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Arriving at FTE · El Calafate, Santa Cruz, Argentina
El Calafate Airport to Town: Transfers, Taxis and Where to Stay
How to get from El Calafate's airport to your hotel: a shared transfer booked ahead, the taxis and the shuttle in the arrivals hall, and where to stay in town. This is not the airport's own website.
From the airport to town
Taxi, Shuttle or Transfer?
El Calafate’s airport (FTE) is about 20 km by road from the town centre: 20.3 km from the terminal on our routing, about 25 minutes by car; the municipality says almost 23 km. In the arrivals hall there is a taxi and remis desk (Condor, the airport’s only taxi concession, says the municipality), a shuttle desk (VES Patagonia Airport Shuttle) and tour agencies; neither the airport nor the municipality prints a fare. If you want the ride settled before you land, Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo’s Calafate: Airport Transfer is from US$12 a person one way (checked November 2026), US$22 for the round trip on the dates we read. It is shared with other passengers on your flight and timed by the operator, not by you.
Calafate: Airport Transfer
Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo: shared with your flight, a guide with a name sign, hotels in the town's urban area. US$12 one way, US$22 round trip on the dates we read; the pickup for your flight home is set by Tolkeyen.
Check dates →El Calafate: Private Airport Transfer
Patagonia Dreams: a private transfer for up to 19, one way, to any accommodation in El Calafate, with or without a reception. The driver waits with a name card.
See the transfer →Transfer from the airport to your hotel in El Calafate
Patagonia Dreams on Viator: from the airport to your hotel in El Calafate, one way, about 20 minutes.
See the transfer →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
This site is a visitor guide, not the airport. The airport’s own site, with flight status, is aeropuertoelcalafate.com, run by its concessionaire, London Supply S.A.C.I.F.I.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo's shared transfer between El Calafate airport and hotels in town: a guide with a name sign in arrivals, timed to your flight. One way or round trip. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
The Experience
The Shared Transfer, Line by Line
A guide with a name sign in arrivals, a shared vehicle to the hotels in town, and luggage help. The pickup time follows your flight.
Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo's own highlights, inclusions and notes, as listed on GetYourGuide in November 2026.
Highlights
- Comfortable vehicles and friendly staff accompany you.
What's Included
- Airport pickup by an identified guide
- Authorized vehicle
- Luggage assistance
Good to know: - Hotel · - Arrival and/or return flight number · - Six-letter airline reservation code (Example EDUJYH) · Not Included: Coverage: downtown hotels and surrounding areas within the urban radius of El Calafate. Please inquire about distant locations.
Where to stay
Where to Stay in El Calafate
Three parts of town, described with the municipality's own facts. Each button opens an Expedia search for rooms in or near that area through Stay22; the prices and listings are Expedia's.
- Hotels in the centre
the centre, on Avenida del Libertador
The town's main avenue. The municipality calls Plaza San Martín one of the places with the most shops and restaurants in the centre.
- Hotels on the lake shore
the lake shore (costanera)
Along Lago Argentino, about 22 minutes on foot from the main avenue, by the municipality's figure.
- Search rooms near the bus terminal
near the bus terminal
The terminal is at Antoine de Saint Exupery 87, a few blocks up the steps from Plaza Pioneros (municipality); the buses to the glacier and to El Chaltén leave from it.
Stay22 map of hotels near El Calafate's centre.
Your First Days
Transfers and Day Trips from El Calafate
Other airport transfers, shared and private, and day trips from El Calafate: on GetYourGuide and Viator.
SHARED, DOWNTOWN HOTELSEl Calafate: Transfers Between Airport and Hotels
Patagonia Dreams' shared transfer between the airport and downtown hotels in El Calafate, sold as a round trip: to the hotel on arrival and back to the airport on the day you leave. Names, ID or passport and date of birth are needed within 12 hours of booking, and the flight number.
HOTEL TO AIRPORTTransfer from your hotel to El Calafate airport
Patagonia Dreams' shared transfer from your hotel in El Calafate to the airport, one way, about 20 minutes.
PRIVATE, PER GROUPTransfers from the Airport to El Calafate with City Tour
FirstDay Patagonia's private transfer from the airport into El Calafate, priced per group, with a morning or a sunset option.
