Perito Moreno Glacier: attractions of the Argentine part of Patagonia. Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina travel, South America

What amazes you most about Argentina? Endless pampas with imperturbable llamas and lonely gauchos? Old men dancing soulful tango in Dorrego Square? Or hills overgrown with green vines, on which hang heavy, ripe clusters of malbec?

Made an impact on me indelible impression the sight of a truck-sized block breaking away from an immense sheet of ice, which slowly and languidly picked up speed and finally, with a deafening noise, fell into cold water.

I think the huge and majestic Perito Moreno Glacier is definitely worth seeing! Not a single photograph can properly reflect the full scale of this giant.

What is Perito Moreno

In the endless plains at the foot lies the sky-blue Lake Argentino. Here, in the Los Glaciares park (translated from Spanish as “glaciers”), a huge ice tongue with an area of 250 m² and a height of up to 700 meters slides down from the mountains. Before you is the great Perito Moreno, named after the explorer of this area, Francisco Moreno.

The scale of the giant ice mass is breathtaking. What we see above the water is only a small part of the giant, but it is almost like a twenty-story building! Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers in the world that is not shrinking; the rate of freezing in the upper reaches of the mountains is not inferior to the rate of melting of ice in the lake. It is not surprising that travelers from all over the world come to admire this natural wonder.

How to get to Perito Moreno

First of all, you need to get to a small, pleasant, but unremarkable town. Near locality there is a small airport, and the famous highway No. 40 passes through it, which stretches along the Andes from north to south throughout Argentina. Since the country has a well-developed bus service and domestic aviation, getting to El Calafate from the capital or any other city will not be a problem.

The national park with the Perito Moreno glacier is located almost 77 km from, and travelers are transported to it by buses, boats or cars. Or you don’t have to think about the transfer and buy an excursion.

By bus

At the bus station in the center of El Calafate you can buy tickets for $30 (450 pesos) round trip. Flights depart every half hour from 8.00 to 14.00 from and until 19.00 from Perito Moreno.

Bus station V national park located very close to the ticket offices and cafes - you won’t get lost.

On a boat

Boats sail from the pier in El Calafate every hour from 10.30 to 15.30. Navigation on Lake Argentino is open from October to April. The cost of a one-way boat trip is $18 (250 pesos).

I would highly recommend choosing this method at least in one direction, because the shores of the lake, surrounded by the majestic Andes, are amazing. But don’t forget to carefully insulate yourself: on the open deck you will be attacked by a strong cold wind!

By car

The most comfortable option, in which you do not depend on anyone, is to ride in a little over an hour from the city to the glacier in a rented car. Rental offices are plentiful in El Calafate, rental prices start at $30 per day, a liter of gasoline costs $0.7. When registering, you will be asked for a driver’s license as standard (they do not ask for an international license) and a bank card on which a certain amount will be blocked.

The road to Perito Moreno is well paved. It is single-lane, but traffic is rare, so I did not experience any difficulties.

Next to the ticket office of the national park there is a large free parking. The staff will help you find free place.

With excursion

Organized tours on the glacier are sold in many places in El Calafate. The price includes transfer from the hotel to the glacier and back, as well as a guide throughout the day. Entrance ticket to the park, boat ride or glacier ride are paid separately.

A special type of excursion is the lake excursion, when enthusiastic travelers are loaded onto a ship in El Calafate, driven along the lake for about 2 hours, taken to a glacier, allowed to walk around the park, and then returned to the hotel.

The price of the issue depends on the chosen option and starts from $20 (300 pesos) and up to $200 (3000 pesos).

What to do on the glacier

Finally you have reached the national park. From afar you will see a blue mass of ice sandwiched among the peaks of the Andes. About 20 minutes of vigorous walking and you will reach a complex of observation platforms located on the shore of the lake, connected by wide passages.

The first thing you want to do is run around all the sites and choose the best one. best view. I did just that, finally landing on one of the benches and immersing myself in the meditative contemplation of Perito Moreno. The ancient Scandinavians believed that our world was created from the body of a frost giant. And looking at the blue peaks and dips in front of me under the rays of the sun, I could easily understand them.

