Before I’d even started planning my trip to South America, there was one place I knew I had to go – Perito Moreno Glacier. A friend of mine had told me she was brought to tears by how incredible it was.
Located in Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina, it spans an immense 250 square kilometres. Incredibly, this doesn’t even make it the biggest in the region, but it is certainly the most spectacular.
The ice towers an average of 74 metres above the surface of the lake, and the glacier is widely reported to grow by approximately 2 metres per day. The movement causes huge chunks of ice to detach and crash down into the water, causing waves to ripple across the lake, and leaving icebergs bobbing on the surface.
Tour options
Bus
The classic tour involves a 2-hour bus journey to the glacier and a stroll around the board walks opposite. Since the glacier actually touches the land in the middle, this means you can get really close and hear the rumble and creaking of the ice as it advances. This trip can be done as part of an organised tour, or you can take the local bus from the terminal in El Calafate for AR$145 return.
Boat
For an optional extra, you can also pay AR$90 to take an hour-long ferry ride to see the ice cliff from a different angle and experience the rippling waves when the chunks of ice fall off. The local bus drops you off here and continues on to the board walks, coming back to pick up the people who splashed out.
Glacial hike
A much more pricey option is to do an ice walk on top of the glacier. This costs around AR$750, but you get the unforgettable experience of walking in crampons through natural crystal blue ice tunnels, and they even offer you a drink of whiskey or baileys – on glacial ice of course.
Kayak
While walking through El Calafate, I also saw advertisements for renting kayaks on the lake. While this would be an exhilarating experience, I’m sure they don’t allow you to get any closer than the board walks, because of the dangers of falling bergs, which are thrown violently in all directions. The glacier itself has taken 32 lives between 1968 and 1988!
Whichever option you choose, you have to pay an extra AR$100 as the park entrance fee.
Once in a blue moon
If you’re really lucky, you might get to see the glacier rupture. Because the lake is kidney shaped, the glacier actually touches the land in the middle. This forms a dam, and causes one half of the lake to raise in depth by up to 30 metres. The pressure from the weight of this water eventually forces its way through below the ice, leaving behind it an intact ice bridge between the two halves. Some time later, the bridge ruptures under pressure, sending huge chunks of ice exploding like a firework.
Sadly, you’d have to be blessed to see this, since it only happens between once a year and once a decade. The last one was in March 2012, so don’t expect another one any time soon…
Incredible!! I want to go here. Beautiful photos.
It was stunning. If you want to see a video of it, check this out. It appears about 1 min 25. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJQVlVHsFF8 and, incidentally, this is also the best music video of all time.
Wow, this looks so awesome. I have been wanting to see Perito Moreno for a long time now. Would love to try the ice crampons walk. Sounds like fun. Did you do that? Think I would be too scared to kayak though. I’d be scared to fall in and then get caught under the ice. I am such a wuss! ;-)
TammyOnTheMove recently posted..Koh Kong in pictures
I decided not to do the ice walking because of the cost and the fact that I walked on a steep glacier in crampons when I climbed Cotopaxi in Ecuador. Everyone I spoke to really rated it though. I didn’t meet anyone who’d kayaked! Pretty daunting if you ask me!
I read about two guys who did a huge trip through Argentina & Chile on motorcycle. They took a pretty excellent photo in front of the glacier just them and their bikes.
I couldn’t turn down the glacial hike!
Shaun recently posted..Travel Can Be Dangerous
That sounds awesome. Wish I knew how to ride a motorbike! I think I would have done that hike if I hadn’t been travelling for so long and spending a lot of money in Argentina. Maybe one day I’ll be rich and go back…I can dream…
These glaciers look amazing. I’ll have to add this to my list of things to see.
Curious Nomad recently posted..Sunrise in Tulum
Definitely. It’s such a spectacular sight. There’s another called Viedma near El Chalten that’s worth seeing too, and glacier Grey on the W trek. They’re all over the place!
I can’t get enough of glaciers (we’ve seen them in Alaska). They’re such force of nature and a sight to behold.
jill recently posted..Mauna Kea, Sunset At 13000 Ft
I know! I saw quite a few in South America and they always took my breath away.
haven’t seen a snow yet, much more glacier. you are so blessed to have experienced this. safe travels!
I feel blessed!
You know I have no desire to see Antarctica but this definitely looks cool.
Ayngelina recently posted..Thriving on uncertainty
Yeah, it’s like a mini Antarctica experience – and about £3K cheaper!
Just saw your article about the downside of solo travel and I’m glad I clicked on this one! Saw this on a local travel show here in the Philippines, but I failed to check from which country. It’s like mini-Antartica yay wanna go there! You’re lucky :D
Micamyx|Senyorita recently posted..Why I Want to Visit Culion Island
I know. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. I hope you make it there! If you have the funds, definitely do the glacier walk!
I absolutely fell in love with the glaciers in Argentina, unfortunately we were on a large cruise ship so I could not get close to them or trek on them. I think it is about time I get back down there and finally accomplish that. Great Pictures!
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Well, I didn’t trek on the ice in Argentina either, but I was pretty close to Perito Moreno. I did finally have the chance to go ice hiking on Franz Josef in New Zealand more recently and I’d recommend it – in either location. Ice formations are beautiful, especially up close.
The glaciers seem incredible! If I were planning on going to El Chalten to see Fitz Roy and to El Calafate for Perito Moreno, what do you think could be the minimum amount of days? Thanks in advance!
Hi Veronica! Yes, this whole area is amazing. It really depends how many hikes you’d like to go on. I stayed 4 nights in El Chalten so that I could do the three hikes I wrote about in my other post. If you chose to only do one or two hikes, you’d still get a feel for the place and could reduce this to 2 or 3 nights if you had very limited time. I’m afraid I can’t remember if it’s possible to travel from El Chalten to El Calafate AND see the glacier all in the same day. I would expect that would be possible, but pushing it, and you should really give El Calafate 2 nights so you have the full day to appreciate the glacier – especially if you want to do the boat tour and boardwalks, or even the glacier hike. The town is also quite nice for a stroll and browse of the stalls. So, I’d recommend at least 5 nights for both to fully appreciate everything and not feel stressed. Hope that helps!