While Bariloche was technically in Patagonia, it was the glaciers and ice that we had come to see, so we traveled to around 55 degrees south, El Calafate.
With so many tour options we were a little unsure about what to do, so we decided on two different tours….
The boat trip
Really the only way to see all the glaciers is by boat. We booked ourselves an all day trip and promptly upgraded ourselves to Captain’s Class….might as well enjoy it with champagne!
The trip visited 3 glaciers – Upsala, Spegazzini and Moreno – across the day and it was nothing short of incredible.
Upsala is one of the biggest, with an ice field of around 870km squared. Kinda huge! Getting close to the front we passed icebergs that had broken off and were floating down the river. Many of them were as big as our boat. I have never seem anything like it. Stunning.
It was here that the crew broke us off ice from the iceberg and offered us whiskey on glacial ice. Don’t mind if I do!
(Getting the ice for my drink)
Then it was on to the Spegazzini glacier (or spaghetti as mum called it).
And finally Perito Moreno, the most famous. With a width of 4-5km across and up to 70m tall, it was certainly impressive. We cruised by and watched the chunks fall off it making a huge noise that echoed off the mountains.
(Can you see the boat?)
After a day of luxury, tomorrow was to be the hike on the ice…
That’s the next blog post though… 🙂
