Set up in our hostel here in the town of El Calafate, we waste no time getting ourselves over to see the premier attraction in this part of Patagonia — The Glaciar Perito Moreno.
Our first full day, we are on the bus by 8:30 a.m. for the one hour ride through the Patagonian 'tundra' or steppe as it is properly called, heading west towards Chile and the Andes mountains. At the entrance to the Parque National Los Glaciares, we pay our 100 pesos entry fee and then drive another half hour into the park. The scenery here is enough to justify the voyage — snow covered mountains, blue lakes, an autumn forest of reds and browns and striated rock in a myriad of colours.
And then there is the glacier, spilling down from the mountains. We all spot the solid field of jaggy white and blues, our heads craned to the left side window of the bus to take it all in.
Awesome is a word that gets overused to describe sights and events, but in this case, AWESOME is the absolute correct description. Seeing the glacier is indeed equivalent to 100,000,000 hot dogs (as Eddie Izzard would say). It is truly an awe inspiring spectacle.
At 33 km in length and 5 km wide, the Perito Merino glacier may be the finest speciman of its kind in the world, simply because of how pristinely white it is and for its accessibility. Unlike the Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers in New Zealand, the Perito Moreno is slowly advancing, but at only 7 cms a day, making it quite stable. Because of this, access to the glacier is easy and the park authorities have been able to construct elaborate balconies that allow for superb viewing from a very close proximity.
We begin our glacier visit from a lookout point about 1 km away which makes for a few ideal overview photographs, but the real fun begins down at the waiting boat which ferries us over to the other side of the fronting lake and alongside the glacier, passing by small icebergs along the way.
There, we meet our guide, Luis. Excitedly, we tell Luis about Lise and Matt, who were our guides while touring the Fox glacier in New Zealand and who also worked here at the Perito Moreno. Luis flashes a big smile when we mention their names and tells all the guides that we know Lise and Matt. Everyone is very impressed and pleased to hear that Lise, originally from Argentina, is now 'loving' New Zealand.
Luis gives us a short talk about the glacier and then walks us closer, stopping to allow for more photos. Then it is crampon time and before we know it, we are up on the walkable side of the glacier, trekking about and looking down into the very deep blue crevices.
Walking on this glacier is very different. Because it moves very little, it is easier for the guides who can count on a route in the ice to be intact from day to day. Very little pick axing is needed to create a path. And for us trekkers, it is quite easy to get around. Luis guides us to several crevices for a look see down into the blue abyss.
The camaraderie on the ice within our group is quite strong. There is Mike from Ohio, Michael from Toronto via China, Fabio from Rome, Lum and Fo Si from Hong Kong and Lucas from Brazil. Before we know it, we are being embraced and crowded into photos with our new friends. After two weeks of little socializing in Buenos Aries, it's an enjoyable change.
Our on ice glacier tour ends an hour and half later with a very warming whisky (on the rocks, of course — with all that ice nearby, how can you not?)
After a quick picnic lunch, we are back on the boat for another close up view of the remarkable terminal face from the water. Throughout our tour, there are several thunderous rumbles and cracking sounds as the ice shifts and often falls off in giant wave making splashes.
(Above are some of Argentina's favourite things - beef, glaciers and mountains.)
Yes, awesome is the right word.
To the balconies we go to end our tour. A short bus drive delivers us to the other side of the glacier where the balconies are located and provide the best views of the day. One can look straight up into the face of the glacier, the bordering mountains and then the unbelievable terminal wall as it ends abruptly at the lake. The giant terminal wall looks like a large piece of vanilla frosting cake that has been cut with a knife and simply left.
We stand there for a long time, just staring. At times, ice chunks fall in front of our eyes. We wait for one last piece to go so Fabio can capture it on video. And just as our bus driver is honking the horn, telling us to hurry up, a massive piece of ice falls in front of our eyes, creating a small tidal wave in the lake and revealing the most deeply turqoise blue section of glacial ice.
I'll say it again — awesome!
This glacier is up there as one of the greatest sights of our trip — a definite highlight.
And to think we almost didn't come to Patagonia... :)
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