El Calafate, Argentina

Glaciers and a spot of luxury.

El Calafate is the quaint and quiet hub of Las Glaciares National Park. More specifically, it's the closest town to the natural wonder that is the Perito Moreno glacier and that's exactly why we're here. We've also managed to swindle a great deal on some fairly luxurious accomodation (hot tub and all), which we intend to make the most of given our hurried and early exit from Puerto Natales.

Getting to the glacier from El Calafate was easy, but it wasn't cheap. It involved an exorbitantly priced, hour and a half long shuttle, plus an equally exorbitant park entry fee. The park infrastructure is almost as impressive as the glacier itself; modern cafes, bathrooms, information and bus stops mark the entry, and even a full time ambulance awaits any unfortunate injuries. That is all before you embark on 8km of neatly constructed elevated walkways which twist around the headland opposite the glacier, providing views from every angle and a variety of elevations.

The Perito Moreno glacier is part of the Southern Patagonian Icefield which is frankly gigantic. The glacier itself is one of 48 in the Icefield but this one is famous for what goes on at the toe. It's 5km wide, 170m deep and sits up to 70m above the surface of Lake Argentino. That's 23 stories high! At the toe, directly infront of the view platform, the glacier is well and truely alive. Gigantic chunks of ice break of and plummet into the lake below at astounding frequency and with deafening cracking sounds that fill the valley. It's exhilarating and simultaneously stressful. We spent almost four hours watching intensely - too nervous to leave a view point for fear of missing a collapse but ultimately we saw many and it was well worth it! The scale of the collapse was just impossible to comprehend.

Apparently, despite the destruction occuring at the toe, the size of this glacier is stable. It regularly (every few years or so) crosses Lake Argentino entirely, creating a dam. The water on the upstream side has risen to 26m above the down stream side in previous years and there is visible evidence to support this all around the lake. When the ice dam burst it is a spectacle to behold and one we could only wish to witness. Even now, the toe of the glacier is subject to some strong river flow which is one of the main causes of its frequent collapse. A must see if you're in this part of the world!

Argentina's once struggling economy has made a massive and rapid recovery to the point where expenses here would have to be comparable, if not dearer to those back home. We've been battling to find cheap food, accommodation and transport. Beer too. There's a long way to go...wish us luck!

PS - Cat actually opened the window in our hotel room to cool it down. Not kidding. I think I even heard to words 'too hot' at some point.Read more