El Calafate

Trip Start Jun 13, 2006
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Trip End Jun 12, 2007


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Flag of Argentina  ,
Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Alex: El Calafate's major draw is its proximity to the Moreno Glacier, which we were here to see, but it is also a pleasant enough place in itself. We spent our first day in the town just hanging around and chilling out as we don't seem to have stopped for the last week or so (its a hard life - your heart bleeds!) we also had bus tickets and stuff to sort out - not very exciting really.

We decided to make our own way to the Moreno Glacier rather than go on a tour, it is slightly cheaper and you see exactly the same thing just without a guide which we could definitely live without, high school geography again - no thanks! From the first sighting the glacier is supremely impressive just for it's scale, it really is massive, 257km square, it fills a massive valley and then disappears off into the distance.
Moreno 01
Moreno 01
The glacier's location is great for viewing as it jutts across the lake towards and in some parts just touching a small peninsula. The colours are incredible, so many shades of blue ranging from almost white to almost black (although Dean would argue it is black!). When we got there it was covered in shade but when the sun hits it, it lights up and glistens. We were lucky enough to see some enormous pieces calve off (and get some photos too) which is incredible, the noise, the splash. Even when you are stood there you can't quite grasp the size of the piece that has fallen off until you see the size of the wave it creates, tsunamis for beginners! We spent about 3 hours just walking along the viewing board walk (which only covers about a quater of the front of the glacier) and just watching in amazement, oh and freezing our arses off - this is a giant lump of ice after all! It was a small relief to get back to El Calafate to the relative warmth and a steaming bowl of soup!.

Heading to El Chalten, mountain climbers heaven, next to see if we can catch a glimpse of mt Fitz Roy.
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