usually))