el calafate historical interpretation center

Not to be fooled by the entree or the first dark room. Two films of explanations and fossils of prehistoric creature & illustration and maps and evolutionary mapsReally time well spent

This place reminds me of a small museum, so well developed and organised that it opens up minds, and attracts even those who were not interested in finding out our origins.

An unexpected, pleasurable visit, to a very informative museum! The displays are clear, the models are great for kids (and big kids!) and the warm wecolme with matè was perfect for a chilly afternoon.

A thoroughly well presented and educational exhibit of the development of Patagonia from the dinosaurs through to the current day. Models, real historic exhibits , photographs from the late 1800's through to the present day. The truth about the annihilation of the indigenous people's by the European settlers in videos and displays ..... Very thought provoking.Highly recommended, don't miss it. Short walk from El Calafate Central boulevard. Cost US$8 per adult in Jan 2015

We did not have high expectations for this little museum. From the outside it looks very small. But, the multiligual presentations, though modest, are packed with information. A very easy to follow historical perspective is provided including the recent history of the indigenous peoples. Don´t go in expecting a slick polished presentaion, but be open to the application of the information to the surrounding community and history and enjoy some mate at the end.

If you buy the city tour and walichu caves, the ticket is included and it is the same price. Very nice museum. You see trhough the time how patagonia was. It worths a visit

Very well and logical presented and explained, from distant geological ages to present.Worth the visit if you are interested in natural history / geology / paleontology / prehistoric human life. Spent more than 2 hours there. Entrance fee: approx 7 USD (at 11 ARS / USD).

The entire museum consists of three smallish rooms and the "exhibits" are just posters with the kind of information you would expect to find in a Wikipedia article or in a tourist information office. At 80 pesos per person I found that to be rather flimsy.

Allow a couple of hours to walk around & digest the information here.We came upon this en route to Laguna Nimez. It's deceptive. When you walk in, it looks tiny, but you pay your 40 A$ entrance each & the friendly lady on the desk pulls back the curtain & you enter an Aladdin's den of Patagonian historical information. She gave us each an English translation of the Spanish text on the walls. Only snag is the lighting is low & you can't read it until you finish the tour.There are:- a section on dinosaurs, - a film about the process of locating, unearthing, extracting, transporting, rebuilding & displaying archaeological remains, - a film of Perito Moreno's spectacular ruptures, - a timeline explaining the history of Patagonia in terms of geology, climate, flora & fauna & man. Probably the most memorable section for us was the last one, telling the sad tale of the indigenous people, who have all but been wiped out by the European immigrants. It was brutally honest. We were quite surprised. It's a similar story to that of so many countries. When we had finished walking around the museum (we had it to ourselves most of the way round), the lovely lady offered us mate & we browsed the wonderful selection of books & postcards. If you are interested in Patagonian wildlife, I highly recommend either the book or the laminated pocket guide cards on sale by Southworld. The laminated pocket guide card costs 80 A$ & I've used it so many times to identify unusual birds.

If you have a spare hour you will not regret dropping by.It has some nice dinosaur sculptures and quite educating timeline of humankind and more specifically of Patagonia.

I was on my way to the Laguna Nimez when I came upon this museum and went in. I was given a folder with the English interpretation of the exhibits. I am a geologist and the translation was exactly correct in every term and very eloquent and we'll-written. The history of the recent settlers was icing on the cake. The owners were simply delightful, friendly people with a passion for what they do.

Off the main street is this center. There are lovely grounds and a welcoming building with information. We learned about the Laguna Nimez reserve for birding,and some of the local history. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Lots of different stuff: dinosaurs, audiovisual material, the history of the peoples of El Calafate.The name of this place is excellent as it allows you to interpret El Calafate’s history from different perspectives: biological, ethnological, etc. Last but not least, you can taste a real Argentinian mate when you finish your visit. For free!4 million-year-history not to be missed!!!! A Culture bath 

We thoroughly enjoyed this museum. Many of information panels were in English,as we do not speak Spanish, and we were provided with a folder of translations for those that were not. A lot of work has gone into making this a very informative museum. The first section relates to dinosaurs and megafauna, then the next section is about the social history of Patagonia. We had been looking for information on the first inhabitants of Argentina while in buenos aires, with not much success. It was great to finally find detailed information in this museum. We then had a great chat with the owner, who is obviously very passionate about his museum. This is with good reason, as it is a really worthwhile spot to visit. We walked from the main part of town, and you could easily combine it with a visit to the flamingoes.

I had a morning free between two outward-bound trips from El Calafate, so I wandered down little streets around my hostel. Around a bend, I came upon this fascinating centre that offers a glimpse of hundreds of millions of years of life in Austral Patagonia ~ embracing dinosaurs, mega mammals, rock art and most tantalizing of all, Pueblos Originales. Before I knew it, I had spent three long hours within that fascinating space. Worth checking out, for sure.