Reset search
The Craze for Travelling
The Craze for Travelling

The Craze for Travelling

Travelling is a passion, and I've been on it since my childhood (courtesy my dad). My passion has led me all around the globe from high altitude deserts, to rain forests, to back waters, to snow covered peaks. You name it!! Read more🇸🇪Stockholm
FollowMessageStatistics
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    View from above Bosetti Waterfall
    San Martín waterfall ;)

    Upper Trail Waterfalls

    January 31, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The trail then continued across the Bosetti Waterfall. From the other end, we could see the top of the waterfalls and also the viewpoint on the lower trail. The track continues further along the upper trail passing many waterfalls like Adan, Bernabe Méndez, Mbigua. The last of the waterfall on the Upper trail was a bit far off. It is the San Martín waterfall. Funnily, on the board to the San Martín falls, some one had scribbled No Falls with a black marker 😁😁 That actually turned out to be true. The final viewpoint is bang above the waterfall and a bit back from the edge so one can't see any waterfall from there.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    Bosetti Waterfall1

    Salto Bosetti

    January 31, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The Upper trail continued further till we reached the closer end of the Bosetti Waterfall. Here too, the actual viewpoints are from the Lower Trail. From where we were, we could see only the upper part of the waterfall.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    Dos Hermanas
    3

    Salto Dos Hermanas

    January 31, 2018 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We had decided to do the Upper Trail or the Paseo Superior 1st, then go the Garganta del Diablo and then come back to the Lower Trail or the Paseo Inferior towards the evening.
    The 1st waterfall we came across was the Salto Dos Hermanas (The 2 sisters waterfalls). Its a pair of waterfalls that have their viewpoint on the Lower Trail. From the Upper Trail one can only see the top of the falls. From here, the path continues further towards the Salto Bosetti. Between the two falls, there were quite a few places on the way from where there are fantastic views of the chain of waterfalls that form the Iguazu falls. The sight is truly breathtaking. One can see waterfalls till as far as the eye can see.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    On the green trail
    A huge spider above the trailThe electric trainCoati at the stationJungle taking over

    Parque Nacional Iguazu

    January 31, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We took the 9 am bus to the Iguazu National Park gate. Here, at the entrance we learnt that the free boat ride to the San Martín Island in middle of the river was closed due to the level of the water.
    We started on the green trail 1st. Most people head straight for the electric train that takes people to the final station near Garganta del Diablo, the main attraction of the Iguazu falls, so this place is generally crowded in the morning and the afternoon. We decided to go there later in the day when its a bit less crowded.
    The path has been cut through thick forest and despite the stone covered track maintained at a regular interval, the jungle takes over from time to time. There were spider webs over the track with huge spiders hanging in them. At the Estacion Cataratas, the 2nd station on the train track, there were many Coatis. These animals though, totally wild are used to human presence and have learnt to live off them. They were all over the station and the outdoor restaurants nearby trying to snatch and steal food from the people. It was fascinating but at the same time a bit sad as well. Fascinating to see these animals that are so hard to see in the jungle and sad to see them totally dependent on humans. There were boards everywhere indicating not to feed the animals but a lot of people totally ignored these signs. Emboldened, these coatis sometimes would jump on the tables and snatch food and items from people's bags and plates. Much like monkeys in India. The restaurants had kept an interesting piece of equipment to scare them off. They had tied a bottle full of stones at the end of a stick and would shake these near the Coatis when there were too many and too aggressive. The stones would make a rattling sound, much like that a rattlesnake. This would send them scurrying.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    Iguazu falls11

    El Calafate to Iguazu

    January 30, 2018 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Today was the day when stopped our journey south and flew all the way across Argentina to Iguazu falls on the Argentina - Brazil border. Our flight was around 9:30 am so we had booked a taxi for 8 am in the morning. We had tried to call our driver who we had used in the past but we couldn't get through to him when we tried calling him the day before. The airport shuttle too was starting a bit late for us on this day. So, eventually, we had managed to book a taxi for 400 ARS for all of us.
    The taxi arrived on time and we were off at the airport. The flight was to Iguazu with a short stopover at Buenos Aires. It was a long flight over mostly flat land with unimpressive features below. We landed in Buenos Aires around 2 pm and had our lunch at the airport. From here we took our connection flight to Iguazu.
    It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the flight reached Iguazu about 25 min before scheduled arrival time. The pilot decided to show us all the Iguazu falls from above and made the announcement that while waiting for a landing slot he'll fly over the Iguazu falls making an 8 so people on both sides could see the falls. What luck!!!
    We all got a lovely ariel view of the most impressive falls on this planet. It was mindblowing.