It's impossible not to admire these natural miracle! What power is felt in this giant block of frozen snow, 30 thousand years old, what universal peace it inspires...

And suddenly, in the silence of the clean mountain air, a piercing crack is heard, and before the eyes of astonished spectators, a piece of ice breaks off and noisily falls into the waters of the lake. You need to keep your camera or camera ready in time to capture the fall of a particularly large ice floe.

But contemplation from afar does not exhaust the possibilities of the national park. You can go for a walk on the lake, during which the boat sails quite close to the ice giant. Sailing costs start from $13 (200 pesos).

But the most interesting thing is to climb onto the back of old man Perito Moreno and touch his cold growths with your hand. The feeling of walking on a glacier is absolutely indescribable!

There are many options for such a walk of varying complexity and duration, but everything needs to be booked several days in advance, or even a couple of weeks in high season. Tours typically include transfers from your hotel to the glacier and back, special shoe attachments, safety ropes, a well-trained guide, and whiskey or hot chocolate, to which you add the most environmentally friendly ice. During the hike, they will tell you a lot of interesting things about the life of this ancient and living creature named Perito Moreno, they will show you secluded ice caves and dizzying views. Prices start at $200 (3,000 pesos).

The national park is open from 8.00 to 19.00, admission ticket costs $18 (250 pesos).

When to go

From November to March the temperature ranges between +10-15 °C, even in the warmest months (December and January) do not expect hot weather. During the Argentine winter from July to August it is usually from 0 to +5 °C, in autumn and winter from +5 to +10 °C. And next to such a huge mass of ice, even at +12 °C, you very quickly begin to turn into ice. Therefore, I would recommend going in the warm summer months (November to March) and moving a lot to avoid freezing.

What to take with you

When visiting Perito Moreno, don't forget a few important things:

Finally

In the vast expanses of Argentina lie the stunning tropical Iguazu Falls and the endless red grass of Tierra del Fuego, over which icy winds sweep; most beautiful colonial cities and the high-rise buildings of Buenos Aires flooded with lights. And in the heart of this country of contrasts lies an unshakable giant, ancient as time itself, next to whom you feel all the power of nature, looking at which you rethink yourself. Even if you only have a week in Argentina, go to Perito Moreno!

The glacier, named after the Argentine scientist F. Moreno, who studied his country two centuries ago, attracts thousands of tourists a year. Often broken off from local landmarks huge boulders, falling into the water with a terrible noise, and for the sake of this amazing spectacle, foreigners travel long distances.

Perito Moreno on the world map

A giant snowy mountain protruding 60 meters above the water column is located in Patagonia, in mountain system Andes between Chile and Argentina. This is one of the 48 glaciers located in South America and storing fresh water.

Growing a natural phenomenon located in Los Glaciares National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The thirty-kilometer landmark is considered the main treasure of the reserve and covers most of it, second in size only to the surface of Antarctica.

Located near the Argentine city of Calafete, the natural phenomenon is a huge ice mass almost as high as a 16-story building with with total area 250 square meters.

Patagonia - a land of contrasts

A real sensation in the scientific world was the discovery of Perito Moreno in the 19th century. Patagonia, which occupies a third of Argentina's territory, is incredible beautiful land contrasts with giant mountains, sandy deserts and shimmering icy valleys.

This is where the giant glaciation zone is located, which some scientists compare in area only to the Himalayas.

Patagonia is open free access icy air from Antarctica. In the summer, early January, average temperature does not exceed 14 degrees, and in winter (June-August) it stays at zero. The typical landscape of the country is trees dried out from lack of moisture, damaged by strong gusts of wind and cold masses.

Due to the harsh continental climate, these corners are little known to travelers who come only to visit the main decoration of the national park.

