El Calafate and Perito Moreno glacier

Still in Patagonia, I continue my trip from Ushuaia to El Calafate, a nice touristy town accessible by land or air. And we mainly go there to see the famous Perito Moreno glacier (careful don’t confuse it with the city of Perito Moreno located more up north) ! And yet, there were so much more things to do … if we have the money that goes with !

To visit the glacier, you have 2 options : by yourself or by agency !

Tours are usually offering the same that if you were by yourself. It is just a question of comfort and a guide that you pay. On top of that, you can walk on the glacier for 20 minutes or more, still if you have the money.

If you want to go by yourself, you have to take a shuttle that costs AR$1000 round trip (october 2019). They usually leave around 9 am and pick you up at 4 pm. It takes 1 hour to go there. At the bus terminal, you will find plenty of agency that offer the shuttle service. Choose one you feel okay with.

Tip : sit on the left side hand 😉

At the entrance of the park, you need to pay the entry fee of AR$800 (october 2019). The shuttle will leave you at the lower level. There is 2 levels of walking platform (upper and lower), connected by foot walk. But the park also installed a free shuttle that runs between those two every 15-20 minutes. Then, it is simple, you just need to follow the signs indicating all the different paths. Each of them will take you to an other perspective of the glacier. Do not hesitate to stop few minutes at each, you might get the chance to see a block of ice fall ! It is really incredible !

Tip : to know if a block of ice will fall off, hear it out ! It is a signal that warn you about an more or less upcoming fall off ! You will hear kind of thunderstorm sound that roars inside the glacier. It is more impressive when you see the size of the block that come off doesn’t match the powerful sound at all !

Finally, you can take a boat so you can get closer to the closer and seeing icebergs. There are 2 piers for 2 different views : the north coast for AR$900 (october 2019) and the south coast for AR$1000 (october 2019). Be careful though because the south pier is a little far away from the visiter zone.

As for me, I did the north coast by boat. Even if it is very impressive, the price is not justified. I don’t recommend doing this experience. The view from the walking paths are more than enough and spend more time enjoying there than your money on a boat !

Anyway, the Perito Moreno is truly a wonder of the world ! You feel so little in every way in front of this giant monument of nature ! I really have been speechless when this glacier opened up in front of me. No picture, as beautiful as it can be, will never make you feel this way before you actually experience it !

Photo tip : to get beautiful pictures of the Perito Moreno, it must be cloudy ! Yep, to make all the blues come out, there shouldn’t be strong lights ! If it is bright sunny day, you will only see pure shiny white like the picture of the article (the glacier on the background) … so do not forget your sunglasses to protect your eyes !

 

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