    The Iguazu Falls or Iguazú Falls (as its called in Argentina) or Iguassu Fall or Iguaçu Falls (as its called in Brazil) are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentina and the Brazil.
    They are the largest waterfalls system in the world. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River rises near the city of Curitiba. For most of its course, the river flows through Brazil; however, most of the falls are on the Argentine side. Below its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu River forms the boundary between Argentina and Brazil.

    From the airport, we took the local bus to the center of the town Puerto Iguazu some 20 kms away. Just across the town over the border bridge is the town of Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil.

    The next hour or so was spent trying to find a reasonable place to stay. It was quite hot and humid in Iguazu. The whole area was a pure rainforest with thick foliage before the trees and bushes were cleared off to make place for the Puerto Iguazu town. It is just about 150 mts above sea level. We booked ourselves into San Fernando hostel just opposite the bus terminal. The evening was spent figuring out the best and cheapest way to get to Iguazu falls the next day. There were local buses going to the park entrance starting every hour from the bus terminal near our hostel so we bought our tickets for 150 ARS per person. Then it was time for some cash withdrawal, then dinner and then back to the hostel for an early end of the day.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2

    Back in El Calafate

    January 29, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    After the Spegazzini glacier, the catamaran came back to Puerto Bandera and from there we were dropped off back at El Calafate by the bus. Overall, the tour had been quite fantastic with beautiful sights but a bit too touristic for our liking.
    Back at the town, we had a fantastic dinner at Casimiro Restaurant. After that we went back and slept. We had a flight to Iguazu next morning and Melinda to Buenos Aires to Montevideo to Lima in the afternoon.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2

    Spegazzini up close

    January 29, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    The usual touristy thing followed again, with the photographer taking pictures of almost everyone on board the catamaran with the glacier wall in the background. While they wasted another 30 minutes taking pictures of people, we got a good opportunity to take some nice pictures of the glacier wall.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2

    Spegazzini glacier

    January 29, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    Spegazzini Glacier is a hugely impressive sight, if for no other reason than the sheer size of its wall, which can tower as high as 135 metres (440 feet).
    Spegazzini Glacier has a high calving face, giving origin to icebergs of very different shapes and colors. The glacier is grounded on the bottom of the lake, which in this area is around 150 meters. Spegazzini Glacier is another exception to the general retreat of Patagonian glaciers: From 1968 to 2010, the ice front retreated just 150 m, with a loss of only 0.07 km².
    Due to the stability of the glacier, the boats are allowed to go much deeper into the fjord almost right next to the glacier wall.
    Here we saw much more icebergs and after taking a lot more pictures near the icebergs, our catamaran went much closer to the glacier wall.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2Ice from the lakeThat ice is hundreds of thousands of years old

    Another round of icebergs

    January 29, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌫 0 °C

    At the start of the fjord going into the Spegazzini there were some more icebergs so, the catamaran stopped again to take more pictures.
    They even managed to catch a big chunk of floating ice from the lake to use as ice cubes in whiskey drinks which they were selling for 50 USD a glass. The charm being, the ice cooling the drink is from hundreds of thousands of years ago 🤤🤤 They certainly weren't leaving any chance to make money aboard this boat.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2
    Upsala Glacier

    Upsala Glacier

    January 29, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌫 0 °C

    After the icebergs, the catamaran moved in a bit more into the fjord going towards the Upsala Glacier. We saw a panoramic view of the glacier from quite far and didn't really see any icebergs in the fjord that could be a hazard to our boat. Our gut feel was that we could go in almost another 5-8 kms with no problem but we had to turn around towards the fjord leading into the Spegazzini glacier. We even suspected that the catamaran company could be fooling all of us by saving on fuel by not going in and blaming it on the national park rangers.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Icebergs up close

