Perito Moreno National Park (do not confuse with Perito Moreno Glacier, which is 450 Km south, in Los Glaciares National Park) is a protected area on the center west of the Santa Cruz province, in the southernmost part of the Argentine Patagonia. Limiting with Chile on its west side it has a surface of 115,000 has., covering a representative mix of the Patagonian Steppe and the humid Subantarctic Forest. The area was declared national park in 1937, and due to its isolation and harsh weather it is one of the most unknown national park in Patagonia. It also the less visited, with less than 2,000 visitors per year. This, together with its minimal infrastructures, awards the visitor with the unique feeling of being in an truly natural territory, almost untouched by the man. Only the east side of the park is accesible with vehicles, the rest is not open to the public in order to guarantee the highest level of protection.

 

The park is only open to the public from October to April. There is only one entrance, coming from Route 40 and doing 90 Km. by a dirt road to reach the park’s by its east side. If you are travelling south the park is 240 Km. away from the town of Perito Moreno, while if you are going north it is 210 Km. from Gobernador Gregores or 450 Km. from El Calafate. There is an estancia before the park’s entrance (Estancia Melenik) and two more inside the park (Estancias Lago Belgrano and La Oriental). Currently only La Oriental is receiving tourists, so apart from this estancia the only places to spend the night in the park are the free camping areas, located in El Rincon area, on the Belgrano Lake and by the Burmeister Lake. Inside the park there is nowhere to buy fuel or food, so it is advisable to get there well supplied.

 

The weather in the park is mild-cold: winters are very harsh, with temperatures below -25ºC, while in summer the maximum does not exceed 15ºC. The snow can show up ay any time of the year, and it is not limited to the mountains, it can happen in the steppe area as well, which is 900 m. above the sea level. The highest peaks make up a natural amphitheater around the park, the most significant ones being the Heros hill, with 2,770 m, the Peinado hill, 2,482 m and the Árido hill, 2,295m. The largest lakes in the park are Belgrano, Volcán, Península, Escondido and Nansen lakes, all of them on the Pacific Ocean watershed, and the Burmeister Lake, which drains towards the Atlantic Ocean through the Roble River.

The landscape of the park goes from the steppe on the east to the sub-antarctic forest as you go towards the Andes mountain range on the west, with steep mountains with snow-capped peaks and glacier valleys covered by plenty of vegetation. The dominant vegetation in the steppe is the coiron tree (Stipa), while the forests are made of lenga (Roble Beech), ñire (Antarctic Beech) and guindo (Magellan’s Beech).

 

 

The park’s fauna is really abundant, with the Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), the native Patagonian deer and one of the emblematic species in the Andes, having a special protection. Nowadays its survival it is under threat, due to the lack of suitable and well preserved areas without artificial barriers that impede the groups shifting from one area to the other. This makes the populations being fragmented in smaller groups and the encounter between the different groups more and more difficult.

Many animal species live in the steppe: guanacos, choiques (a small Rhea), pumas, red foxes and grey foxes. In the lakes and lagoons flamingos, grebes, swans, ducks and geese can be see. In the mountains there are condors, eagles, owls and woodpeckers. Another typical species of the park is the montain viscacha, a 70 cm. rodent with a reddish brown fur.

 

Apart from the flora and fauna there are numerous fossils, paleontology sites and archaeological remains in the park. Many objects made of stone or bones have been found, specially spear and arrow tips; there are also cave paintings that confirm the man presence in the area from a long time ago, circa 10,000 years. By then the glaciers were much bigger than now and a huge lake covered most part of the park’s area. The first settlers where nomad hunter-gatherers who lived by the shelter provided by caves and eaves, leaving numerous traces of their presence.

Given its nature, hiking and flora and fauna watching are the best activities to be done in the park. The best hikes are going around Belgrano Peninsula, climbing the León Hill, or walking from the Lácteo River to the Volcán Lake. You must always ask the park ranger before attempting any of those, so he can tell you about the state of the paths, weather forecast etc. Guanacos and rheas can be seen very easily but for birdwatching the best area in on the Mié lagoons. It is not allowed to light fires in the park, so you should use gas heather. Fishing and navigation in any form are neither permitted and pets should also be avoided, as they disturb the park’s own fauna.

 

You should allow at least a couple of nights in the park to get at a proper feel of it, but the more time you can spend there, the better. The best option is to include the visit to the Perito Moreno National Park as part of a Route 40 tour from El Calafate and El Chaltén to Bariloche, or the other way round. If you are interested in taking one of such tours with us just get in touch!