20221118_123021Springtime at the Perito Moreno Glacier (November 2022)

Also simply known as “Calafate,” El Calafate is a city in the southwest of Argentina, in Patagonia that borders Chile. Named after the native berry, this city is famous and especially touristy for locals and international travelers, as it’s the gateway to two main attractions of the region: the Perito Moreno Glacier and El Chaltén. I would be spending three nights in El Calafate, checking out its natural sites and surroundings.

Following two beautiful nights in Ushuaia, I continued my Patagonian adventure to El Calafate. I caught a plane over, arriving in just an hour: although the flight was very short, it saved a lot of time, as it would’ve otherwise taken over 11 hours by car, as the distance between the two cities is a whopping 877 kilometers/544 miles. Argentina is truly a massive country!

My transfer picked me up from the airport and took me to my hotel. The hotel was situated a bit outside of the city center, but it was still walkable at 3 kilometers/1.8 miles away. I ended up walking over during my free day in town (which I will recap later).

Any case, I arrived in the late afternoon, checked in, and got settled into my room, which had lovely views of the Lago Argentino, the largest freshwater lake in the country: it is fed by nearby melted glaciers, and it is a popular fishing spot. Much of the surroundings are flat marshland, and I came across a ton of unique birds, even wild horses!

Upon checking in, I also decided to exchange more currency with hotel reception; they were really kind to do so, as not all hotels in Argentina are willing to do so. I was running out of Argentine pesos, so I exchange a few US dollars in order to get me through the next few days of the trip. I was much too tired to go into town that afternoon and settled for dinner at the hotel restaurant, which unfortunately was just mediocre– I would go into town later during my stay and have better food (I promise!)

I got some rest and woke up the next day to start my tour to the Los Glaciares National Park, where I would see the famed Perito Moreno Glacier. My tour picked me up around 8h30; it was a full tour and with a majority of international travelers from the US, Brazil, and Germany. Definitely a change from the Argentine-majority, or at least 50/50 split tours I had taken thus far! Many of the tourists were going to or coming from the hike to El Chaltén, (which is incredibly-popular), therefore combining that with a visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier.

20221118_105417First views of the glacier on our drive over

We reached Los Glaciares National Park after an hour’s drive, and it was a self-guided walk along the elevated walkways to see the Perito Moreno Glacier from above. The Perito Moreno Glacier is the third-largest glacier in the world, with only those in Antarctica taking the first and second spots; this glacier is especially unique in that it continues to grow, rather than recede, against all odds with global warming. We spent three hours wandering the walkway, taking many photos and overall admiring the sheer size of it.

20221118_113516Absolutely massive!

I befriended a fellow traveler, “R,” from my tour, and we took photos of each other with the glaciers. It was also springtime when we visited, so it was absolutely sunny with complete blue skies. Bright, red flowers were teeming everywhere and the water surrounding the Perito Moreno Glacier was also a vibrant turquoise from the mineral deposits due to the glacier melting– all of it made for some incredible views, and it was hard not to leave!

20221118_122259Panorama of Perito Moreno

IMG-20221118-WA0012Photo credits to “R”

20221118_123547(0)Majestic turquoise

After a quick lunch break at the visitor center, it was time to head over to a boat ride along the water, to see the glacier from a different perspective. It was about a 90-minute ride to get close to Perito Moreno, where we experienced parts of the glacier breaking off, a unique sight in itself. We even saw people trekking on Perito Moreno– I had hoped to do a glacier walk while in El Calafate, but unfortunately, I ended up not having enough time during my stay. All the same, it looked like a lot of fun!

20221118_150716On the boat ride: if you zoom in, you can see people!

The boat ride ended around 15h30, and we headed back to El Calafate, thus concluding the tour. We returned around 17h00, and I opted to be dropped off in the city center, to get an early dinner and perhaps explore a bit of town. My new friend, “R,” and I got dinner together, where I ordered guanaco (gamey, but tasty) and later checked out a cute, book-themed café for a drink afterwards. I said goodbye to “R” and took the complementary hotel shuttle back, returning around 20h00.

20221118_182758Guanaco for dinner

Overall, it was a chill day of sightseeing, since it was just focused on the Perito Moreno Glacier. It was a pleasant break from the nonstop touring from the previous days in Argentina, and I would have more time to relax the following day in El Calafate. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next post!

— Rebecca

Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

63 thoughts on “Destination: El Calafate, Argentina (Trekking the Perito Moreno Glacier– PART 1)”

    1. I don’t mind gamey, either! The guanaco was fairly tasty. The Perito Moreno Glacier is the most-famous in Argentina, and a lot of tourists come to visit this one. Thanks for reading, Rebecca!

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  5. The Perito Moreno Glacier is impressive and your photos capture it well. When you get close to a glacier, there’s also that feeling of cold that logically increases near this huge ice cube.

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  6. I didn’t know that the Perito Moreno Glacier actually keeps growing, which is really cool (literally and figuratively!). Such beautiful shots from this national park, Rebecca! And that guanaco dish for dinner looks yummy.

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    1. The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the largest in the world…and it continues to grow! Doesn’t look like climate change is affecting it too much 😆 If you like gamey, then guanaco is the dish for you! Thanks for stopping by, Bama. 🙂

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  20. Wow, I love the close-up views of the glacier – so breathtaking and so blue! As for food, I hadn’t heard of guanaco before. You mentioned it was tasty, but I’m curious – how was its texture?

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  22. Such a beautiful place! I’m going to Argentina next year, but since it will be during the winter months, I won’t be able to go to El Calalafate – will have to do only the south of the country. It is indeed massive, so I’m hoping I can go back another time to do the north of Argentina 🙂

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  23. Pingback: Destination: El Calafate, Argentina (A Foodie Adventure– PART 2) – Rebecca Goes Rendezvous

  26. At first glance, I thought it was a thin sheet of ice, but in other pictures when one looks closely one can see some tiny people standing in front of the huge glacier. I hope I got it right. Beautiful pictures though, I had never seen a glacier before 😊

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  31. The colours and clarity of your photos are stunning. What an amazing experience. We dream of visiting the Perito Moreno glacier some day. It sounds like your hotel had a great location despite being a bit out of the town centre.

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