PRIVATE, TO THE AIRPORTPrivate Transfer from El Calafate Hotels to the Airport
VIAJAR EN PATAGONIA's private transfer from a hotel in El Calafate to the airport, priced per group, with a 4x4 option.
PERITO MORENO GLACIERGuided Tour of the National Park + Perito Moreno Glacier + Boat Cruise (optional)
Info de Ushuaia's 8-hour day from El Calafate to the Perito Moreno Glacier: hotel pickup, a guide on the road and on the walkways, and a one-hour boat trip on the dearer option. The national park fee and lunch are not included.
EL CHALTÉN DAYFrom El Calafate: Full-Day Tour to El Chaltén
Patagonia Dreams' 11-hour day to El Chaltén: hotel pickup, a short guided walk to the Mirador de los Cóndores and the Chorrillo del Salto waterfall, and free time in the village. Lunch only on the dearer option; the national park fee is not included.
- 4.7 / 5 189+ Reviews
- 20.3 km By road from the airport terminal to the town centre, about 25 minutes; the municipality says almost 23 km
- FTE El Calafate airport's code (ICAO SAWC); the airport is run by London Supply S.A.C.I.F.I., not by this site
- Free Cancellation
Plan Your Arrival
Arriving in El Calafate, Question by Question
Getting to town, the first hour at the airport, where to stay, the road to El Chaltén, car hire and who flies here.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Transfer and tour prices on GetYourGuide and Viator are in US dollars; anything paid in Argentina is in pesos (ARS).
El Calafate airport, FTE
Landing in El Calafate
The airport and who runs it, the arrivals hall, the road into town, where to stay, and the first days.
The airport
The airport is the Aeropuerto Internacional Comandante Armando Tola: code FTE for airlines, SAWC for air traffic. Argentina’s civil aviation authority made it an international airport in March 2021, and it is run by a concessionaire, London Supply S.A.C.I.F.I., under a concession from the province of Santa Cruz (ANAC Resolution 77/2021; ORSNA Resolution 26/2026). It is not one of the Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 airports.
The terminal has an ATM in the public area near the departures entrance and free Wi-Fi, but no currency exchange: the airport sends you to the banks in town. Departure taxes are included in your ticket. Arriving at El Calafate airport covers the first hour.
From the airport to town
One road, Ruta Provincial 11, runs west from the airport along the shore of Lago Argentino into town. Your choices at the arrivals hall:
| In the arrivals hall | What it is |
|---|---|
| Condor | Taxi and remis desk; the municipality says Condor is the only taxi concession at the airport |
| VES Patagonia Airport Shuttle | A shuttle to El Calafate, stand 4 |
| Chaltén Travel | Excursions and bus tickets, local 1 |
| TAQSA-MARGA | Bus tickets, stand 3 |
| Don Atilio | A bus to El Chaltén, stand 1 |
Aeropuerto de El Calafate, services page, read November 2026. No fare is printed for the taxi or the shuttle.
The municipality’s other route is a private transfer booked in advance. On GetYourGuide the cheapest is Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo’s shared transfer, from US$12 a person one way; Patagonia Dreams' shared transfer between the airport and hotels is US$30 a person for its one option, a round trip, for downtown hotels only, and asks for your names, ID or passport and date of birth within 12 hours of booking (checked November 2026). From the airport to town compares all of them.
How the shared transfer works
You give your hotel, your flight number and the six-letter booking code of your airline ticket. A guide waits in arrivals with a sign bearing your name, helps with the luggage and takes you to the vehicle. It leaves when the passengers from your flight are aboard and drops at each hotel in turn. It covers the hotels in the town’s urban area; for addresses further out you ask first. On the three dates we read (27 November 2026, 20 January and 27 March 2027) the operating hours were 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM, and the one-way and round-trip prices did not change.
The return is where reviewers stumble. We read all 189 reviews, the oldest from August 2019 and the newest 7 November 2026: 160 give five stars and 12 give three or fewer, 7 of those with text. At least three are about the pickup time for the flight home, which you cannot choose: one group was left at the airport four hours before its flight (13 August 2026), another about two and a half hours before (23 March 2026), and one traveller had no pickup time until the day of the flight (4 October 2026). One (30 May 2026) booked a single trip thinking it was a round trip. If you want to choose when you leave for the airport, book only the arrival leg and go back by taxi or private transfer.
