1El Calafate
Base · 1–3 days
The practical base for Perito Moreno Glacier, with the province’s best flight connections, hotels and organized excursions. Stay here for the glacier; the town itself is functional and heavily touristed.
2El Chaltén
Base · 5 days
Argentina’s best trekking base, with trailheads for Fitz Roy, Laguna de los Tres, Cerro Torre and shorter walks starting from town. Give it several nights: weather, not fitness, usually decides which hikes work.
Lago del Desierto and Lago Roca
Base · 2 days
The quieter lake country around El Chaltén and El Calafate: forest walks and lake views at Lago del Desierto, gentler trails and birdlife around Lago Roca. These are the sensible add-ons once the glacier and major hikes are covered.
Perito Moreno and Cueva de las Manos
Base · 3 days
Use Perito Moreno town as the supply base for Cueva de las Manos and the Río Pinturas canyon. The cave’s hand stencils and hunting scenes are a major reason to tackle the northwest, but this is a gravel-road trip rather than an easy excursion.
Lago Posadas
Base · 2 days
A tiny Route 40 outpost surrounded by red-rock canyons, Lago Posadas, Lago Pueyrredón and almost no traffic. Go for the driving and landscape, not for convenience or a packed sightseeing schedule.
6Los Antiguos
Base · 3 days
A green, orchard-heavy town on Lago Buenos Aires that breaks up the northwest’s dry steppe. It works best paired with Perito Moreno, Cueva de las Manos and Lago Posadas, especially for travelers interested in cherries and local food.
7Puerto Deseado
Base · 3 days
The strongest coastal wildlife base in Santa Cruz, with boat trips on the Ría Deseado and regulated excursions to Isla Pingüino for southern rockhopper penguins. It is a working fishing port with limited services, so build in a weather buffer.
Jaramillo and Bosques Petrificados
Base · 2 days
A worthwhile Route Azul detour for giant Jurassic petrified trunks scattered across a harsh volcanic landscape. This is a half-day geological stop, not a town to linger in, and the final approach is gravel.
Monte León and Puerto Santa Cruz
Base · 4 days
Santa Cruz’s most accessible wild-coast stop: cliffs, beaches, sea lions, seabirds and penguins, with Puerto Santa Cruz or nearby Piedra Buena as service bases. Expect sparse facilities and strong wind rather than a polished national-park experience.
Río Gallegos and Cabo Vírgenes
Base · 4 days
Río Gallegos is mainly a flight-and-supplies hub, but it anchors the long day trip to Cabo Vírgenes and its remote Magellanic penguin colony. Add it only when building a south-coast drive or flying in and out here.
Sample routes
Classic first visit
8 daysEl Calafate (2 days) → El Chaltén (5 days) → El Calafate (1 day)
The right first Santa Cruz trip if you are not driving. Use El Calafate for arrival and Perito Moreno Glacier, then give El Chaltén the bulk of the itinerary: Fitz Roy views are weather-dependent, and a five-night stay gives you a proper hiking buffer. Return to El Calafate only for a sensible flight connection.
Plan this routeSouthwest with weather insurance
11 daysEl Calafate (3 days) → El Chaltén (5 days) → Lago del Desierto and Lago Roca (2 days) → El Calafate (1 day)
For travelers who want the glacier and major hikes without treating every clear morning as a crisis. Build in Perito Moreno, then use El Chaltén for three substantial hikes and a reserve day; the quieter lake country supplies an easier, lower-stakes change of pace. A rental car makes the lake days far easier.
Plan this routeNorthwest rock art and Route 40 backcountry
11 daysPerito Moreno and Cueva de las Manos (3 days) → Lago Posadas (2 days) → Los Antiguos (3 days) → Perito Moreno and Cueva de las Manos (3 days)
A committed self-drive circuit for travelers who prefer hand-stencil art, canyons and empty roads to headline glacier excursions. Give Cueva de las Manos daylight and flexibility, do not rush Lago Posadas, and retain several days around Perito Moreno town as road and weather insurance. This is not a public-transport itinerary.
Plan this routeAtlantic wildlife and fossil coast
13 daysPuerto Deseado (3 days) → Jaramillo and Bosques Petrificados (2 days) → Monte León and Puerto Santa Cruz (4 days) → Río Gallegos and Cabo Vírgenes (4 days)
The strong alternative to the glacier corridor for wildlife-minded drivers. Puerto Deseado gets a real weather buffer for Isla Pingüino; petrified forests break up the long north–south haul; Monte León deserves more than a roadside stop; and Río Gallegos is useful only because it anchors Cabo Vírgenes and an exit flight. Expect long drives, thin services and wind cancellations.
Plan this route