Perito Moreno

Let’s call it the efficient day.
We take the bus from Puerto Natales at 07:00 to El Calafate and arrive there around 13:15. We get into our accomodation, have some oat for breakfast and lunch and decide to try to hitchhike to the Perito Moreno glacier.
We need to walk about 4 km to get to the Ruta 11, where we are picked up by a charming elderly couple picking up others at Perito Moreno.
There the park built many platforms that allow getting close to the glacier and enjoy spectacular views. We are almost alone, the sun is coming out and we spend about two magical hours observing this immense glacier. It is the 6th biggest of South America, is about 33 km long and 4 km wide. A measurement in 2005 found a 700 m ice depth. Its size stayed very consistent from 1917 to 2020 but it is receding quickly since then (13 meters thickness per year). The height of the ice walls facing us varies from 40 to 70 meters.
We are driven back by a nice Argentinian family. Tomorrow we are already heading to El Chalten as the weather forecast looks good and we want to use this window for a longer trek.Read more