Things to do
Patagonia Park is the ideal destination for nature tourism, particularly for hiking and wildlife watching. There are three access portals to the park, called “Portales”, and all of them have trails to go on foot —with several difficulty levels— and campsites to spend the night.
Hay tres portales de acceso al parque y todos cuentan con circuitos para recorrer a pie —de distintos niveles de exigencia— y campings para hacer noche.
Portal Cañadón Pinturas
This is the benchmark from which to calculate distances to Parque Patagonia, and from here, you can plan all tours through several portals.
HIKING
With 40 km of marked trails, this is the ideal destination for wildlife watching and is one of the access points to the Cueva de las Manos site. There are hostels, campsites with grocery stores, and one campsite with services and parking spaces.
WILDLIFE WATCHING
If you only walk a little, you can see Darwin’s rheas, guanacos, and condors that are part of the steppe landscape. You can also see pumas that, despite being elusive, can be spotted among rocks and the squat vegetation of the area.
STAR OBSERVATORY
A gathering spot to watch the sky sheltered from the wind and the cold. It is free of use and can be accessed by a trail that begins behind the La Posta de los Toldos hostel.
The construction, made up of materials natural to the region, is shaped in a spiral and has four reflecting pools inside lined up with the Crux that will allow you to watch the reflection of the sky while a rocket mass heater offers warmth and coziness to enjoy your time.
CHARCAMATA WING
The Alero Charcamata Provincial Reserve is located in a canyon and can only be reached by foot. It is home to cave paintings that are more than 7,000 years old. These paintings highlight the Guanaco as the main source of sustenance for the nomadic people of the region.
This archaeological site is located on private property and can only be accessed by hiring a local tour guide.
Check schedules at La Posta de Los Toldos, Cueva de las Manos or at the Perito Moreno Tourist Office.
Where to stay
Hosteria La Posta de los Toldos
It offers everything you need to rest between portal adventures: common areas, hot meals, nine rooms with private bathrooms, a wood-burning oven and areas for stoves.
The ecolodge also manages Camping El Mollar, a fee-paying space with six private fences —where it is possible to park cars and campers— with a fireplace and space for two tents in each, and a common space with a living room with a wood stove, dish washer and bathrooms with showers.
Accommodation, guided wildlife viewing, geology and tours of the Parque Patagonia region can be booked by writing to reservas@lapostadelostoldos.com
For more information: www.lapostadelostoldos.com
CAMPING
La Señalada:
It has a hearth built in stone, an outdoor space with tables and places to sit, latrines and six individual platforms for the setting of tents (which are protected from the wind). There is a grocery store that offers homemade baked goods, water, fresh drinks and basic local products. The campsite is available for use for a fee.
La Confluencia:
It is immersed in the valley of the Pinturas River, at the intersection of that canyon with the Caracoles canyon. It has latrines and six individual platforms for the setting up of tents. This campsite is available free for use.
For reservations at the campsites:parquepatagonia.arg@gmail.com.
Reservations need to be made 15 days in advance of the requested date or on a first-come first-serve basis.
Portal La Ascensión
An old cattle ranch converted for public use, offers more than 40 km of trails that accesses Lake Buenos Aires and the plateau. Located on Provincial Route 43, 17 km from the town of Los Antiguos, the Portal is administered by National Parks, whose staff provides information and recommendations to visit the area in the Portal hull.
HIKING
The Portal’s extensive network of trails has different levels of difficulty and offers looped walking & hiking trails and wildlife watching. From the center of the Portal you can access Lake Buenos Aires and the Lake Buenos Aires plateau in an excursion that requires longer than a day to complete, as well as other attractive rock formations and landscapes with abundant wildlife, such as guanacos, foxes, pumas, rheas, condors and a variety of birdlife.
CAMPING
There is a camping area very close to the lake with grills, tables protected from the wind, dry toilets, as well as shelters that are part of the network of trails that allow for excursions to the Buenos Aires lake plateau. To use the shelters, you must enquire at the entrance to the Portal.
Campsites are free and on a first-come, first-served basis. No prior reservation is required.
HORSEBACK RIDING
A tourist provider from Los Antiguos offers horseback riding, where you will be crossing pastures and climbing moraines to the shore of Lake Buenos Aires as a different way of experiencing the landscapes of this area of the park.
