Glacial goings-on

From Ushuaia it was time to head back North again, this time up the Western side of Argentina. I booked a flight for this part of the trip as it cost about the same as the bus and would be a lot quicker.

Ushuaia airport is really small but even so I still ended up having a slight Home Alone 2 moment on the plane when they announced the flight was bound for Buenos Aires. Thankfully this was followed up with via El Calafate.

As the plane came in to land at I noticed it seemed to be speeding up – having travelled on a few Ryanair flights I assumed they were going for that slightly poo your pants style of landing. However, we suddenly started climbing again and a few minutes later the pilot informed us that they had to abort the landing due to turbulence. Thankfully the second attempt was successful and we were safely on the ground.

I took a shuttle bus from the airport for 100 pesos as this was cheaper than a taxi and would still drop me at my hostel.

During my first two nights in El Calafate there was a festival going on, which meant there were a lot more people than usual in the town. Thanks to Romeo Santos I didn’t get a lot of sleep either – his fans were very loud as was his music, which I could hear from the hostel.

El Calafate is a small town and there is one main street, which was very similar to the one in Ushuaia – full of travel agents, restaurants, souvenir shops and outdoor shops.

The town sits on the shores of Lago Argentino and on my first day I took a stroll around part of it. The walk was very pleasant aside from it being really windy although it certainly sped up the time it took me to get back to town. I also saw lots of different birds including some flamingos.

The main reason people visit El Calafate is the Perito Moreno Glacier, which is about 50 miles away. The glacier is the world's third largest fresh water reserve and has an area of 97 square miles.

There are so many tour agencies in town it can be a bit overwhelming knowing who to go with and what options to choose. I stayed at Schilling Hostel and the owners were able to give me advice on the different choices available and an idea to prices.

A popular option is a mini trekking excursion, which involves a trek over the glacier, however at more than £100 this was a bit out of my budget and although it would have been a good experience, it wasn't something I really, really wanted to do. In the end I decided to go with a guide, which cost 360 pesos.

It is possible to get to the Los Glaciares National Park independently and a return bus ticket costs 250 pesos.

On arrival at the national park there is a 215 peso entry fee to pay. I was also told it may be possible to go on a boat trip for 200 pesos, which takes you closer to the glacier.

The bus picked me up from my hostel at 8.45am - I was told it would be 9am so was still eating breakfast when it arrived, the first time in Argentina a bus I'm getting has been early! There were about 16 other people in total so a small-ish group.

The guide was really good and knowledgeable and I learnt a bit more about why Patagonia has the climate it does, mainly due to the Andes meaning Chile bears the brunt of the rain so all that's left for this part of Argentina is the strong winds. 

After entering the park we stopped at a viewpoint where we got the first glimpse of the glacier. From here we continued on to the start of the main trail. Those who didn't want to get the boat had four hours and those of us who wanted to get the boat had three.

There are three different routes to take woodland, coastal or circular. Each path allows you to see the glacier from different angles.

As I wanted to do the boat tour I did the circular walk first because the viewing platforms allow you to see the part of the glacier most prone to bits falling off. The trails were much like the ones in Iguazu, metal walkways suspended above the ground. 

Within minutes of getting to the platform with the closest view of the glacier I witnessed a huge chunk of ice coming away from the glacier and falling into the water below. The waves it created afterwards lasted ages. The only way I can describe the sound is similar to when watching reports from warzones and hearing the sound of bombs or gunfire in the distance.

I found the glacier fascinating and kept stopping just to look at it. In the light it appeared to change colour so the deep crevasses looked like dark blue veins running through it.

I joined the woodland trail and made my way back to the starting point and it was while I was on this trail with my view obscured by trees I heard a massive crashing sound, which must have been a huge piece of ice coming away. Would have been amazing to see if only I'd been a patient for a couple more minutes. That's the thing about glaciers they don't move quickly so you need to be prepared to just stop and wait for a while. 

I met the bus back at the start of the trail and headed to the port area to get the catamaran. Due to the festival there were still a lot of people in El Calafate so the guide had informed us earlier that she hadn't been able to reserve places on any of the boats due to them being fully booked by other agencies. She said it was worth trying anyway and thankfully it all worked out okay.

Once the boat was out of the port area it was possible to stand outside and most people headed to the top deck, however I went to the prow of the boat instead and the view leading up to the glacier was amazing. The boat stopped 350 metres away from the southern side. The colours were really vibrant and I could see every crevasse and fissure in detail as we were so close - amazing.

I almost didn't stop in El Calafate but I'm so glad that I changed my mind as the glacier is something I won't forget for a long time to come.