Spectacular Glacier

Our boat route is the small blue loop in Brazo Rico.
see all photos »

Another day in the icy wonderland that is Parque Nacional Los Glacieres.

We had one more tour booked, to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier. It's quite frankly massive, with a spectacular ice face 5km long, 60m high above the water surface, (a further 170m below). One of the few glaciers that is still advancing. It advances over an L-shaped part of Lake Argentina, forming a natural dam over the tip of the "L". The southern dammed section is called Lake Rico and is navigable right up to the glacier ice face. The water can't escape the dammed Lake Rico and sometimes can get upto 30m higher than main Lake Argentina, before the enormous water pressure smashes the dam! This awesome spectacle occurs every 4 years or so. Not whilst we were there sadly! We had got a top tip from the super friendly hostel staff that it was worth getting the boat up close. Approaching the glacier from the boat it just totally filled your view, a massive blueish wall of ice. Constantly groaning and creaking as it advanced slowly. It is all the more spectacular for ending in a milky green lake rather than muddy land. The lake is so milky because of the fine particles suspended in the water, scattering the light and giving it a milky hue. We watched icebergs being calved from a safe distance, nothing too risky as tourist boats have been swamped by water in the past! Then back on land we walked the walkways with the masses of other tourists to watch in awe as huge chunks of ice fell. We had to catch our bus back at midday and for the last ten minutes we were transfixed, camera ready, by an ice archway near us that was slowly disintegrating. We had to make a dash for the bus before it collapsed, as we ran up the hill to the bus we heard a thundering noise and turned around to see not just the archway but a huge section collapse to the cheers of all watching. Gutted that we didn't see it, but thats sods law! We only just caught the bus as well, it was about to leave without us!

..to see not just the archway but a huge section collapse..

The view of Lago Argentina from the bus
see all photos »

Back in El Calafate we collected our stuff and got back on the road, almost missing our bus because of pizza, this time to El Chalten a more remote town, next to a rather spectacular mountain range. Only one word is needed ..... Fitzroy. We had a pitstop on our journey, quite unremarkable apart from the cow that kept returning to graze on the cafe's green lawn. Very entertaining until it urinated all over the doorstep of the cafe. The owner then chased it off with lots of shouts, slaps and a stick. Didn't really seem to bother the cow.

On the boat, the breathtaking lake and mountain views
see all photos »

Dave had already travelled to El Chalten and had booked us into a hostel, the only one with space that he could find. It was a rats nest! The first place we've stayed in with three layer bunkbeds. Eight of them packed into this room. The snoring was o.k. we could deal with that, but the stench of sweat... Uggh.

That evening we taught Dave how to cook pasta and red sauce, he's a fast learner. Later we watched him demonstrate how to launch yourself into the middle bunk, no steps provided or needed!