El Calafate
El Calafate, located where the Patagonian plateau meets the Andes, is the gateway to the Perito Moreno Glacier. The tourist circuit in this region begins at this small town in southwestern Santa Cruz province, on the south bank of Lake Argentino. Founded in 1927, El Calafate did not grow until the 1940’s, when the Glaciers National Park was created.
The town was named after a typical thorny bush of southern Patagonia. The Calafate blooms in the spring with yellow flowers and in summer with purple fruits. According to tradition those who eat this fruit will always return to Patagonia.