Buenos Aires to El Calafate flight path: EZE to FTE

Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Buenos Aires to El Calafate. While both sides cross the same monotonous Patagonian steppe during cruise, the right side delivers the payoff: dramatic Andean peaks, Lago Argentino, and the glacial landscape around El Calafate on final approach, whereas the left side stays flat and featureless throughout.

During takeoff from Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini (EZE), sit on the Left side for the best views. Departing EZE toward the south, the initial climb can offer a glimpse of the Rio de la Plata estuary and the Buenos Aires urban sprawl off to the east (left side) before the route heads into the featureless Pampas. The right side shows only flat farmland from the start. Notable sights include: Rio de la Plata estuary, Buenos Aires suburbs, Ezeiza greenbelt.

When landing at El Calafate - Commander Armando Tola International Airport (FTE), sit on the Right side for the best views. On approach to FTE, landing into the prevailing westerly wind on runway 25 means the aircraft descends from the northeast, giving passengers on the right side a sweeping view of the Andes foothills, the turquoise expanse of Lago Argentino, and the glacially carved terrain near El Calafate. The left side only shows the flat brown steppe stretching to the Atlantic. Notable sights include: Lago Argentino, Andes foothills, Patagonian steppe escarpments, glacial moraine ridges near El Calafate.

The flight from Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini (EZE) to El Calafate - Commander Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) takes about 3 hours 10 minutes. The shortest flight path between them is 1,266 miles (2,038 km); winds and air traffic control usually add a few percent.

Flat, arid Patagonian steppe of Rio Negro, Chubut, and Santa Cruz provinces, crossed by occasional dry riverbeds and the Rio Chubut and Rio Santa Cruz valleys, with no major mountains until the final approach into El Calafate.