    January 29, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌫 0 °C

    Our catamaran moved in closer to the icebergs. It was a very touristy thing with a "professional" photographer taking pictures of people in cheezy poses in front of the icebergs and an assistant going around all over the catamaran trying to induce everyone to come over to take pictures. The idea was to get oneself pictured in different poses with no obligation. The pictures would be displayed on a screen in the catamaran rowards the end of the 5 hour journey and one could then purchase the paper copy or soft copy at a mindblowing cost of 100$ USD each. They were displaying pictures from the previous day and honestly the quality of the pictures and the composition was pathetic in most of the pictures.
    So, while they wasted around 20-30 minutes posing and taking pictures of people, I got enough time to take some amazing pictures of the beautiful blue striped icebergs.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2

    Icebergs near Uppsala glacier

    January 29, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌫 0 °C

    The catamaran was extremely fast and within 30-40 min we were deep in the fjords. We first encountered the icebergs at the opening of the fjord towards the Uppsala glacier.

    The Upsala Glacier is a large valley glacier on the eastern side of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. The Upsala Glacier is well known for its rapid retreat. Its retreat has been ongoing since the glacier was first documented in 1810. The name comes from the old spelling with one p of Uppsala University, which sponsored the first glaciological studies in the area. The University is located in Uppsala, Sweden.

    Due to the rapid retreat of the glacier, the front of the glacial wall keeps breaking at regular intervals and so the fjord can have a huge quantity of icebergs floating everywhere. This could get very dangerous for the tour boats if a huge chunk of ice breaks off causing a tsunami. The rangers at the National Park continuously monitor the glacier and decide on a daily basis if the boats can enter the fjord or not. For the last few months the boats had got permission only to go till the mouth of the fjord and it was no different when we were there.
    The icebergs were huge. They looked a bit small from the catamaran but when we saw the other catamarans next to them, we realized their massive size and how deceptive they can be.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    22Devil's Throat

    Puerto Bandera

    January 29, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    The start of the tour was from Puerto Bandera on the Southern shore of the Northern section of the Lago Argentino. We reached the port at around 8:30 am. It was quite cold and freezing in the light rain that was coming down when we reached there. Despite the rain, there was sun shining through from the East. We climbed on to the catamaran and started on our journey into the fjords forming branches from the Lago Argentino. Each branch of the fjords end up in different glacier tongues of the Southern Glacier Field and these were what we were waiting to see on the day. The initial ride took us past the Devil's Throat, a narrow strip of the lake where the land on both the sides juts into the lake forming a small opening into the fjords beyond.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    Lago Argentino

    Off to Rios Del Hielo tour

    January 29, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    For this day's tour, we had a bus pickup in the morning at 7:30 am. As planned, the bus was there on time. We went around the town to pick up the rest of the people for the tour. The skies were clear when we headed out from town. The initial part of the route for about 35 kms was the same as from the day before after which, we again reached the transition zone where the local microclimates started dominating and we had rains in the valleys leading into the Lago Argentino. The sun was behind us, so we saw some lovely rainbows once again this day. We even saw a double rainbow.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2A mate pot and bombilla
    2Melinda tries mateMaria tries her mate

