Perito Moreno
Sunday, April 7
The next day in El Calafate, we booked a day tour to the famous Perito Moreno Glacier. The glacier was one of the reasons we had decided to visit southern Patagonia.
On the day of the tour, we were picked up from our hotel by a small bus and, together with a few other tourists, we drove through Patagonia for almost two hours. The drive itself was beautiful, as we passed the most gorgeous steppe landscapes, turquoise lakes, and wild alpaca herds. During the drive, our Argentinian guide explained everything to us about this part of Patagonia, the landscape here, and the glacier we were about to see.
Once we arrived at the parking lot, we had a few hours to ourselves to explore the glacier and the surrounding area on our own. From the parking lot, several steps led down the slope. Once at the bottom of the stairs, we found ourselves on the viewing platform opposite the glacier. In front of us laid the gray waters, on which countless ice floes floated, and from which the enormous glacier protruded. As far as the eye could see, there was glacier which had a surprisingly intense light blue color. Although we had learned many facts about the place and the glacier from our guide on the way to the glacier, it was impossible to estimate the size and expanse of the ice from the viewing platform. Our guide told us that the glacier's surface area was larger than the entire area of Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires: 203 km², glacier: 250 km²). Not only was the extent difficult to estimate as a visitor, but the height of the ice above the water was also incredible. The Perito Moreno Glacier rises between 40 and 70 meters into the air, and that's just the part of the glacier that lies above the water. Beneath the water's surface, the ice is even longer.
We spent a few hours walking along the various paths past the glacier and enjoying nature. In Patagonia, it was autumn in April, which meant that many of the trees had orange-red leaves. We were also surprised by how loud the glacier was. While we had expected the huge block of ice to float silently in the water, we could hear a constant loud creaking and cracking. It was clear that the glacier was constantly moving, with ice repeatedly breaking apart loudly and falling into the water below. Fortunately, this breaking off here at the Perito Moreno Glacier has nothing to do with climate change and is no cause for concern: the Perito Moreno Glacier actually is one of the few glaciers in the world that grows annually instead of melting. The glacier grows from behind, from the mountain side, and pushes the ice masses further and further forward towards the visitor side. Every few years, the glacier grows so large that it covers the entire length of the lake, until the water finally washes cavities into the ice and the glacier breaks apart. The ice floes are then washed out onto the lake and spread out—the main Perito Moreno Glacier then begins to slowly grow forward again over the years. We were very lucky, as the glacier had already advanced quite a bit at that time, making it easy to see it close from the visitor terraces.
The visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier was a truly unforgettable trip thanks to the massive ice masses, the sounds, and the beautiful surrounding nature!
