A trip to Perito Moreno Glacier

The Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park 80 kilometres from El Calafate is one of the main tourist attractions in Argentine Patagonia and the reason most people stop off in El Calafate. It covers an area of 250 square kilometres (larger than the city of Buenos Aires) and is 30 kilometres in length. Perito Moreno is one of 48 glaciers that are fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and is the 3rd largest reserve of freshwater in the world. It is a very expensive place to visit, but we felt we couldn't be here and not see it, so we booked on to a trip run by the hostel. The price was $US60 per person plus 45 dollars each for entrance to the national park, and an extra 60 dollars each for a boat trip to the face of the glacier.

We were up for breakfast at 6.30 (just coffee and toast) and were ready for the 7.30am pick-up. We were swapping our overlanding truck for a better one, driven by Gustavo and guided by Juan. We left El Calafate on gravel tracks, the historic route of the ranches. The tour focused on the fauna and wildlife in the area and we had several stops along the way into the glacier.

We saw wild hares with black and white ears, small grey foxes, guanacos (a type of llama, rheas, and lots of birds. It wasn't easy to photograph all of these even with the big camera, so I am adding some downloaded images to this footprint.

We also got to try calafate berries (the town is named after them) which grow wild all over the area. They are from the same family as blueberries but are much more sour. I liked them!Read more