    The Mate experience

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    It was around 8:00 pm by the time we came out of the National Park office. We decided to try proper mate. Till now, we had always had mate in the form of tea and that had not impressed any of us. Now we wanted to try the real stuff. A day before we had seen a nice panadería (bakery) with some fabulous cakes and mate available for drinking, so we decided to go there and give it a try.
    Now, none of us really knew how to order it or drink it so when the lady came to take our order, Hristo ordered a mate. Maria wanted to try mate as well, so she asked if she could share it with Hristo. The lady suggested that she'll get an extra thermos of hot water and they could have a common pot. Hristo wanted the whole pot for himself, so Maria ordered a separate one for herself and I too wanted to try it out, so I too ordered one. This, we later learnt was extremely stupid or more appropriately, ignorant of us. We ended up having 3 mate pots, with 3 pots of extra mate, 3 thermoses of hot water and 3 baskets of biscuits, along with the cakes we had ordered separately, on our table 🤤🤤
    Then we tried to drink the mate like a herbal tea and how we liked the taste of it can be clearly seen in the pictures 😂😂😂 It was extremely bitter and with each sip, we could feel a kick straight to the head 😁😁
    It was later during the evening when Maria was stirring her mate herbs in the pot and 2 local ladies sitting on the couch next to us noticed her and just couldn't stop themselves from coming over and explaining that this just wasn't the right way to drink mate 🤣🤣 They knew a bit of English and that's how we learnt the right way to drink mate 😉
    So, here's how one drinks mate... Never ever stir the mate. That's a cardinal sin. Fill the pot 3/4 up with the mate herbs, then put 2 sips of hot water in. Wait a few seconds and drink the 2 sips. Then pass the communal pot and bombilla to the next person. They put another 2 sips, wait a while, sip the 2 sips and then pass it on. The biscuits in the basket are for the common consumption of everyone on the table. So, we should have ordered only 1 mate and a thermos each only 😁
    After getting the technique right, the mate tasted much better and the caffeine kick was a bit more controlled. But, the quantity of mate we had ordered meant that we had a pretty high dose of caffeine overall and the aftereffects were pretty obvious quite late into the night 😂😂😂    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    Francisco MorenoElm tree (Alamo)Hawthorn fruits

    Laguna Nimez again?

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Around 6, we started walking towards the Laguna Nimez. We had missed this the day before, so we gave ourselves about 2 hours to see the flamingos today. The entrance was open when we reached there and the people working there at the ticket counter were very knowledgeable and even knew English. On conversing with them, we realized that even if we pay and enter, we would never be close to any flamingos since it was a protected area and the track passing through the marshland was keeping a distance of at least 200 mts from where the flamingos were. Added to that, the high cost of entrance, made the decision to not go in easier. There was a telescope setup at the reception to see the flamingos up close. It was free to use so we watched the flamingos through it and then came back to town. On the main street, we went to the office of the National Park rangers. They were celebrating the 80th anniversary and so were open for free. Inside, we saw the statue of Francisco Moreno.
    The Perito Moreno Glacier, that we had visited earlier this day, was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile.
    Perito Moreno (perito means "specialist, expert") has been credited as one of the most influential figures in the Argentine incorporation of large parts of Patagonia and its subsequent development.
    Inside the compound, there were many trees and bushes from all over the world, property labeled even in English.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    3

    Back to El Calafate

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Around 2 pm, we reached back to the parking. Our driver was waiting for us there. We freshened up a bit and then were on our way back to El Calafate. By now, the sky had cleared up quite a bit and we could enjoy the sights of the morning again.
    We reached back around 4:00 pm and used the rest of the afternoon walking around the town and relaxing a bit.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    3

    Blue track

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After the calving, we could see the beautiful deep blue of the ice below the chunks that had broken off. It was like a photoshopped sight :)
    It was about 1:30 pm when we eventually managed to pry us off the wondrous sight. We quickly walked along the blue track towards the end point of the balconies where we had agreed with our driver to meet between 1:30 and 2 pm. Along this track, we could see the full majesty of the North wall of the glacier. It was very imposing and humbling at the same time. Beyond the wall, we could see the fjords in the Lago Argentino. Towards the end of the track, we reached the boat port that is used for boat trips to the glacier. There were quite a few floating icebergs in this area.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Calving of Perito Moreno

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The rain clouds disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Within a few minutes, the rain stopped and we had a clear view of the glacier wall again. And then it happened!!
    We heard a few cracks like rifle shots firing and then a section of ice wall right in front of us broke and fell into the lake. It created a lot of noise and huge waves formed where the ice went into the water. It was a mesmerizing sight. We managed to get it on video.
    It was so breathtaking that we decided to stay a while more hoping to see another one. On the other hand, we were getting a bit late for our pickup. Caught between the two, we waited for a while and then we were lucky to see it one more time, albeit a smaller one this time. Given a choice, we would have stayed there the whole day. This place is truly amazing.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2Condor flying over the glacier

