El Calafate....way down South - Perito Moreno Glacier

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After a three hour flight from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, flying over Patagonia's barren lands, we were in true Southern hemisphere winter, surrounded by snowy landscapes. Within fifteen minutes of landing on the tarmac, we were in a taxi driving past mountains and lakes under crisp blue skies on our way to the small town of El Calafate.



Our hostel (America del Sur) was located in front of the lake and the underfloor heating was most appreciated, as the temperatures way down south were much cooler. (We were so far south that sunrise wasn't until around 9.30 am which was very strange to me). The town of El Calafate was nice and quiet, and as we were there in off-season, some places were shut. There were enough restaurants and a big supermarket though. The main purpose of a trip to El Calafate is not really the town itself however.



We had a fantastic walk around two lagunas, which led us to the banks of the vast lago Argentino. The sun was low in the sky and we could see wild flamingoes out in the lake, standing on ice. It was very humbling to be alone in such a huge, silent space. A very memorable moment - to realise how far we had come in planning this trip from two different continents (Myself from Hong Kong, and Fiona from London) and here we were standing all alone in the vast lands of Patagonia! We walked until the sun went down, and returned to the quaint cosy town of El Calafate.



A day at the Perito Moreno glacier was something magical. I had underestimated the size of it completely, and it really really impressed me. In fact, it is quite difficult to describe in words how fantastic and impressive a huge collection of ice can be, particularly in such beautiful surroundings.



We drove along the stunning route 40 for eighty kilometers from El Calafate to the glacier, and it began to snow heavily. Visibility was not great when we arrived. First we took a chilly boat ride out to view the glacier which was a giant wall of jagged ice in front of us, perhaps 60 meters high. Far higher than I had imagined. Then we followed the very well designed walkways which gave us even more spectacular views of the glacier, as visibility improved.



As we stood above the glacier and the sun came out, the snow stopped, and we could see the glacier all the way out to the horizon. The mountains on either side of us came into view and the sunlight gave an ice blue glow to the crevices in front of us. Stopping for a moment, we were staring at this giant of nature when we heard a loud crash like thunder that echoed all around, and then a great lump of ice crashed into the lake and rippled the calm of the lake a long way out. There were frequent loud crashes and bangs coming from the glacier. It was truly impressive.



JHG

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