El Calafate, Argentina - Day 2

It was our great luck to meet Manolo this morning, owner of Madré Tierra hotel and of a private guide business. Abby, the daytime manager, had given us a delicious breakfast and we were discussing what to do with the day. John and Manolo’s ideas jibed, and so off we went to the Municipal Bird Reserve, less than a mile from our hotel. A small entrance fee put us on a 3k trail around two lagoons and out to a bay of Lake Argentina. We saw lots of different water birds, hawks and a pair of foxes in the first hour but by the time we reached the flamingos at the end of the trail the wind was blowing at 40-50 knots and they had all gone into hiding in the reeds.
After a quick snack and a short walk in town, Manolo took us to Punta Walichu, a privately owned archeological site featuring a walk to see about ten rock paintings that were created by Paleolithic people (pre- Tehuelche) about 4000 years ago. They were dim and hard to see but it was still an interesting trip. Then off to a late night flight back to Buenos Aires.Read more