- Buenos Aires : Explore over the weekend
- Gaucho Day Trip from Buenos Aires
- Visit Ushuaia : Tierra del Fuego National Park
- Visit Ushuaia : Laguna Esmeralda Hike
- Visit Ushuaia : Cruise on the Beagle Channel
- Explore Heart of Patagonia : El Calafate
- Explore El Chalten : Hike Laguna Capri and Chorillo del Saltado
- Explore Torres Del Paine from El Calafate
- Half Day trip from El Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier
- An evening train to Tigre Delta
I am not the same having seen the moon shine from the other side of the world.
The last of the places we wanted to see in our Argentina and Chile exploration was the majestic Perito Moreno glacier. While we couldn’t do the glacier hikes with a 4 year old , this was the closest we could get to a majestic glacier and one that isn’t retreating – Yippee – Perito Moreno Glacier. Just us for a half day trip from El Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier.
We drove off from El Calafate seeing the pink flamingos against the morning sun in Lago Argentina. This was the first time we were driving east wards from El Calafate. The previously drives to Chile and El Chalten were westerly. The road was flat out before arriving at the gates. To our surprise there was a strike by the rangers and we were waved in – so park fees again!
The road gets a little winding after this as we drive uphill. I was trying to catch a first sight of the glacier. After few hair pin bends we saw ice floating on the lakes which looks amazing and another bend and there she was the first sight of the glacier from the distance – we were getting excited like little kids. You have an option to take a boat cruise to get close to the glacier, but we dint opt for it. The boats anyways cant get close enough to the glaciers as the ice keeps caving in and I have read that the broadways actually get more closer than the boats.
Finally, we arrived at the huge parking lot where you have restrooms and a place to dine with a microwave to heat the food. You can start walking the broadways from here as well. The broadways itself are built exceptionally well and very well marked and colour coded. I’m told yellow and Orange are the best ones to try out. So, we took a shuttle from the parking to the upper level – from here you could start the walks on the broadways for Yellow or Orange.
The first look of the glacier took our breath away – what a majestic natural wonder. It was huge, the glacier itself is bigger than the city of Buenos Aires. There are various decks on the broadways walks where you can sit on the benches or stand and take awesome pics or enjoy what is in front of you.
My goal was to capture the ice caving in. I could hear loud thunders of ice caving and big splashes in water – but it was always on some other distant side of the glacier. Remember the glacier is huge. So I decided to dig my foot and stay at one place, aiming my camera to one side of the glacier, expecting the ice to cave in.
Time passed – 5 mins, 10 mins, 20 mins, 30 mins – Nothing was happening!! And Addy was growing more and more impatient – She literally started calling out my name loud and funnily which was making everyone laugh around us – Addy the joker was at loose. So finally, after 35 mins I gave in and just as I turned back – Just then a big chunk of ice caved in right in front of us. We did see it but couldn’t capture it. I was upset but at the same time Happy coz we at least got to see it.
I tried my luck at another deck for further 25 mins but it wasn’t our day with capturing the photos of ice caving in. The Glacier itself looks so intimidating with its shiny white and blue colours with its crevices’ and different streaks of black impurities. The bota cruise looks tiny in front of this majestic wall of ice and the glacier surface itself looks like the top of giant cone ice-cream (well that’s my imagination).
Finally we bid adieu to the glacier- our first experience seeing an glacier up close and we would like explore more of it sometime in the future.
This is Aldrin and my partner Amoli. We bring you "Earths Pilgrim" - a unique insight into our travel escapades while leaving life in a cubicle. If you are looking for some inspiration to break the shackles of a regular life, then you are the right place. Read more about us- Click here.