Argentina, day 4 - El Calafate, Perito Moreno

I stood in front of it and I cried. It was overwhelming. It comes down from the Andes, silent, majestic, imposing. I stood in front of it, soaked up to the knee, cold, tiny. And I cried. Perito Moreno.

I woke up at six and I couldn´t go back to sleep. I wanted to get out and start the day as soon as possible. I was, after all, going to see Perito Moreno. The sun rises after 8.30 at this time of the year. I had to wait quite a bit before I could draw my curtains open and enjoy the morning view of Lago Argentino. I opened the window, it was cold, a light rain intensifying the smells of the countryside, the sun making everything shine. I felt full, I felt happy.

Perito Moreno is 80 Kms away from Calafate. The landscape changes dramatically in this 80 Kms. The desert turns to steppe, then its place is taken by a forest – at its best with its autumn colours - and then, finally, the glaciar.


We first approached it with a catamaran. Since we got in the forest it didn´t stop raining and just before we got on the boat the rain intensified. Getting on the open-air upper deck to get a better look at the glaciar was a big adventure. The wind got us soaked, the cold was intense, the effort to protect the camera hopeless, but the view was aboslutely amazing. The glaciar had an intense blue colour thanks to (...) the lack of sun. It looked huge, compact, impressive.

We then got back to the bus to go up to the “passarelas” and get to see the glaciar from the front. Nothing can prepare us for what expects us there. No photos, no books, nothing. I was left speechless, breatlhess... It´s huge, it´s a monument, it´s a miracle. I was taking a photo when I heard something like a thunder. I turned around. It was actually a part of the glaciar breaking. The sounds of a ‘live’ glaciar are amazing.


On the way back they offered us calafate liquor. Now we can be sure to come back here. A joyful peruvian man, in an amazing good mood and with a fantastic sense of humour, made our excursion even better. Once we got out of the forest and into the steppe again, the sun finally appeared and with it a beautiful rainbow. The colours got intense again, the wind, extremely strong, made it difficult for the driver to keep the van straight in that never-ending desert road.

I took a stroll in El Calafate before getting back to the hotel. A small Las Vegas, with its own casino (...), in the middle of this desert. Just with better taste. The wind getting stronger and stronger, not cold though. It gave the clouds the most amazing shapes and aspects.

I was back in my room in time to enjoy the afternoon colours of Lago Argentino and the sky from my huge window. The sun had finally started descending. It can be really disorientating for a South European watching the sun in these latitudes.