    Weather change at the North end

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 4 °C

    When we reached the North face of the glacier, the weather changed very suddenly. There was light shower and the icy winds picked up. There was no shelter in this area so we stood towards the back of the walkways near the edge of the hillside behind us. That afforded some protection from the rain and we were able to eat some of the packed food we were carrying with us. We wanted to stay here for a while to give us a better chance of seeing the calving of the glacier.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    North faces Perito Moreno

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 4 °C

    The Northern face of the Perito Moreno was even more impressive. The wall face was much higher and the cracks much deeper. We could see the ice blue color deep inside the cracks. From one of the viewpoints, we could see above the glacier wall, all the way to the glacial valley on the hills behind.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2

    South and Central wall of Perito Moreno

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 4 °C

    From the lower balcony we had a panoramic view of the full glacier wall. It was an imposing sight. That near the ice, we could see how huge it was. We reached the nearest at the central part where we were just about 180 mts from the wall. All the while, we could hear the cracking sounds of the ice every few minutes. Most of it was deep inside the glacier.
    Just when we reached the central part, we heard a loud cracking on the South face and a huge chunk of ice fell from the top of the South wall. I was able to get the last few seconds in a video.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    Ice chunk falling into the lake
    The wave hitting some icebergsThe central part blocking off the 2 sections

    Cracking of the glacier

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 4 °C

    We were still on the Lower Balcony when we heard cracking noises like the sound of rifle shots. It was the sound of the ice cracking inside the glacier. In a few moments, a huge chunk of ice fell down from the North wall into the lake on our right side. I was able to get some of the action in pictures. At the end of the fall, there was a small tsunami formed by the ice that had fallen. The wave hit the shore in a few seconds and sent a spray high up in the air.Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    South wallThe North wallThe full Perito Moreno glacier2

    Perito Moreno - Lower Balcony

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    The path through the forest lead us to the Lower Balcony. From here, we could see the Southern wall of the famous Perito Moreno glacier. From the lowest pathway on the balcony, we could see the full glacier. The left side was the South wall of the glacier. To slight right was the part where the glacier blocks off the Lago Argentino and further right is the very impressive North wall of Perito Moreno.
    There is a strip devoid of vegetation that exists between the coastal limit of the forest and the surface of the lake this is due to the floods caused by the Perito Moreno Glacier, that kill the vegetation.
    The periodic advance of the glacier makes its front of ice stop against the rocky cliff, closing the "channel of the icebergs" that joins the Brazo Rico del Lago arm and the South arm of Lake Argentino with the main body of the lake.
    The glacier then acts as an ice dam, containing the waters to the south, whose level rises and floods the low areas of its coasts (can lead to unevenness up to 21 m in height).
    Finally, the pressure of the dammed water undermines the ice and fissures it. The ice expands until the warmer waters beneath undermine it and cause a calamitous implosion, sending tsunami-like waves on to the terminal moraine. The ice cap is broken and in an impressive spectacle the south arm is emptied.

    When we were there, the glacier wall was tightly set against the rock on this side for almost 8 years so it could start breaking any time.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Paseo del Bosque

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    Our driver dropped us off at the restaurant at the end of the road. The viewing balconies are easily accessible from here. The plan was to walk along the the green walkway through the Paseo del Bosque (Forest Passage) to the Lower Balcony towards the South wall of the Perito Merino glacier and then move on over the Yellow track over the glacier wall and then the Blue track towards the North wall of the glacier wall.
    From the restaurant, we could see the top of the glacier wall. It was extremely beautiful. We could see deep into the cracks of the lovely blue ice of the glacier. We walked on the wooden walkways into the forest. These are very lovely paths, nicely made and very well maintained.    Read more

  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    North Lago Argentino

    January 28, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    A few meters from the Curve of the Sighs is the small boat port that is used to take boat rides to the Southern glacial wall. It was raining a bit when we started from the Curve of the Sighs and we could see a lovely rainbow over the glacier wall.
    The road then continues on the peninsula and soon one can see the North section of the Lago Argentino again. Immediately, we could see the difference, in that, this side of the lake has extremely blue water.    Read more

Get your own travel profile

Free

QR code

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice