Glacier cold!  That counts since glaciers are made of ice…

March 17-18

El Calafate, Argentina

I took a 5 AM flight from Buenos Aires to El Calafate because the bus ride would have made me want to murder people.  I think it’s more than 24 hours.  The flight was a quick 3 hours and the airport reminded me of the cute Jackson Hole, Wyoming airport…very woodsy and lodge like.  The ride from the airport to the hotel was breathtaking…I wish I had taken pictures.  I stayed in a hotel here because I was only in town one night and a private room in a hostel was only going to be $5 less.  It was a good choice because they offered me breakfast as soon as I got there!  That afternoon I took the bus to go to Glaciers National Park to see the Perito Moreno glacier.  The bus ride is about 45 minutes and absolutely gorgeous.  The town of El Calafate basically exists as a gateway to the Glaciers National Park.  It’s pretty small and it’s filled with hotels, hostels and B&Bs but the scenery changes as soon as you are out of the teeny tiny town.

Perito Moreno at “…250 km² (97 sq mi) ice formation, and 30 km (19 mi) in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile. This ice field is the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water. The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that is growing. The reason remains debated by glaciologists.^[1][2]”  That’s what Wikipedia says anyway.  The glacier is pretty amazing.  There’s a long walkway that allows you to see every part of the glacier without actually being on top of it.  You can also do ice trekking on the glacier but unfortunately I didn’t have the time or the wardrobe for this.  Because it was the end of summer here it was actually pretty nice weather most of the time.  The only time it got really cold was when I was right next to the glacier and it started raining.  Here are the pictures from the trip to Perito Moreno…including a picture of me trying to protect ‘my precious’…my camera.

I spent the next day exploring the Laguna Nimez reserve in El Calafate.  The laguna has beautiful views and tons of birds.  There were supposed to be Flamingos here but I didn’t see any.  I think they had flown NORTH for the winter.

I really enjoyed El Calafate and I wish I had spent more time here.  I would have liked to see more of the Glaciers National Park.  There are boat rides you can take to see Laguna Argentina and the other glaciers.  Oh well, guess I’ll just have to come back one day…