The majesty of nature

Tourists, even before reaching the right place, watch on the way how the huge lake Lago Argentino is blocked by massive boulders. A giant ribbon of a rich bluish hue, falling into the water, fascinates everyone with the grandeur and power of nature.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is lost behind the mountains, sometimes it seems as if there will be no end to it. It is surprising that this natural attraction, consisting of 48 snow massifs, is located in an accessible place for visiting. A glacier growing two meters a day, it would seem, should have engulfed the shore of the lake long ago, but the thing is that it is melting at an incredible speed and, in fact, remains in place.

Amazing glacier color

Many visitors to the national park are interested in why the glacier in Argentina has such an unusual bright color. Some even think it's special processing in photo editors to attract more tourists.

However, the beautiful color of snow blocks is explained by the fact that ice itself has no color, but absorbs everything else except blue. With age it becomes denser, and the more piercing its color becomes.

Observation of a natural landmark

It is best to observe the miracle of nature from observation platforms equipped for visitors. There are small bridges everywhere, which are so pleasant to wander along, enjoying the fantastic spectacle from different angles, and there are comfortable benches for tourists tired from travel.

The closest site to the glacier is the one located on Cape Magellan. It almost hangs over Lago Argentino, and it offers a picturesque view of snow blocks of the most bizarre shape.

The joy of capturing the moment

From the sites you can hear the clicks of cameras capturing the Perito Moreno glacier and its unreal beauty. And many even manage to film the moment when a block breaks off and falls into the lake with a terrible roar, reminiscent of the groans of a giant. Such photographs are worth their weight in gold; they become a true decoration of any album.

The fragments that fell into the lake, sparkling in the rays of sunlight like diamonds, will float on the surface of the cold lake for a long time until they melt. Such blocks can also be found several tens of kilometers from a stationary glacier.

"Big Ice"

For those wishing to get to know the snow beauty better, several excursion routes are offered.

“Big Ice” - an extreme program for the bravest lovers thrills. In order to be included in the list of its participants, it is necessary to meet many requirements: age restrictions - from 18 to 45 years, physical fitness testing and health checks.

The trek involves four hours of traveling on and inside the glacier. Those who have passed a strict selection are put on climbing equipment, after which the organized group strictly follows the instructions of the leader.

"Mini-tracking"

“Mini-tracking,” as the name suggests, is gentle walking, in which children from ten years of age and older people up to sixty-five can take part. There are no special health requirements here, and physical endurance is not taken into account. The one and a half hour excursion will be remembered for many years.

Excursion by boat

And for those who do not want to climb blue trails, there is a motor ship running that will take you to a safe distance. From a distance, the massif seems to consist of loose snow, but in fact it is made of pieces of compressed ice, unexpectedly collapsing into the milky water surface.

Local guides warn that you need to dress warmly, as the glacier blows cold even on the hottest day, and advise not to forget about strong sunscreen on excursions and provisions, because the nearest supermarket is located quite far away.

And remember: it will take a whole day to explore all the surrounding areas of the Perito Moreno Glacier. Since 1937, Argentina has been taking care of this amazing corner of wildlife, which has become the most famous attraction of the national park and attracts new travelers with its colorful spectacle.

La ruptura

Every four years, an ever-growing important tourist site advances onto the reservoir, reaching the opposite shore. Come to see the stunning view great amount people who want to take a closer look at the amazing Perito Moreno glacier, which divides the lake into two parts.

Due to water pressure, a barrier blocking the road with a height of multi-storey building is collapsing and terrible noise his fall can be heard far around. In Argentina, this natural phenomenon is called la ruptura ("breakthrough").

Perito Moreno is the largest and most accessible glacier in Argentina, Patagonia and all of South America, which is why crowds of tourists come here. The place is truly impressive, especially if you have not seen other glaciers before, and especially if you have not seen the high glacier wall.

Today there will be photos of the glacier and a story about our trip there, as well practical information: map, how to get there, how much the ticket costs, what to take with you. We will also tell you about the city closest to the glacier, El Calafate.

