Argentina: Summer In Winter - Spring 2019: Day 7 - Perito Moreno Glacier

[Melbatb]

We woke up to sunshine and the weather app saying it was not going to rain today - phew! Today we were off to see the glacier and trek on it so no rain was a good thing!

Breakfast was included - I had toast and jam and coffee - O had orange juice, toast and muffins.

We picked up our lunch boxes that we had pre-ordered as there is nowhere to buy food on the glacier.

Our backpacks were pretty full as we had extra fleeces, waterproofs and gloves.

The minibus came at 8.40am and took us to a centre meeting point. There seemed to be an awful lot of faffing and we didn't actually leave El Calafate until 9.40am.

We had to stop at the National Park entry to buy our entry tickets - 700 pesos each (about 17 euros). The lady selling them took an age examining one of our 100 peso notes - which we had got from the Bank of Argentina so ... All was ok and we then had about another 30 minute ride to get to the boat which would take us to the glacier.

By now it was 11.15 and still no possibility for a loo visit...

From the boat we got our first proper glimpse of the glacier.

The guidebooks say about it:
The 250 km2 (97 sq mi) ice formation, 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.

It really was spectacular!

The boat ride took about 20 minutes.

We got off the boat and were split into English and Spanish speaking groups. We had 5 minutes for a loo visit (easier for the men than the ladies...) and then to put anything we didn't want to carry onto the shelves in the hut. We left the lunches and O's bag which had the waterproofs and extra fleeces.

We then walked about 15 minutes across a beach and a boardwalk to the crampon fitting area.

The staff put them on for you!

There are two types of members of our family- the goat (3 members) and the non- goat (one! ). The non-goat found that wearing these made her almost goat like - but as O pointed out - they only really worked on ice!

The trip was billed as an hour and a half trek on the glacier. We had two guide - Florenzia and Lucia. There were about 18 of us in the group - I seemed to he the oldest by at least 15 years (and O the youngest by about 5! )

We were shown how to walk up and down hill. And then we were off!

We had to walk in single file! O got him self behind the guide! There were lots of stops and information give about the glacier. Unlike others, it isn't receding at all. It has pretty much been in the same place since it was discovered though it does move.

Some of the hundreds of photos - it truly was awe inspiring!

It really was amazing.

When we got to the bottom, we were given chocolate and whiskey on the (just hacked off) rocks. O had water (from the stream).

We then walked back yo the crampon huts, took them off and head back to the hut for lunch.

We had ordered lunch via the hotel - there is quite the market here for them.

O had a salmon bagel. His also came with crisps, a muffin (he also had mine), a salad (I had his! ) and an apple.

I had a toasted veggie sandwich which was very nice!

As was the salad!

We then spent the time admiring the view until it was time to get the boat back.

After the boat trip we got back on the coach and headed to the viewing point. This took about 15-20 minutes.

There are various boardwalks which give you different views over the glacier. We were advised to go on the yellow one as it gave the best views and was doable in the hour we had.

Parts of the ice fall off and crash into the water making a loud sound. It is therefore both a visual and auditory experience.

You could see where the chunks of ice fall off. We were lucky to see it happen twice - though we heard it happen quite a few times but out of sight!

You could just gaze at it forever!

After 45 minutes we made our way back up for a loo stop!

One last view from the visitor centre...

And then on the bus for the trip back to El Calafate. This took about 2 hours - we were back at the hotel at just after 7pm. It had been a long day but an absolutely fabulous one!

As we were tired we decided to try one of the restaurants close to the hotel. We looked at the menu at Morrison's snd decided it would fit the bill!

I had trout with a quinoa salad which was delicious.

O had homemade gnocchi which he loved! There was also freshly baked bread.

O also had a banana split. Total cost was 1120 pesos - just under 30 euros.

We headed back to the hotel and were asleep by about 10.30pm - ready for another day!

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New Photo Added by Melbatb - 2 Mar 19 8:07 PM.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Brilliant photos, the glacier looks spectacular. What a wonderful sight to see. One of the best things about being lucky enough to travel is the amazing natural sights of the world, it’s breathtaking.

[mick]

More fantastic photos
A brilliant day

Joan

[Melbatb]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

Brilliant photos, the glacier looks spectacular. What a wonderful sight to see. One of the best things about being lucky enough to travel is the amazing natural sights of the world, it’s breathtaking.

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We have been lucky to see two natural sights of the world this trip! Simply amazing!

[Melbatb]

Originally Posted by mick

More fantastic photos
A brilliant day

Joan

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It was It was worth doing!

[WileyCoyote]

Wow, just wow. That is totally cool ( laugh out loud, it was freezing). What an awesome experience. Not sure about length of time between loo stops though . Eek.. I hate the cold but even I would be bowled over with this . Fabulous.

[CrispyA]

Glacier photos are amazing - agree that I too would have struggled with the lack of loo stops!

[Melbatb]

Originally Posted by WileyCoyote

Wow, just wow. That is totally cool ( laugh out loud, it was freezing). What an awesome experience. Not sure about length of time between loo stops though . Eek.. I hate the cold but even I would be bowled over with this . Fabulous.

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It was simpy amazing! Thankfully I have the constitution of an ox (or a camel... )

Originally Posted by CrispyA

Glacier photos are amazing - agree that I too would have struggled with the lack of loo stops!

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It was definitely one of the (many) highlights!

[Jake71]

The close-ups of the glacier are like stills from a movie - completely fascinating, and the views from the viewing point are stunning. What an amazing day.