Top Things to do in Province of Santa Cruz
Top Restaurants in Province of Santa Cruz
Top 10 Free Things to do in Province of Santa Cruz, Patagonia
Discover the best top things to do in Province of Santa Cruz, Argentina including Cerro Fitz Roy, Laguna Torre, Laguna de los Tres, Sendero Loma del Pliegue Tumbado, Amanecer en El Chalten, Lago Argentino, Road to El Chalten, Monte Zeballos, Laguna Capri, Mirador del Torre.
Restaurants in Province of Santa Cruz
1. Cerro Fitz Roy
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,867 reviews
Reviewed By Cjs800 - Shanghai, China
The Fitz Roy hike is absolutely amazing. It begins through varied terrains and finishes with a steep climb up to beautiful lake with views over the mountain peaks. Words cannot do this place justice.
2. Laguna Torre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,515 reviews
Reviewed By watergirls2 - Cardiff-by-the-Sea, United States
Beautiful scenery, the hike was relatively easy to moderate. Recommend this hike if you are in El Chaltan for a few days. Mount Fitz Roy hike was our favorite! As others have said, the weather is unpredictable and you may start out with sunny weather and by the time you get to the Laguna Torre or other destinations it can be clouded over. We were lucky with abnormally warm weather and mostly clear good weather; however, if you can plan to spend some time at Laguna Torre or Fitz Roy since the weather changes so quickly you will likely be rewarded with clear views at some point during the day!
3. Laguna de los Tres
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 577 reviews
Reviewed By andreaa277 - Sydney, Australia
This is an amazing hike , all the terrain leading up to it (we started at Hosteria Pillar ) and of course the lakes at the top of that very steep climb. Then the walk back to town with the gorgeous (Patagonia emblem) as a backdrop. Start early we encountered crowds on the way back down at about 1pm . Keep in mind you will be sharing this walk with people that are hell bent on getting to the top I presume instagramming and hell bent on getting back down again. Still an amazing day - in summer the days are super long so you don't have to rush.
4. Sendero Loma del Pliegue Tumbado
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 264 reviews
Reviewed By CerroHike - San Francisco, United States
We waited for clear day for this hike based on the other TA reviews and the wait was well worth it. The hike itself is easy when compare to Fitz Roy or Cerro Torre because it gradual up hill (expect when you are inside forest and second viewpoint). When we were at first summit, the wind was super crazy, making hike hard. Since wind was crazy we didn't go second mirador. It was clear day so can't complain :). It was cold!!!. This is the best view among all the hikes, I would recommend this if you have extra days and clear day to make it worth your time.
5. Amanecer en El Chalten
6. Lago Argentino
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,105 reviews
Located in Glacier National Park, this 15,000-year-old lake is the largest in Argentina.
Reviewed By Leebda
The colors were stunning and it truly is a wonderful lake next to the airport as you fly in! You can also take short or long boat trips out to see the various glaciers,
7. Road to El Chalten
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 611 reviews
Reviewed By IN_Travelers47906 - West Lafayette, United States
There is one way in and one way out of El Chalten. Fortunately, it is so intriguing that you don’t need a second route. Stretching 132 miles/200 km from the El Calafate Airport or roughly 145 miles/225 km from El Calafate it is a hard-surfaced high-speed road safe at 110 km/hr except where turns and bridges require a reduction in speed. Traffic in both directions is common but passing is generally easy as long as you pay attention to no passing zones and blind spots. Expect a 3-4 hour trip, perhaps more if you have nice weather for once-in-a-lifetime photos. Getting there from El Calafate Airport is easy. The road follows the path of a backward C so you Just take a left turn every time you have the opportunity. The two largest lakes in Argentina, Lake Argentina and Lake Viedma, stretch east to west with Lake Viedma north of Lake Argentina. El Calafate is south of Lake Argentina, so you leave El Calafate, or its airport, headed east to go around the eastern shore of Lake Argentina and head north toward the eastern shore of Lake Viedma. Once you pass Lake Viedma, you head west into El Chalten. The landscape out of El Calafate is interesting, but not remarkable. Similar to areas of the American southwest. At about the halfway mark you will reach La Leona, a must stop for rest, history, bathroom break and excellent food. Plan on 30 well-spent minutes at La Leona. From La Leona, the landscape gets more remarkable with each kilometer as you get closer and closer to the beautiful peaks of the Andes that make Ell Chalten such a popular place with hikers and climbers. With a little luck, you will see some wild llamas along the way, staying especially alert to the possibility that they may cross the road in front of your car. There are several turnouts provided for photography along the road but that won’t prevent you from wanting to stop every few kilometers for another picture. Keep in mind, the picture opportunities continually improve, so the next picture you take will almost certainly be better than the one you are taking, and the very best photo ops come once you have passed the clearly marked entrance to the park. If the weather is good, perhaps the best photo-op is the last one provided by a large turnout overlooking El Chalten just before you make your final descent into the town. Also be advised that the weather and cloud coverage around the peaks changes literally by the second. If you have a great picture now, it may get worse if you wait, and vice versa. Pay close attention to the El Chalten weather forecast. With luck you will have a few hours with bright blue skies behind the peaks.
8. Monte Zeballos
9. Laguna Capri
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,340 reviews
Reviewed By P4117SZstevel - Los Altos, United States
The lake was not hard to get to and was not crowded at all. If you got here by following the trek on the left at Punto de Encuntro, then follow the trek passing the lake and do the loop back up to the Fitz Roy view point (see the map attached in the photo) and then to town if you don't want to hike all the way to Laguna de Los Tres. The view of Fitz Roy along the trek just pass the lake was even more spectacular.
10. Mirador del Torre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 456 reviews
Reviewed By Kreber668 - Bentonville, United States
Leaving Hostel Pilar you hike up to this viewpoint and it is amazing. Had some fantastic picture perfect shots of my husband and I from there. It was a nice walk up into the woods. We made our way to the Laguna de los tres trailhead. The river there past the campsite is beautiful and a great spot for light lunch. Decided that my legs would not make the last hour direct ascending to the base of Fitz Roy. Legs were tired from two days of hiking already - you need to be fresh for that.
