The Cueva de las Manos in the northwest of the province of Santa Cruz in Argentina is one of the Unesco World Heritage Sites in the country.
If there is one thing that comes to mind when talking about Patagonia, it is the high mountains of the Andes, the turquoise lakes, glaciers and wide beaches.
But most of the territory of Argentine Patagonia is arid, with little vegetation and animals such as the guanaco and the choique roam freely. In the midst of this landscape, there is a World Heritage site, where you can find cave paintings of civilisations that inhabited these soils thousands of years ago.
Check out the recommended places to visit in Patagonia Argentina.
The particular geography of this area of the Argentinean Patagonia allowed to preserve these paintings in perfect condition thanks to the fact that they were made inside caves and in a place of not so easy access. De las Manos cave is one of the essential places to visit if you are making a route through the Argentinean Patagonia.
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How to get to the Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the Hands)
The site is located in the northwest of the province of Santa Cruz on the canyon of the Pinturas River, some 117 kilometres south of the town of Perito Moreno and 50 kilometres north of the town of Bajo Caracoles.
In both cases you have to take Route 40, which is perfectly paved in these stretches, and then take the 30 kilometres detour along a gravel road to the caves. The gravel road is usually in good condition since it is frequently maintained, but you have to go slowly because it is not paved and because of the possible presence of animals.
If you are spending the night in Gobernador Gregores, two recommended places to stay are the Hostería Kaiken, with simple rooms and excellent cleanliness, and the Hostería lago Cardiel, with spacious rooms and more comfort. In the town of Perito Moreno we recommend Estancia La Serena, further away from the centre and facing the lake, and the hotel Americano in the centre of town, with a restaurant and good rooms for a night’s stay.
Unfortunately there is no public transport to the site. The two options are by car, from Gobernador Gregores if you are coming from the south or Perito Moreno if you are coming from the north, or by an organised day trip with guide and transport included. Both Gobernador Gregores and Perito Moreno, in addition to accommodation, have a restaurant and gas station, so they are ideal for an overnight stay.
Here you can hire the excursión from Perito Moreno to the Cueva de las Manos or from Los Antiguos in the day that includes a trekking through the canyon of the Pinturas River.
Fly to Perito Moreno and from there hire a car or go on a tour
From 2024, there is the option of flying to the town of Perito Moreno, and from there renting a car to Cueva de las Manos or doing it with a tour agency.
The airline that flies to Perito Moreno is Lade. Flights depart from the following destinations:
- Flight from Comodoro Rivadavia to Perito Moreno and from Perito Moreno to Comodoro Rivadavia: every Monday and Wednesday.
- Flight from El Calafate to Perito Moreno: every Wednesday. The flight from Perito Moreno to El Calafate is on Mondays and Wednesdays.
- Flight from Rio Gallegos to Perito Moreno and from Rio Gallegos to Perito Moreno: every Monday and Wednesday.
To get to Perito Moreno by bus and from there rent a car or take a tour
From Comodoro Rivadavia you can take a bus to the locality of Perito Moreno. The company that makes the trip is Sportman. You can check the timetables on their official website.
From Perito Moreno there is no other option but to hire a tour or rent a car.
Price for access to the Cueva de las Manos (2025)
The prices to enter the Cueva de las Manos site in 2025 are as follows:
- Foreigners: 12.000 pesos
- Residents of Argentina: 3.000 pesos
- Argentinean pensioners: 1.500 pesos
- Children under 6 years free
The Cueva de las Manos is open every day of the year, with the exception of some holidays. Visits take place from 9:00 to 19:00 every hour, with a maximum of 20 people per visit.
It is important to point out that it is not possible to make a reservation in advance to gain access, but admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. It is forbidden to enter with pets and it is recommended to bring a drink and a snack.
In case of adverse weather conditions, such as strong wind, the site may be closed.
What to see in Cueva de las Manos
Entrance to the cave is with a guide. Inside, about 600 metres long, 20 metres deep and 10 metres high, is where the greatest heritage of cave art is concentrated, with paintings left by the ancient settlers of Patagonia who lived there 9,000 years ago, hence the historical importance of the discovery.
These were tribes who settled in the Pinturas river canyon and lived by hunting native animals and gathering fruits for food. Most of the paintings made on the rocks have to do with their daily life: hunting scenes, figures of animals such as choiques, pumas and guanacos and negative figures of their hands.
To obtain the different colours for painting, they used mineral pigments obtained by scraping the rock and grinding them with stone tools. They then used swabs made of vegetable fibres or animal hair with grease as brushes.
In addition, they used their mouths or a small tube to blow the paint and, resting their hands on the rock, they left this part of their body as their expression of art.
Things to do in the area around the Caves of Las Manos
The Pinturas River canyon is an ideal place for trekking through the semi-desert landscape of Patagonia. The canyon is about 200 metres high, which is truly amazing.
In addition, in the area you can see native animals such as foxes, lizards, guanacos, wild cats and choiques and small bushes that grow in the middle of the arid soil such as the calafate and the neneo.
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