The only positive spin on the frankly absurd 30 hour bus journey to Southern Patagonia was pulling into the services and seeing a Chaka Demus and Pliers Tease Me Tease Me ‘cassette’ for sale. It was a bit dusty and the cabinet didn’t look like it has been opened for a while.
The real draw to El Calafate is the easy access to the Perito Moreno Glacier in Southern Patagonia. The weather here is much colder than we are used to, reaching freezing point over night. This isnt surprising as we are about 80k away from the Parque National Los Glaciares. As soon as we arrived at the hostel we were hit with the different tour options ranging from ‘transport only’ to the park to a full day visit to the glacier including a 4 hour ice hike called the 'Big Ice'. Naturally, we went for the Big Ice hike setting off the following day.
We were picked up by coach at 7am and had our first views of the glacier around 2 hours later from the coach window. The Perito Moreno Glacier isn't the largest glacier in Patagonia but because it is only 80k from El Calafate and 185m above sea level it is the most accessible. The condition of this glacier is also stable - a relief when other glaciers have been reported as receding. Every few minutes you could hear this amazing cracking noise when the ice breaks off into the Lago Argentina. The sound of even the smallest piece breaking off is phenomenal, and not something we could possible describe adequately through the blog.
First view of the Perito Moreno Glacier from the window of the bus
We first visited the ´tourist spot’ (several walkways and view points) to photograph the glacier on close proximity.
4km wide and 30k deep...
60m above the surface and 100m below the waterline
Ice bridge created by the water ( We heard it collapsed 1hr later. Only happens every 3 or 4 yrs!)
The dark bits are where the glacier has carved up the earth helping to create the valley
After boarding a boat we set off on an hour walk through the forest to get kitted out with the crampons and harness we needed to go ice hiking.
We were in a group of 10 with two guides, one main guide and the other a‘spotter`.
As the ice moves so much each day (up to 2m in the central zone) each tour is quite different with the terrain always changing. There were occasions where the surface of the glacier was too steep for us to climb without ice axes and ropes so we had to turn back and find an alternative route.
This really made the experience authentic and not just another tour that is the same from the next. The ice formations, lagoons and crevasses were incredible as you can see for yourselves in the pictures.
Standard Freemans Catalogue pose...
The potential for jokes and inuendo are limitless....
Rach in action. The guides were fantastic and always there to help when things got a little hairy. We wore harnesses but nobody actually tied a rope to us. We think the harness was to pull us out in case we fell. Forward planning...
Our favourite shot - Reminds me of Supermans house. Human scale is around half the height of the blue spoldge in the cente
We were on the ice for over 4 hours and in total it was a 6 hour hike. It was AMAZING. One of the best things we have done while we have been away, right up there with Iguazu Falls.
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