Hard Truths:
- El Calafate is the Glacier Hub = Most Touristy/Expensive
- Airbnb’s & hotels book up fast in high season
- ATMs problematic & often empty/ Money Exchanges often closed – bring cash
- Vegetarians beware – there are limited veggies
- Most restaurants require reservations during high season
- Early to bed/ Early to rise type of place
- Glacier Trekking tour = too long
- No food or drinks provided on tours – don’t forget to pack a lunch
- Walking on ice is harder than it looks
Los Glaciares National Park
Perito Moreno
Patagonia has been on my bucket list forever. I was surprised when the majority of people (from all over) asked “Where is that?” whenever I mentioned my trip. For all of those who don’t know where it is, look it up and add it to your bucket list! It was truly a trip of a lifetime. Every viewpoint felt like it was straight out of a postcard. The pics don’t even do it justice!
Being such an immense region (402.7k sq mi/ 1.04M sq km) makes narrowing down where to go first a very difficult decision. I’ve always wanted to experience a glacier up close and personal so when I read that Los Glaciares National Park, the UNESCO World Heritage site, is the 4th largest extrapolar ice field, I just had to see this impressive chunk of ice.
El Calafate is the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park. On top of that, it’s a proper town with lots of restaurants and bars that inevitably led it to become a tourist hub in the region with jacked up prices to match. Food, wine, and even beer (which is usually cheaper than water!) can be 2-3 times more expensive than in other parts of the country such as Buenos Aires. In addition to inflated tourist prices, the area is not suitable for most agriculture so nearly everything is imported from central Argentina rendering supply of items such as produce limited and more expensive. Don’t worry, there is more than enough meat to go around for the carnivores and still some vegetarian options! Make sure to plan for dinner on the early side as late-night dining does not fly down in Patagonia like it does in the majority of the continent.
I’m not sure if it’s the early to bed, early to rise culture of this town, but I didn’t get a great vibe here. I’d opt to stay for just long enough to fit in any sites/tours desired and then head to the more charming El Chaltén (Check out my blog post for more info: Patagonia: El Chaltén & the Search for Mount Fitzroy).
Perito Moreno is the mother of all glaciers at Los Glaciares National Park so this is THE ONE to see. There are a number of ways to get a peak at this monumental hunk of ice. There is a viewing deck made up of a bunch of boardwalks to the the glacier from different angles from afar. There are boat and kayaking tours which takes you up close. But when I read there was a way to walk on a glacier I jumped at the chance. Ice trekking!
I opted to do minitrekking with Hielo & Aventura. They offer a few different tour options with 2 for trekking. Minitrekking which is a 10-hour day, moderate difficulty with 2.5h of walking (1.5h on the glacier) and the Big Ice trek which is a 12-hour day, high difficulty, with 7 h of walking (3.5h on the glacier). The Big Trek sounded very cool, it takes you into the glacier, inside the deep cracks and caves but looked way too long especially since my next stop would be hiking. I’d definitely say to go for this option if you have the energy and stamina.
Looking back the minitrekking felt way too long. It’s a lot of travel, vans to buses to boats! It takes approx. 2 hours from El Calafate to get to Lago Argentino. Then it’s a 20minute boat ride over to the glacier. We got a quick intro on the glacier and walked for ~30minutes to the glacier base where you’re fitted for cramp-ons and helmets before the walk begins.
Once everyone has their crampons and helmets secured, the guides give a quick demo on how to walk on a glacier, and then you’re off! Walking on ice was way harder than I expected, particularly going downhill. You’ve really got to dig your feet into the ice while bouncing across pools and crevices. The trek is ~1.5 hours which I felt like was enough to get a good feel for the glacier and appreciate the experience. It was truly enchanting. The deep blue ice gleaming through the crevices looked supernatural. It’s really hard to capture the magnificence in pictures. You just have to go see it for yourself!
The best part of the trek, in my opinion anyway, is at the very end. As you descend over the last glacial ridge, a small table awaits you, packed with empty glasses. It is time to taste glacial ICE! The guides proceed to fill each glass with ice dug out of the glacier nearby and top it off with some local whiskey. I must say this is the best way to drink whiskey, I’m now spoiled for life!
After whiskey, there’s a well-needed lunch break and a chance to watch anxiously for the thunderous glacier ruptures. This is when a large piece of ice breaks off as the glacier advances. It really sounds like thunder!
At this point, I’m exhausted and ready to get back for a nice glass of Malbec. We get back on the boat then head to the bus to make our way back, or so I thought. Instead, the bus takes us to the visitor center. Here there are a number of walkways to see the glacier from different viewpoints. I felt we were there unnecessarily long, ~1.5hours, but it was also cool to see the other side of the glacier. It was a long day overall and ice trekking is tiring so it might have been better to do the visitor center first, especially since it’s not as impressive as being on the actual glacier. This way, it would’ve built up the suspense!
Don’t Forget:
Restaurants: La Zaina, Mako, La Cocina, La Zorra, Parrilla Don Pichon (great views)
Hotels: Esplendor, Xelena, Air BnB
Tour Operators: Hielo & Aventura, Always Glaciers, Cal Tur
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