The Perito Moreno Glacier
Discovering Los Glaciares National Park with Argentina4U
The sky lets loose a soft drizzle, turning a dark, ominous grey. As we make our way out of the rolling Patagonian steppe and into the mountains, the landscape transitions from golden brown to deep green. Stopping at the gates to pay our entrance fees to Los Glaciares National Park, we’re now just a few miles from Patagonia’s most well known chunk of ice, the Perito Moreno Glacier.
We’re visiting Los Glaciares on a tour with Argentina4U, a South American agency with a growing focus in sustainable tourism. Aboard a bus from the booming Patagonian tourist town of El Calafate, the trip takes just over an hour, part of the reason it has become such a major destination.
El Calafate is an idyllic little town resting on the shores of the shimmering blue Lago Argentino, Argentina’s largest lake. Prices are high - too high - and gift shops, outdoors stores, and swanky restaurants are everywhere. Like a Spanish speaking Vail, just a bit more international.
|
A truly implausible sight, Perito Moreno stretches 30 kilometers in length, is over 55 meters tall, and covers an area of 250 square kilometers (97 square miles). It’s one of 48 glaciers extending from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the world’s third largest freshwater reserve. Named after Francisco Moreno, an Argentinean pioneer who defended the area during international border conflicts with Chile in the 19th century, it’s one of only three Patagonian glaciers that is actually growing rather than shrinking.
|
Upon entering the park, we stop at the first viewing point, only to see the great glacier shrouded in grey fog and mist. But as we get closer, this stunning natural wonder is revealed in all it’s glory. It’s truly incredible and we stop, frozen for a moment, in awe of its enormity. The glacier rumbles as massive chunks of ice crash into the surrounding Lago Argentino, sending a giant spray across the blue water and waves rolling onto the shore. Impressive may be an understatement.
|
While the national park has unfortunately done much to turn the glacier into an overpriced tourist commodity - e.g. bus parking lots, cafeterias with $4 hot chocolate, and a souvenir shop - it has also constructed raised boardwalks that extend to the north and south along the hillside. From the many boardwalks, visitors are offered multiple astonishing views without disrupting the forest floor below. |
Argentina4U offers many tour options to experience Perito Moreno, including a “mini trek” that lasts about an hour and a half, and a “big ice” trek that that takes visitors across the great glacier and extends for 5 hours. However, on this dark and rainy day, we’re content to snap photos from the boardwalks before climbing on the warm bus back to El Calafate.
|
|
With the increase of greenhouse gases, and the resulting rising temperatures, the world’s glaciers are melting at an alarmingly high rate. Perito Moreno is a wonderfully rare exception. We're grateful to stare up at the 180-foot block of ice and marvel in its presence. One of many such natural wonders in Patagonia, this distant place at the end of the world, the glacier is absolutely breathtaking. It's something everyone should experience at least once in their lives.
About Argentina4U
> For more information and to book a tour, visit www.Argentina4U.com
> Tours to the Perito Moreno Glacier start at $52
> Argentina4U offer tours throughout Argentina, including Bariloche, Cordoba, El Calafate, El Chalten, Iguazu, Mendoza, Puerto Madryn, Salta, and Ushuaia
> Their parent company, DayTours4U, offers tours in Rio De Janeiro, and throughout Uruguay and Colombia as well
> Tours to the Perito Moreno Glacier start at $52
> Argentina4U offer tours throughout Argentina, including Bariloche, Cordoba, El Calafate, El Chalten, Iguazu, Mendoza, Puerto Madryn, Salta, and Ushuaia
> Their parent company, DayTours4U, offers tours in Rio De Janeiro, and throughout Uruguay and Colombia as well
