El Calafate: Laguna Nimez

Just on the outskirts of El Calafate lies the beautiful and vibrant Laguna Nimez wildlife reserve. Sitting on the edge of Lago Argentino, this lagoon and wildlife reserve is home to over 70 species of birds, including flamingos. I had never seen flamingos in the wild before, and seeing these Andean flamingos up close was a lot of fun. You can’t tell from the pictures, but it was very windy and the flamingos had a hard time flying into the wind. We walked around the edge of the lagoon, following the trail with posted signs (above, left) and managed to see several different kinds of ducks, gulls and other birds. One of the more fascinating sights was the Black-faced Ibis (below, right). In addition to the birds, we walked past a few clusters of calafate bushes, after which the town of El Calafate is named. The Latin name for the plant is Berberis microphylla, and the berries are harvested to make local products like jam and liquor. We enjoyed both the jam and the liquor while in El Calafate, it is a unique and pleasant taste. We were told by several locals that eating Calafate berries will guarantee you to a return trip to Patagonia and El Calafate. We had a wonderful visit and returning to El Calafate would be just fine by me.

Details: Laguna Nimez is a one kilometer walk from the center of El Calafate. Entrance to the reserve is from 9:00am to 7:00pm and costs 10 Argentine pesos per person. You can rent binoculars if you are so inclined. Visiting toward the end of the day around dusk will give you great views of Lago Argentino and the wildlife. Be sure to take some time to look for icebergs on the lake when you’re not admiring the flamingos.