Portal El Sauco
It is located within Patagonia National Park, 24 km away from the renowned Route 40.
HIKING
From the camping area, you access the Blanco River through a short path that allows you to appreciate the ravines and the valley’s own landscape. You can also follow a low-difficulty path and visit a natural viewpoint that can be reached on foot from the same path or by vehicle.
CAMPSITE
Los Choiques is a wild camping area located in a shady site protected from the wind. It has a dry toilet and five plots with benches and spaces adapted for the use of heaters, since you are not allowed to make fires in the area.
Campsites are free for use and on a first-come, first-served basis. No prior reservation is required.
Scenic Route 41
It goes from Los Antiguos town to Lago Posadas and continues to reach the Perito Moreno National Park.
Route 41 runs from the town of Los Antiguos to Lago Posadas and continues until it connects with the Perito Moreno National Park. Views of the Lake Buenos Aires plateau and Cerro Colorado can be seen from where the Zeballos glacier, which supplies water to Los Antiguos, is located. The route has landmarks that indicate the best places to stop to enjoy the scenery.
*There is an audio guide available
(only in spannish)
Cueva de las Manos Provincial Park
This protected area is home to the Cueva de las Manos archaeological site, one of the oldest expressions of cave art in South America —with paintings over 9,500 years old— and which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The paintings allow us to peek into the life of those human groups of the past: hunting scenes and silhouettes of animals such as guanacos, rheas and armadillos stand out among the figures, possibly the main components of their diet.
These can be accessed on foot from the Portal Cañadón Pinturas through the Bajada de los Toldos trail, or via Route 40 through two vehicle entrances. Visits to the archaeological site are guided and admission is paid.
Towns
Perito Moreno
Crossed by the RN 40, Perito Moreno is where you can refuel, do some shopping and make use of an ATM. We suggest a visit to the Carlos Gradin Archeology Museum, which is a great introduction to the Cueva de las Manos before you visit the park, as it shows the life of the first hunter-gatherers in the region. In the Iturrioz building, which is located on a beautiful corner, is the well-known Cafe Iturrioz, ideal for having a drink at the bar and visiting the art exhibitions that are usually held there.
Perito Moreno Tourist Office
Av. San Martín esquina Gendarmería Nacional
Tel/Whatsapp: +54 9 297 623 8811 / +54 9 297 418 1910–
e-mail: turismoperitomoreno@gmail.com
Los Antiguos
This town, located near the border of Chile on the shore of Lake Buenos Aires, at the foot of the mountain range, is synonymous for its cherries due to the number of farms where these and other fine fruits are produced. Water activities such as kite and windsurfing are practised on the lake, as well as fishing. It is the perfect walk for visiting the different viewpoints around the city as the views of the productive valley , the lake and the mountains are magnificent.
Los Antiguos Tourism
Lago Buenos Aires 59
Tel/Whatsapp: +54 9 2976 21-2055
e-mail: turismolosantiguos@gmail.com
Los Antiguos
Governor Gregores
This town, located on Route 40 and in the centre of the province of Santa Cruz, is the main access point to the Perito Moreno National Park, 220 km away. In summer, the city’s climate is pleasant enough to allow you to walk along the Paseo de los Artesanos where products such as jellies, jams, liqueurs and spun wool are offered. There are also wonderful gastronomic offerings, accommodation and rural tourism in the ranches within the area.
Gobernador Gregores Tourism
Av. San Martín 514
Tel/Whatsapp: +54 9 2962 408642
e-mail: turismogg@outlook.com
Lago Posadas
The distinctive characteristic of this town is that it has two lakes, the Posadas and the Pueyrredón, linked by a tiny neck of land (isthmus). It is a great resting place to connect with nature, and in which you can also fish. There are various types of accommodations, including campsites. From Posadas Lake, you can take the South Provincial Route 41, which will take you to the Perito Moreno National Park, but it’s only suitable for 4×4 and tandem vehicles.
Lago Posadas Tourist Office
Av. San Martín esquina El Amancay
Tel/Wapp: +54 9 2975 062765
e-mail: informeslagoposadas@santacruzpatagonia.gob.ar
Lago Posadas