Map of Perito Moreno and El Calafate

Here is a map of all the main attractions and useful places in Patagonia, with Perito Moreno and points in El Calafate marked here. You can move it, and also download points to your smartphone.

About the Perito Moreno glacier

In English: Perito Moreno Glacier. In Spanish: Glaciar Perito Moreno.

The glacier was named after Francisco Moreno, who first explored the region in the 19th century.

Now national park Los Glaciares, which contains the Perito Moreno glacier, is included in the list of sites world heritage UNESCO in Argentina

The area of Perito Moreno is 250 sq. km, the width of the tongue is 5 km, the average height is 60 m above the water surface. The glacier moves at a speed of 2 m/day, but since pieces of ice break off from it every day, it has not advanced or retreated for more than 90 years.

The second largest glacier in Argentina, Patagonia and South America is called Upsala (English: Upsala Glacier, Spanish: Glaciar Upsala). It descends into the northern arm of Lake Lago Argentino.

Sometimes it crawls onto the shore, blocking the lake, but then the ice melts and collapses, and a strait forms again. This occurs irregularly, on average once every 4-5 years, most often in the Patagonian summer.

To be caught in the breach of the “dam” or “arch” of Perito Moreno is great luck, but we were unlucky. But we saw enough of pieces of ice breaking off from it.

The blue color of the ice is due to its age. Young ice is always white due to small air bubbles, but when it is compressed, the air escapes. Therefore, the red part of the light flux is absorbed on the way into the ice, and only the blue part of the spectrum returns back.

What can I tell you, better look at the photo :)

Despite the cold, flowers are blooming

And even some particularly frost-resistant type of orchid.

How to get to Perito Moreno from El Calafate

1. By bus

The fare costs 500 pesos round trip + 10 pesos bus station fee. Tickets can be purchased at the bus station in El Calafate.

Walk along the paths to explore the glacier, have a snack, take photographs, etc. takes about two hours, so if you are not going to ride a boat, then choose a bus that leaves early or arrives later. We had five hours between buses and we were very cold.

2. By rented car

The best option is to compare prices and conditions on different aggregators that collect offers from international and local rentals. After various successful and unsuccessful experiments, we use these sites:

It's not cheap, but if there are four or five of you and you don't want to wait for the bus and still have to drive around the area, this is a great option. In addition, if you rent a car at the airport, you won’t have to pay for a taxi into the city.

3. With excursion

Viator - a travel agency on TripAdvisor - offers a trip to the Perito Moreno glacier: this is both a simple visit to the glacier and boat tours, and glacier trekking.

We didn’t go on boat trips, but we asked other tourists about them. Reviews were divided. Some people were unhappy because the boat did not come close (for safety reasons). But others, on the contrary, liked it, because from the boat the glacier seems very large, you see its entire size from below, and not from above. In general, whether to go boating there or not is up to you :)

4. To hitchhike

Argentina has generally good hitchhiking, and many people go that way during the season.

How much does it cost to visit Perito Moreno

Ticket price is 500 pesos (cheaper for Argentines).

Perito Moreno free. When you are hitchhiking, ask to be dropped off 300 meters from the control point (and it is 30 kilometers before the entrance to the park!), and there on the right side there are a lot of all kinds of bushes through which you can crawl around the bend, and from there you can catch a car to the glacier. According to eyewitnesses, simply coming and begging to be let in for free does not work; the guards are very cruel. No one checks tickets inside or outside anymore.

Weather and climate in Patagonia: when to go

Summer in Patagonia lasts from December to February. At this time it is warm, there is less precipitation, but of course there are crowds, especially on Catholic Christmas. Hotels and flights must be booked in advance, otherwise the prices will not please you.

Transition season is November and March. The weather is unpredictable: it can be very warm, frosty, or a lot of rain. But there are fewer people and more options for cheap housing and air tickets.

We were in November: in Perito Moreno it snowed first, then rained, and in El Calafate it was simply cold, windy and nasty, and the forecast was for rain for two weeks ahead.

