Blogs from Perito Moreno Glacier, Santa Cruz, Argentina, South America - page 10

Today I caught a bus from Puerto Natales, Chile, across the border to the Argentine town of El Calafate onto the famous Perito Moreno Glacier. The location of the glacier make it remarkably easy to see, so at any given time there are hundreds of people wandering around the 7 different levels of viewing platforms. It´s incredibly active, so for the 3 hours I was there watching the glacier, I regularly witnessed building-sized chunks of ice calve off the glacier´s 150 ft face into the water of Lago Argentino below. It periodically advances, touching the mainland, separating the lake into two. This causes one side of the lake to fill with water, until the pressure is sufficient to break the ´dam´caused by the glacier, creating an explosion of ice and water as the ice dam fails. ... read more

Hola Todos, El largo viaje en autobús desde Ushuaia hasta El Calafate duró unos 18 horas con algunas paradas . Pasamos la frontera Chilena y otra vez la frontera Argentina y el estrecho de Magallanes en un ferry. Muchos paísajes desérticos y a veces rebaños de ovejas o algunos guanacos que atravesan la ruta. Lo pasamos bien, era un test porque era sólo el primer tramo....i nos quedan muchos kilometros por delante!! En cuanto al Parque de los Glaciares...es algo increíble, difícil de contar. Una obra maravillosa, estupenda, puesta en escena por la naturaleza. Colores azules del glaciar, paísajes, ruidos del hielo que se destaca del galciar antes de caerse al agua, no hay palabra.... Los glaciares Spegazzini y Upsala, que alcanzamos en barco, nos encantaron, tuvimos la suerte de verlos con un tiempo soleado. Pero, ... read more

Near to the end of our trip in South America, still cant speak Spanish..Dam! But we have had an AMAZING TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!Met some wonderful people and seen some astonishing sights. One of the most amazing was the Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate. We got a boat in the morning really close, it has a 5kn front which rises 60m´s above water. It was huge and white with blue crevasses, we were lucky to see huge blocks of ice break off and crash into the water creating waves and then the ice bergs float by..we had wanted to see ice burgs for ages so this was truly brilliant for us. We then headed further north to the chocolate town of Baraloche where we went horse riding which was torture! there was so much dust we were covered ... read more

After leaving El Chalten, and saying good bye to the phenomenal restaurant which we frequented every night, we headed the 220 km south towards the town of El Calafate. Arriving in mid-afternoon during the high season it quickly became clear that a reservation was needed and that finding a place to stay for our last two nights as a family would be difficult. Having enough of searching, mom and Laurence stumbled upon a very nice hotel and decided to splurge offering to pay for our rooms in this fancy place (thanks again). The rooms were fantastic and it was like heaven sleeping in the enormous King sized beds. Not to mention a little TV and some movies and we were set for our two days of luxury. Went out for a good lunch and then back ... read more

PART VI: Cueva de las Manos: January 7-8 January 7 The next morning, we woke up early in order to drive all day on the eternal dirt road of Route 40. Despite the desertic region and flat landscape, animals were constantly animating the scenery. "Quoiques" (wild austriches), "guanacos" (deer/lama), "pinches" (armadillos) and birds of prey were always present along the road. After several hours of bumps, dirt, and pampas, we arrived at sunset at the estancia "El Telken" which was literally an oasis in the middle of the route 40 desert. Entering the property, we saw hundreds of sheeps grazing in the field. Petti, a woman with descent from New Zealand, warmly welcomed us and indicated us where to camp on their immense yard. After setting up our tent, she invited us to join her husband, ... read more