Patagonia is located in the southern half of South America. It extends from the Colorado River to Tierra del Fuego.

The Helio Continental is located between the Patagonian Andes and the Pacific coast at latitudes 40 and 50 degrees south. Because of its geographical position, it has a very unstable climate; the storms that come across the ice cap from the Pacific coast arrive with maximum intensity.

Average temperature in spring-summer-autumn: from 5° to 28° C in the day and down to –10° C at night.

Language: Spanish

The main town and tourist centre in the region is El Calafate. A town of about 3000 inhabitants and the starting & ending points for most excursions on to the ice-cap.