Perito Moreno Glacier

 

The Perito Moreno Glacier is the highlight of visiting El Calafate.  One of the few glaciers in the world that is advancing rather than receding, it is very easy to to get there and view the glacier as it feeds into Lago Argentino.  There is a viewing platform but we chose to take a hike on the glacier itself.  There are two versions you can try.  The “MiniTrek” is a 1.5 hour guided tour and the “Big Ice” is 3.5 hours of guided hiking.  We went with Hielo Adventures.  The Big Ice trek cost about $260 USD.

 

The drive to Los Glaciers National Park is about 45 minutes from El Calafate.  Park at Puerto Bajo las Sombras where Hielo Adventures will ferry you to their location at the foot of the glacier.  During the boat ride, be sure to watch the glacier as it is common for sections to break off and crash into Lago Argentino.  Once across the lake, Hielo has a reception lodge where you can store belongings and you are assigned to a guide.  The group size is usually around 15 people with one lead guide and one assistant guide.

 

The trek starts with a 45 minute hike through a forest alongside the glacier.  This leads to a to a station where the guides hand out a harness and crampons.  The harness is for safety and you never rope up.  A short walk down to the glacier and the guides assist everyone with putting on the crampons.   Then the fun begins.  The guide winds through different features of the glacier with strict rules about follow his/her steps to avoid crevasses or dangerous slopes.

 

Amazing blue hues of water that filed glacier pond and fissures.  Some great photo opportunities!  The down side is you are sharing the trek with other groups so occasionally, they are in the background of your photo as the groups take their turn visiting different features of the glacier.

At first, I did not think walking on the glacier would be worth that much money, considering I have hiked and camped on a glacier in Alaska for 21 days straight.  This was a much different experience and well worth the money.