What to take with you to the Perito Moreno Glacier

1. Cash Argentine pesos. Cards and other currencies are not accepted for payment!
2. A bottle of water or thermos with tea or coffee.
3. I'm going. There is only one cafe in the park, where there are a lot of people, there is little choice of normal food and it is expensive.
4. Sunscreen and glasses. The Patagonian sun is brutal, even in cloudy weather.
5. Warm clothes. It's colder in Perito Moreno than in the city. Gloves, a hat, a warm jacket and woolen socks will not go amiss. For example, in November it snowed and then rained.

City of El Calafate

El Calafate is a city in Patagonia in southern Argentina, which is closest to the Perito Moreno glacier (80 km) and Los Glaciares National Park.

Wikipedia suggests that the city's population is only 6.5 thousand people.

The word "El Calafate" comes from the Indian name for the local berry, calafate, which is very similar in taste and appearance to lingonberries. We gorged ourselves on it while hiking Torres Del Paine in Chilean Patagonia :)

There is practically nothing to do in the city itself; there are no outstanding attractions. Its main purpose is tourist centre to visit glaciers:

Visit to the Perito Moreno glacier.

Prices for everything are the same as in Europe, but if you buy food in a supermarket and cook it yourself, you can eat quite inexpensively and drink Argentinean wine.

By the way, currency exchange in El Calafate is very unprofitable; it is better to change dollars in Buenos Aires or other large cities.

We wanted to walk to Lake Lago Argentino and visit a small national park with birds, but birds turned out to be expensive, and the lake does not come close to the city; you need to walk or ride a bicycle to get there. You can see a few flamingos without visiting the national park.

So we blogged, bought tickets for the next stages of the round the world trip, communicated with the hosts, etc. Our hosts turned out to be the owners of the hostel. They had just registered for couchsurfing because they were going to Big Adventure, asked us about everything.

The city has a central street with restaurants and shops. There you can buy a variety of camping equipment at inflated prices. In South America, there is generally a problem with equipment: it is either of low quality (Chilean brand Doite), or very expensive, or counterfeits of well-known brands at unrealistic prices.

We saw an interesting thing there: a silicone calabash for mate tea :) I’ve never seen these anywhere else, but I found them on Amazon.

But with couchsurfing, everything is not so good: there are few hosts, and they are not particularly active, and the competition among those who want to live for free is enormous.

Tell me

Have you been to any glaciers? Which one did you like best?

And now, on the fifth day of our trip, we are in Argentina. We have 2 days planned on El Calafate - a catamaran on Lake Argentino with access to all the glaciers and the Perito Moreno glacier itself. We will sail on a catamaran tomorrow, and today we have a meeting with the most famous glacier in the world - Perito Moreno.

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Here he is.

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Majestic, huge and beautiful.

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The Perito Moreno Glacier is part of Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park.

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The Patagonian Ice Plateau has the third largest amount of ice in the world.

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48 glaciers flow down from it.

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Moreover, the glaciers here descend almost to sea level, into the forest zone. And they haven’t retreated anywhere for 100 years.

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From the Chilean side, glaciers are practically inaccessible.

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But on the Argentine side there is freedom.

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Several glaciers flow into Lake Argentino, and several more into Lake Vedma.

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And to see the Perito Moreno glacier up close, you don’t even need to swim anywhere.

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It comes almost close to the opposite shore of the lake.

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Therefore, paths were built here (some were specially made in the form of ramps for the disabled) and observation decks so that tourists can admire this amazing spectacle.

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The width of the Perito Moreno tongue is 5 km.

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The height of the wall above the water surface is 60-80 m.

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The average ice thickness is 170 m, the maximum is 700 m. Imagine - almost a kilometer thick ice!

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The loads from such a mass of ice - and glacial rivers flow into the Perito Moreno glacier from several valleys - constantly push the glacier down.

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The glacier moves at a speed of 2 m per day, which is a lot! (approximately 700 m per year).

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Therefore, huge pieces - blue icebergs - constantly break off from the glacier.

You can watch this live.

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We wander along the walkways for several hours.

