Nativo Experience

A 4×4 journey through the Punta Walichu Nature Reserve, where Patagonia’s nature and history come together.

Just minutes from El Calafate, Nativo Experience travels some 20 km along the southern shore of Lake Argentino —the largest lake in Argentina and the third largest in South America. Fed by giant glaciers, its turquoise water is so vivid that it inspired explorer Francisco P. Moreno to name it “Argentino.” A half-day outing, it’s the perfect excursion for your arrival or departure day: in just a few hours it blends scenery, adventure and history without leaving town.

From the top of the cliffs, every stop opens up sweeping views of Lake Argentino and the Andes. But more than a scenic drive, this is a journey back in time: with an anthropological approach, the route follows the footsteps of the Tehuelche —the native people who lived on these lands— and relives the first encounters between explorers and natives. A specialised guide decodes the region’s native flora and fauna and the “Nativo” legacy that gives the experience its name.

The heart of the tour is the Punta Walichu caves on the lakeshore: natural shelters where the Tehuelche left rock paintings thousands of years old —hands, guanacos and symbols carved into the stone, still readable today as a living testimony of the past.

The journey ends inside a great cave, where a lunch or dinner of Patagonian flavours awaits —homemade soup, lamb casserole and dessert— served in the shelter of this natural refuge. And if you choose the evening departure, the day closes under one of the clearest starry skies in the world: an intimate and unforgettable way to end the day, surrounded by thousands of years of history.