El Calafate

After the interruption at night we continued our way quite peacefully and we both slept well until around 9 in the morning. The only issue we had with our seats was that there was a fan right behind us 😅 But we got used to it, almost like white noise. The landscape had changed a bit and got more scarce. Our breakfast was a continuation of yesterday's lunch which tasted pretty amazing ☺️ Around midday we arrived in El Chalten, a small town surrounded by impressive mountain ranges and the "Trekking capital of Argentina". We've had it already on our schedule but didn't know our bus stopped there 😬
So we continued on to El Calafate at last! Situated nicely next to the Lago Argentino with small houses and just a few paved streets, it's mainly used as a hub to the nearby attractions. First we walked a few minutes to the hotel and were surprised by a old but chic hotel with all amenities and even a bathtub. But we just had a quick stop because we needed to check for tours in town!! The receptionist had recommended to go to Hielo y Aventura because they're the only tour operators at the Perito Moreno glacier but that you should book a month in advance for busy days 🙈 When we got there it was the same as before: Currently no space in the Minitrekking 🥲
But he said he'll explain us the options and check for cancellations meanwhile... During this Julia overheard someone else in the agency cancelling and told Gonzalo right away. He went to the booth and gave us a little thumbs up on the way but said it'll take a few minutes. And really, we got a spot!!! 🥰 We're soooo lucky 🙈😂 And we could even pay with our unwanted US dollar bills!!

Filled with euphoria we walked through the pretty main street for a little bit of window shopping and sightseeing. At a little corner souvenir shop we found a great quality Argentina flag patch. Afterwards we walked back in direction of the hotel to a restaurant that the guy at the tour agency had recommended, La Parrilla de Don Pichón. It is located on a little hill and offers amazing views over the Lago Argentino and the mountain ranges in the background. Especially the cloud formations were spectacular! As a starter I had a Guanaco (like llamas or vicuñas) empanada which had a different, intense flavor. For the main course I tried a local speciality, grilled lamb in a Calafate reduction (a fruity sauce) with sauteed vegetables. It was pretty good, especially the ribs. It just starts getting dark at around 09:15pm which is nice because we can do more in daylight.
When we arrived back at the hotel it was already 10pm, so we postponed our shopping plans to tomorrow and went to bed 😴 Tomorrow we're going to get picked up at 10am for the trekking tour 🤩Read more