From Torres Del Paine National Park, we took a bumpy van ride, followed by a very comfortable public bus to the Argentinian border at Cerro Castillo and then on to El Calafate (named after a berry bush) to visit Argentinian Patagonia and El Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, a huge national park that lies on the border between Chile and Argentina (getting to the latter makes country number 63 for me!).
On our first full day in El Chaltén, we (along with three other tourists) hiked (with a guide, Julian) the 20-km Sendero al Fitz Roy to reach La Laguna de los Tres, a stunning glacial lake at the foot of the Fitz Roy glacier and granite mountaintop (3405 m), also known as Chaltén or smoky mountain. We enjoyed our packed lunch 1200m above sea level with stunning views of the ice, the lake and also Laguna Sucia nearby, and even saw two ice trekkers making their way up to the needles and peaks. The Free Solo climber Alex Honnold was even in town when we were (some of our fellow hikers snapped a photo with him at a vegan restaurant in town!)
On the way back to town, we stopped by Laguna Capri and had great river valley views as we hiked downhill.
We had more delicious food in town including traditional Argentinian fare--lamb and chorizo with wine.
Guides were drinking mata (which one described as Patagonian redbull), which is tea drunk in steel cups, with loose leaves and a steel straw, people carrying around thermoses of hot water to replenish their drink.
On day 2 in El Chaltén, we walked the Cerro Torre trail (about 18 km round-trip) to another glacial lake, Laguna Torre, and lunched by icebergs. We heard about the difficulty of summiting these peaks, due to unpredictable weather, ice, and avalanches (thankfully, we continued to see sun and only a few clouds).
Monument to the careless tourist who started a large forest fire (by reportably burning toilet paper in the setting of gusty winds).
We headed the 2-3 hours back to El Calafate by evening bus and, the next day, headed to visit Perito Moreno glacier (named after the explorer), the third-biggest glacier in the national park (but one of the most accessible). The glacier is the size of the whole city of Buenos Aires at about 195 square kilometers! Unlike many of the other glaciers of this ice field (and many across the world), it is considered stable in equilibrium, and while there is glacier calving (we watched a HUGE, 60-m or so slab of ice fall off its 50-km face while we were strolling the pathways in front which was incredible to see), it also is replenishing from mountain snow and is protected by a peninsula so is not receding much. We had a 1-hr nautical safari to visit the south face and then walked a series of walkways to view the northern face. While our tour did not include ice trekking, which would have been cool, when I heard multiple cracks, ice thunder, and watched the ice shatter, I was kind of glad I wasn t ontop of the thing!
I hope you can view this video, but it captures the incredible calving of a 60-m-or-so sheet of ice from Perito Moreno's face as we stool on balconies on land overlooking the ice!
Our last meal in El Chaltén included bife (Kelvin) and a guanaco burger for me (I did feel a little bad after seeing so many on our trip).
Here's to more South American (and other) adventures in the decades to come!
We had some free time in town to eat and amble along the promenade by Lago Argentino (Argentina´s largest lake at 100 x 20 km), and then boarded another very comfy bus to the quaint (and young, founded in 1985) mountain town of El Chaltén (the country´s trekking capital) at the base of Mt. Fitz Roy, the peak named after Charles Darwin´s HMS Beagle ship captain
Lake birds (flamingoes and black-necked swans)
On our first full day in El Chaltén, we (along with three other tourists) hiked (with a guide, Julian) the 20-km Sendero al Fitz Roy to reach La Laguna de los Tres, a stunning glacial lake at the foot of the Fitz Roy glacier and granite mountaintop (3405 m), also known as Chaltén or smoky mountain. We enjoyed our packed lunch 1200m above sea level with stunning views of the ice, the lake and also Laguna Sucia nearby, and even saw two ice trekkers making their way up to the needles and peaks. The Free Solo climber Alex Honnold was even in town when we were (some of our fellow hikers snapped a photo with him at a vegan restaurant in town!)
We had lovely views of El Glaciar Piedras Blancas along the way.
nearing the top!
a truly stunning panorama!
Wildlife seen included the carpintero woodpecker and hare.
On the way back to town, we stopped by Laguna Capri and had great river valley views as we hiked downhill.
We had more delicious food in town including traditional Argentinian fare--lamb and chorizo with wine.
Guides were drinking mata (which one described as Patagonian redbull), which is tea drunk in steel cups, with loose leaves and a steel straw, people carrying around thermoses of hot water to replenish their drink.
On day 2 in El Chaltén, we walked the Cerro Torre trail (about 18 km round-trip) to another glacial lake, Laguna Torre, and lunched by icebergs. We heard about the difficulty of summiting these peaks, due to unpredictable weather, ice, and avalanches (thankfully, we continued to see sun and only a few clouds).
chomping down on a sandwich in front of an iceberg and icy lake
With the Patagonian wind, it got really cold and Kelvin busted out the balaclava!
Monument to the careless tourist who started a large forest fire (by reportably burning toilet paper in the setting of gusty winds).
We headed the 2-3 hours back to El Calafate by evening bus and, the next day, headed to visit Perito Moreno glacier (named after the explorer), the third-biggest glacier in the national park (but one of the most accessible). The glacier is the size of the whole city of Buenos Aires at about 195 square kilometers! Unlike many of the other glaciers of this ice field (and many across the world), it is considered stable in equilibrium, and while there is glacier calving (we watched a HUGE, 60-m or so slab of ice fall off its 50-km face while we were strolling the pathways in front which was incredible to see), it also is replenishing from mountain snow and is protected by a peninsula so is not receding much. We had a 1-hr nautical safari to visit the south face and then walked a series of walkways to view the northern face. While our tour did not include ice trekking, which would have been cool, when I heard multiple cracks, ice thunder, and watched the ice shatter, I was kind of glad I wasn t ontop of the thing!
Viewpoint (can you spot the rainbow?)
(no off-trail urinating or defecating is allowed in this park!)
views from the boat
ice trekkers
a hunk of glacial ice
I hope you can view this video, but it captures the incredible calving of a 60-m-or-so sheet of ice from Perito Moreno's face as we stool on balconies on land overlooking the ice!
Our last meal in El Chaltén included bife (Kelvin) and a guanaco burger for me (I did feel a little bad after seeing so many on our trip).
While we were in El Calafate, Kelvin's phone (googlephotos) brought up this picture comparison, which we realized was from Peru in 2009 (which started off our relationship) and below, eleven years (and two kids later) in Argentina (both pics in South America!).
Here's to more South American (and other) adventures in the decades to come!
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