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Small pieces of ice fall out very often.

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The glacier presses on itself, cracks, sighs, bursts...

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And periodically, huge pieces fall off the wall, forming icebergs in the lake.

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Melting ice floes create interesting ice sculptures.

24 (Photo from Wikipedia)
The Perito Moreno glacier descends into a narrow arm of Lake Argentino. Moving very quickly, it periodically bumps into the opposite bank.

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An ice dam is formed, blocking the lake. In this case, the water on the left (in the southern part of the lake) can rise 30 meters higher than in the main part of the lake. The water gradually washes away the ice wall, and soon a grandiose ice arch forms.

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It's only a matter of time before it collapses. Sometimes a dam collapses every 2-3 years, sometimes once a decade.

At this point, crowds of photographers and cameramen flock to the Perito Moreno glacier to capture a unique moment. Of course, the arch does not collapse instantly. For example, this survey was carried out over 5 days - from February 29 to March 4, 2012, when the arch collapsed for the last time.

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In cloudier weather, the glacier is all blue. And when the sun comes out, it becomes whiter, but with deep narrow blue cracks that literally glow from the inside.

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Why is ice so blue?
When water freezes it forms white ice- it contains many air bubbles captured by water during rapid freezing. The air bubbles scatter the passing sunlight and produce a white color.
The multi-thousand-year-old layer of ice on the Patagonian Plateau, due to its weight, presses and compresses itself, squeezing air bubbles out of the ice.
As the number of air bubbles decreases, sunlight begins to penetrate to a greater thickness. In this case, the red component of the light flux is absorbed along the path of penetration deep into the ice, and only the blue component of the spectrum returns back. This is why thousand-year-old ice has a blue, and sometimes almost blue, color.

After the glacier, we return to El Calafate - on the way back we also stop at the lake to see other birds.
We change money in the city - because of the black exchange rate of the dollar, it was profitable to bring dollars to Argentina and change them on the spot. We changed money at a restaurant in the city center, where we were directed by a travel agency. The official rate was 1:8, black 1:11.5. Nice.
Then we look for a big super for half an hour. Tomorrow we need to buy food for 4 days - we will again move away from civilization. The super is hidden somewhere in the upper part of the city, where you can only reach it by plane...))) But we finally found it. A landmark for our followers is a large yellow store-hangar in the upper part of the city - this is some kind of home center, and above it is a large super.

In the evening we prepared wonderful lamb ribs - cordero - for dinner. Yum-yum... The day was a success.

To be continued...

Perito Moreno (Spanish: Perito Moreno, scientist Moreno) is a glacier located in Los Glaciares National Park, in the southeast of the Argentine province of Santa Cruz. It is one of the most interesting tourist sites in the Argentine part of Patagonia.

The glacier is located 78 km from the village of El Calafate, which can be reached by plane.

Perito Moreno has an area of 250 km² and is one of 48 glaciers fed by southern part Patagonian glacier, located in the Andes on the border of Argentina and Chile. This ice plateau is the third largest reservoir of fresh water in the world.

The glacier was named after explorer Francisco Moreno, who first explored the region in the 19th century and played a significant role in defending Argentina's territorial interests in a border dispute with Chile.

The width of the Perito Moreno tongue is 5 km, the average height is 60 m above the water surface. The total depth is 170 m, the maximum is 700 m. The speed of its movement is 2 m per day (approximately 700 m per year). However, the mass loss is approximately the same, so (not taking into account small deviations) the glacier tongue has not retreated or advanced for 90 years.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of three non-receding glaciers in Patagonia. Periodically, the glacier advances onto the L-shaped Lake Argentino, reaching the opposite shore and creating a natural dam that divides the lake into two parts. Without flow, the water in the southern part of the lake can rise up to 30 meters above the level of the main lake. The enormous pressure of such a volume of water eventually breaks the ice barrier holding it, which is a very spectacular event. The cycle of dam formation and failure is irregular and repeats at varying frequencies, from once a year to less than once a decade.

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