Perito Moreno National Park Voyage Tips and guide

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Perito Moreno National Park is a protected natural area in the Andean highlands of Patagonia. It is a very large park, covering an area of 126,830 hectares. The park is completely undeveloped with no roads, visitor center, campgrounds, nor visitor services of any kind. It's therefore perfect for the reclusive, experienced outdoorsman who is self-sufficient and eager to avoid human contact.

It is a very large park, covering an area of 126,830 hectares.

The park is one of Argentina's oldest parks, established as part of the Argentina national parks system in 1937. It is named to honor Perito Moreno, an explorer who dedicated many years of his life to exploring the Patagonia region.

The park is in the Andean Highlands of western Argentina, near its border with Chile. The landscape is mountains and valleys. The lowest valley is at an elevation of 900 meters. The highest point in the park is the peak of Cerro Heros with an elevation of 2,770 meters. Two chains of mountains cross the park, one range running east to west and the other north to south. At lower elevation are steppes, covered with tall grasses and small forbs. The park includes eight lakes. The largest, Lago Burmeister, flows east towards the Atlantic. Other lakes, such as Lago Mogote and Lago Volcan, flow west towards the Pacific.

The park is home to 24 mammal species, a few reptiles, and 115 types of birds.

Some of the mammals, such as the tuco-tuco, are common throughout South America but are relatively unknown to naturalists on other continents. Some of the mammals, such as a couple of wildcat species, the gato pajero and the gato huiña, are endemic to the area and are endangered. Often mistaken for llamas, the guanaco is common in the park and is a favorite prey of pumas, which also enjoy dining on the south andean deer and various smaller animals.

The Andean condor is often seen soaring over the mountains, though birdwatchers need to be careful because many of the "condor sightings" turn out to be falcons or eagles. A number of birds, including the Andean goose, can be seen in the park's lakes and other waterways.

There are no towns close to Perito Moreno National Park and no roads or nearby transportation. The closest Argentinian road passes about 80 km from the park boundary. The closest Chilean road is about 10 km and may be a better starting point. The closest town to start your mountain trek to the park is El Chalten, where you can find affordable hostels and can likely hire an experienced mountain guide. A bus service allegadly goes to the park and it may be possible to hire a ferry to take you across one of the large lakes that extend into the park.

There is nobody in the park to collect any fees.

No developed camping facilities are in the park, so only backcountry camping is permitted. A local guide is recommended.

• Los Glaciares National Park
• El Calafate
• El Chalten