.: General Information

Los Notros is located in the South West of the province of Santa Cruz, the southernmost province in continental Argentina and part of the mythical region known as Patagonia.

This extensive region, mostly barren plains, is sprinkled with dream lakes and rivers, snow covered mountains, majestic cliffs and fiords, native forests and spectacular millenary glaciers.

.: Climate

The climate in El Calafate is primarily dry, and although the great extension of the glaciers region offers some variations, it can be said that dampness increases as we get closer to the cordillera and the continental ice field, and it becomes colder as we rise above the sea level.

The duration of daylight in this town varies according to the time of the year. In summer it dawns at 5.30 am and it does not darken until 11.00 p.m. but in winter, days are shorter with only 8 hours of light at times. The longest day of the year (December 21) may have 17 hours of solar light.

Due to the action of the wind coming from the west and its location, the average of rainfalls in El Calafate is of 300mm annually. These rainfalls have been registered mainly during winter.

In order to get a clearer idea of the possible weather conditions during your visit, the climatic differences between El Calafate and El Chaltén towns are detailed below:















Today's forecast.  The Weather Channel

Today's forecast. Accuweather.com

.: Santa Cruz and El Calafate

SANTA CRUZ AND EL CALAFATE

Santa Cruz is a province of Argentina, located in the southern part of the country, in Patagonia. It borders Chubut province to the north, and Chile to the west and south. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean.

TOURISM

Santa Cruz's most visited destination is the Los Glaciares National Park and a number of glaciers of which the Perito Moreno Glacier is the most famous. Nearby El Calafate has an airport that connects the area with Buenos Aires and Trelew.

Some 200 kilometres north of El Calafate is the village of El Chaltén at the feet of the Cerro Torre and Mount Fitz Roy. El Chaltén serves as a hub for various trekking routes including walks on the Viedma Glacier.

EL CALAFATE

El Calafate is a little village in Patagonia, Argentina. It is situated in the southern border of Lake Argentino, in the southwest part of the Santa Cruz Province, about 320 km Northwest from Río Gallegos. Its name comes from a little bush with yellow flowers very common in Patagonia, with dark blue berries: the calafate (Berberis buxifolia); the word comes from the word "calafate", which is Spanish for "caulk".
El Calafate is an important tourist destination as the hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park, including the Perito Moreno Glacier (one of the most visited in the world) and the Cerro Chaltén and Cerro Torre.
The town is served by El Calafate International Airport (IATA: FTE, ICAO: SAWA) located some 20 km east of the village, at coordinates 50°20′S, 72°15′W. Opened in 2001 it has daily flights to Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities.

Population
In the last census 6,143 permanent residents were counted (2001 census [INDEC]). This represents a 97% increase compared with the 1991 census. However, due to the expansion of tourism, the population was estimated at 8,000 people in 2005. (The population was estimated at 17,000 people in 2007.)
The climate is cold and dry. The average temperatures are 13°C upto 28°C during the summer, and from 3° in winter with temperatures of down to -25°. Even though precipitations on the ice-sheet area at the west are common, rain is scarce in the entire province, with an average of 200 mm per year. Strong winds blow all year around.

.: Map