Where to stay
Most visitors stay in town rather than near the airport. The municipality’s own descriptions give three parts of town: the centre along Avenida del Libertador, the lake shore, and the streets near the bus terminal, where the buses to the Perito Moreno Glacier and El Chaltén leave. The shared transfers cover hotels in the urban area. Where to stay in El Calafate goes through the three.
Your first days
From El Calafate the Perito Moreno Glacier is 80 km by paved road (municipality). Most people’s first trip is a guided day to its walkways: Info de Ushuaia's is from US$48 on promotion, usually US$60 a person (checked November 2026) without the boat, and the national park fee is extra. Patagonia Dreams' El Chaltén day is from US$117 on promotion, usually US$130, checked November 2026 without lunch. If you are going straight on to El Chaltén, the airport to El Chaltén has the bus from the arrivals hall and the private transfer.
Before you land
- Flight details. The shared transfer needs your hotel, flight number and airline booking code.
- Pesos. There is an ATM at the airport but no exchange office.
- Food. The airport asks travellers to Patagonia not to bring red meat, cured meats, fruit, vegetables or plants.
- Cancelling. The GetYourGuide transfers on this page can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before.
Book the Ride into Town
Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo's shared transfer between El Calafate airport and hotels in town, timed to your flight. One way or round trip. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from US$12 per person (one way; round trip US$22; checked November 2026).
Check datesAfter You Land
Tours from El Calafate with Open Dates
Glacier days, boats and transfers from El Calafate with live availability. What is included and the cancellation terms show before you book.
El Calafate Airport: Questions
Getting to town, taxis and shuttles, the airport code, money, the road to El Chaltén, car hire and where to stay.
By the shared shuttle or a taxi from the arrivals hall, or by a transfer booked in advance. The airport lists the VES Patagonia Airport Shuttle (stand 4) and the Condor taxi desk in arrivals; the municipality says Condor is the only taxi concession at the airport. Booked ahead, Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo's shared transfer is from US$12 a person one way (checked November 2026), US$22 round trip on the dates we read. See the airport to town.
About 20 km by road. On our routing it is 20.3 km from the terminal to the town centre, about 25 minutes by car; the municipality and Argentina.gob.ar say almost 23 km and 23 km. The road is Ruta Provincial 11, along Lago Argentino.
We print no figure: neither the airport nor the municipality publishes one. The airport's page lists the Condor taxi desk in arrivals with a line for the airport-to-town fare but no amount, and asks you to confirm with the company. Ask at the desk before you get in.
FTE is the airport's IATA code; its ICAO code is SAWC. Its full name is Aeropuerto Internacional Comandante Armando Tola, and it is run by the concessionaire London Supply S.A.C.I.F.I. (ANAC, ORSNA). The airport's own site is aeropuertoelcalafate.com.
An ATM, yes; an exchange office, no. The airport lists an ATM in the public area near the departures entrance and says there is no exchange office in the airport: change money at the banks in town. Wi-Fi is free throughout the airport. See arriving at the airport.
Yes. The airport lists Don Atilio's bus to El Chaltén at stand 1 in arrivals, and the regular buses also leave from El Calafate's bus terminal. A private transfer straight from the airport, FirstDay Patagonia's on Viator, is from US$250 a group (checked November 2026). El Chaltén is 220 km from El Calafate by the park authority's figure. See the airport to El Chaltén.
Yes, in the arrivals hall. The airport lists desks for Hertz, Europcar, Sixt, Alamo, Localiza, Always, Budget and Chaltén Travel among others. In winter, cars entering Los Glaciares National Park need studded tyres or chains. See car rental at the airport.
In town: the airport is about 20 km out. The municipality's descriptions give three parts: the centre on Avenida del Libertador, the lake shore about 22 minutes' walk from the main avenue, and the streets near the bus terminal. See where to stay in El Calafate.
The airport lists Aerolíneas Argentinas, LADE, JetSMART, SKY Airline and GOL (November 2026). Aerolíneas Argentinas names direct flights from Buenos Aires, Bariloche, Córdoba, Trelew and Ushuaia; GOL flies from São Paulo Guarulhos from 26 November 2026 to 27 March 2027. See flights to El Calafate.
Still have questions? Email us at info@elcalafateairport.com