South America The Outlandish

What the Hell is an Ice Bar? | Argentina

Ice Bar Argentina - Drinks

What is an ice bar?: Bar
Where is it? Yeti Ice Bar, El Calafate, Argentina
How much does it cost? $12 ($190 Argentine pesos)
How long do I need? 1 hour

Paying to drink in a -13° C bar doesn’t sound so appealing on its own, but when you couple that up with a fur trimmed polyester polar bear cape and unlimited drinks, you could talk us into it.

The Yeti Ice Bar in El Calafate is kitsch at its coolest. The bar is illuminated bright blue from the outside so you feel as though you’re walking into a glacier. After forking over your entry fee, you’re ushered into a second room where they wrap you in a polar bear poncho and slide rubber crampons onto your feet. It’s hard to say which part of the gear are novelty and which are actually functional, but the important part is that you have an outfit dumb enough for the experience.

The door opens to the ice bar and your 25 minutes begin. What is an ice bar, you ask? Well, Yeti Bar is a two-room ice bar with ice floors, walls, and ceilings. Most everything inside of it, from shotglass to sculpture, is also made of ice. On the right side of the room is the ice bar, fully stocked with sugarey liquors and ice shot glasses. Before you can can snag your first drink, you’ll be led around the room to pose for cheesy photos like some Olan Mills winter session. The photographers will ask you to hop on a sleigh, sit on an open palm made of ice, and climb into the lap of a creepier-than-usual Yeti for the sake of capturing this precious moment in life.

While you parade around, the bartender pours rounds of shots into ice shot glasses. The cough-syrup flavored liquor called El Calafate is the local favorite, but they offer a full range of saccharine shots in alarming colors. The speakers blast Latin American hits – reggaeton and outdated pop music – and the bartender laughs as if she hasn’t seen it all 212x before. For 25 minutes, you have a choice: freeze your ass off or get to dancing.

I wouldn’t classify an ice bar experience as sophisticated. If you don’t love the absurd, you won’t find the cocktails refined or the vibe quite right. You won’t want to overstay your 25 minutes or meet your friends there for a second round. Hell, you probably won’t even seek out an ice bar on your next vacation. But if you love bizarre experiences as much as we do, the Yeti Bar is sub-zero awesome. Here’s what an ice bar really looks like.

Not Chilling at the Yeti Ice Bar

Ice Bar Argentina - Entrance

[easy-image-collage id=5505]

 

Yeti Ice Bar Argentina - Polar Bear Ponchos

Yeti Ice Bar Argentina - Bar

[easy-image-collage id=5506]

 

Ice Bar Argentina - The Room

[easy-image-collage id=5508]

 

Ice Bar Argentina - SleddingIce Bar Argentina - Taylor in the Window

Ice Bars around the World

Not in El Calafate? Here are some of the best ice bars in the world.

  • Xtracold Ice Bar (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
  • Icebar by Icehotel (Stockholm, Sweden)
  • Frost Ice Loft (Boston, Massachusetts, USA)
  • The Ice Bar at Hotel de Glace (Quebec City, Canada)
  • Chillout Ice Lounge (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  • Ice Kube Bar (Paris, France)
  • Minus 5 Ice Bar (Las Vegas, Nevada and New York City, New York, USA)

Did you find this post helpful? Click below and check out flights to Argentina and hotels in El Calafate. It will help support our blog at no cost to you!

Plan your Trip: Momondo | Booking.com

Looking for more posts like this one? Check out our offbeat travel articles!

Like it? Pin it!

Ever been to an ice bar? It is exactly like it sounds. Here's what to expect from your first ice bar experience!

What do you think? Does an ice bar sound cool or too tacky for your taste? Tell us your opinion below!

3 Comments

  • Reply
    Fernando Budeu
    May 20, 2018 at 8:42 pm

    Heyy, is it open all year round?

    • Reply
      Taylor
      May 25, 2018 at 3:48 pm

      Hi Fernando. You betcha! It’s all indoors and manmade, so you can go anytime of year. Hope you enjoy it!

      • Reply
        Fernando Budeu
        May 26, 2018 at 1:41 pm

        Uhuu, thank you! 😉

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.