South America Trip Day 22: El Calafate, Argentina

Waking up in Hosteria Y Apart Jardin De Los Presentes in a very comfortable bed, where the breakfast was amazing. Brownies, eggs, toasted bread, juices, fresh fruits, the list goes on. Between 8/8:30AM we got picked up to go towards the glacier for our hiking tour!

Today we have a 80 KM drive first, first part is a semi desert/ step landscape, after 30 minutes of forest landscape we had to pay 700 pesos per person entrance fee to the national park to enter the high mountain area of the Los Glaciares National Park in Santa Cruz. There are 48 major glaciers and more than 100 minor glaciers in the 370 KM long and 35 KM wide park located. It is the largest park in Argentina’s protected area system and an UNESCO world heritage site since 1981.

First stop after entrance fee is the viewing balcony to see the impressive glacier. After that a 7 KM drive to the port to start our 2 hour trek. On our way we passed the purest rainbows to the first viewing point, seeing the giant glacier from afar.

After that we went to the main viewing point, here we had two hours of free time to walk over several viewing points towards the glacier Perito Moreno, the biggest one around. Perito Moreno is in balance since 1917 and sometimes it blocks the channel between the two canals it is located in, not allowing water to go through. The glacier is approx 70 meters high from the front look, 50 meters on the sides. The depth of the lake is around 160 meters.

After a 20 minutes boat drive we arrived at the third largest ice mass behind Antarctica and Greenland. Snow fuses in with the ice within 10 years, because of the weather here. This process is faster here than in the Antarctic.

After that we got our spikes on for an one and a half hour walk on the glacier itself, this was the best experience ever!!! The ice gives a mirage of white, red and blue colors everywhere. We saw ice transformed into little waterfalls within and big peaks, walking penguin style up and down the ice enjoying breathtaking views.

We walked up and down two parts of the glacier on the lower sides, there the cold wind and rain made it too dangerous to walk all the way to the top. After the walk, we got chopped ice from the glacier in whiskey glasses, with some good scotch and chocolates to enjoy the last minutes on ice, breathtaking!!!!!

After that we were soaked walking back to the base camp, got a coffee and changed some clothing before we head back with the boat and bus to our hotel.

A fast food dinner and laundry later got us to bed for another adventure tomorrow, Ushuaia!