Springtime 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.
First 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.
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!
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!
On 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.
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
I just told Mike that we need to figure out a way to visit Argentina! This national park and the Perito Moreno Glacier are fabulous. Thank you for sharing this, Rebecca.
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I hope you get to Argentina sooner than later!
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Me too!
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Seems like you had a wonderful time. Exciting to be reading about Argentina
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Guanaco, now that’s something I didn’t try! I don’t mind gamey. 🙂 I visited a glacier in Argentina. I’ll look up which one.
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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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What a fantastic view, with those clear blue skies🙂
But hard to comprehend the red flowers would still go blooming so close to the glacier..
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The flowers were hundreds of meters above the glacier, so they weren’t that close! Lovely views all around 😊
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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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Absolutely! I certainly felt the chill as our boat approached the glacier. Such a wondrous beauty to behold!
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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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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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We visited Argentina and were there too. You saw this glacier and such an amazing site. Anita
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Such a beautiful and imposing glacier! Glad you enjoyed your visit to there, too. 🙂
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Thanks ❤️
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Sounds amazing! Gorgeous photos. 😍
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Thank you! ❤️
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Your pictures are so beautiful! I have also never heard of a glacier that gets bigger with global warming. You got a beautiful day too!
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Thank you! Perito Moreno is truly a wonder, and it was fortunately a gorgeous day for visiting it!
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Wow! I’ve seen glaciers before but they pale in comparison to this one. It’s truly stunning, as are your photos!
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Thanks, Diana! Perito Moreno is probably the largest glacier I’ve seen on my travels (like you, I’ve seen glaciers before, but not to this extent)!
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Beautiful photos! The contrast between the red flowers and blue skies is stunning.
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Indeed! Springtime in Calafate was a joy to witness. 🙂
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Fantastic shots of the glacier! And how amazing that it is bucking the trend and growing – long may it continue to do so!
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Take that, climate change! Haha, the Perito Moreno Glacier is really defying what’s expected of nature, but in a good way!
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Such beautiful photos! The turquoise really stands out against the red flowers and dark mountains. I didn’t realise the size until the picture from the boat ride and realising how small people were next to it.
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The glacier doesn’t look that big from afar, but it’s by taking a boat ride closer to it that you can really see the sheer size of it (and how cold it is)!
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Oh wow what an amazing place to see close up. The glacier is HUGE and your photos really capture its beauty, wonderful
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The glacier was massive and certainly a nature world wonder!
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On my list!
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Definitely should be!
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The pictures of Perito Moreno and the turqouise waters are absolutely stunning 🤩
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The glacier and vibrant-blue waters surrounding it were certainly a sight to behold! Thanks for reading. 🙂
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What a beautiful glacier! I can imagine it would’ve been very cold there despite the sunny weather
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It was chilly, being so close to the glacier and in that part of the country. Beautiful views regardless…thanks for reading, Elle!
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Beautiful scenery!
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Certainly, thank you!
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Many years ago I stood on a glacier in Canada, but it looked wintry all around. It’s quite a shock to see flowers are green plants near this Argentinian glacier! Amazing that it’s still growing.
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Traveling in the springtime offered a uniquely green (and blue) vision. Spring is the perfect time to visit Argentina!
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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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The texture is liken to that of beef or buffalo, but just on the gamier side. Tasted wonderful with the roasted potatoes!
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Bello glaciar!
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Gracias!
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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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Regardless of where you visit, you’ll have a lot of fun in Argentina. Enjoy! 🇦🇷
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Amazing recap and I am adding it to my travel bucket list.
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Thanks, hope you can go some day!
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Stunning photos Rebecca. The Perito Moreno Glacier looks absolutely amazing.
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Thanks, Marion! The glacier was a wondrous sight to behold 💙
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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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The Perito Moreno Glacier is a lot larger than you think!! Such a massive and wondrous part of the world. 💙
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One day sure to visit there. #adventurelandnepal
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Such a beautiful place!
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Really is!
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Adding to our list. Beautiful. Thank you!
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Definitely go! Such a wonderful place in this world. 🙂
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wow what a brilliant place! Pity you couldnt walk on it but from the boat it is still bloody impressive!
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Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to go glacier trekking, but I hope to do so one day!
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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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Yes, utterly blue everywhere! 💙 Such a clear day and truly on of the most beautiful places on Earth. Definitely go to El Calafate!
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This looks like a lovely spot on the lake, and the perfect blue skies served you well.
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Absolutely! It was a cold, but sunny day, and it made for stunning scenery at the Perito Moreno Glacier. 🙂
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