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New Year In Southern Patagonia

By on 1. January 2008 in Argentina
The whole family in front of Lago Onelli, Parque Nacional De Los Glaciares, El Calafate, Argentina

The whole family in front of Lago Onelli, Parque Nacional De Los Glaciares, El Calafate, Argentina

On January 1st, “Der Standard”, an Austrian newspaper, reported that about 650.000 people partied in the streets of Vienna, Austria, a city of 1.7 million inhabitants. Well, what we experienced in Patagonia was completely different. We were very far from the typical New Year’s Eve frenzy that we have never enjoyed when being in Europe at that time. Here in southern Patagonia, we would not have noticed the arriving of the New Year, if our hostal, the America Del Sur, had not organized a small party to celebrate the event. Continue Reading →

Ice-Trekking On Perito Moreno

By on 31. December 2007 in Argentina
View from the boat - Glacier Perito Moreno, El Calafate, South Patagonia, South America

View from the boat – Glacier Perito Moreno, El Calafate, South Patagonia, South America

Our tour of Perito Moreno first took us to a Mirador on the shore of Lago Argentino from where we could view a large part of the glacier’s front, basically the area between Peninsula Magallanes and the northern shore of the lake. The view is not only an overwhelming visual experience, but it is also an auditory one, with big chunks of ice noisily calving and collapsing into the lake. Often we heard noises that reminded of an avalanche breaking off but we could not see anything, the grumbling seemed to be coming from inside the glacier. Continue Reading →

A Little Glaciology

By on 30. December 2007 in Argentina
View from the Mirador - Glacier Perito Moreno, El Calafate, South Patagonia, South America

View from the Mirador – Glacier Perito Moreno, El Calafate, South Patagonia, South America

The reason why glaciers can be found at such a low altitude here has to do with the special climatic situation. Due to the moist-laden clouds coming in from the Pacific, an average of 30 meters of snow fall in this part of the Andes. As more snow builds up over the years and the pressure increases, the snow turns into ice. That extra weight forces the glacier to move downhill. The terrain it moves along is not plain and smooth, so the ice cracks and develops bizarre deformities, called crevasses. It is these wild forms and the various shades of blue that make glaciers such subjects of awe. Add the milky green waters of the glacier lakes, blue skies, snow-capped mountains in the background and green trees growing all the way down to the lake, you have the perfect tourist attraction. Continue Reading →

Trekking In El Chalten

By on 29. December 2007 in Argentina
A pleasant 1.5 hour walk from El Chalten to a Mirador from where we could see at least parts of Fitz Roy, the surrounding mountains and the glacier on the bottom, El Chalten, South Patagonia, Argentina

A pleasant 1.5 hour walk from El Chalten to a Mirador from where we could see at least parts of Fitz Roy, the surrounding mountains and the glacier on the bottom, El Chalten, South Patagonia, Argentina

The northern part of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares is a newer travel destination and most visitors go there in order to trek and get a view of majestic Cerro Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. Unfortunately, both are very difficult to spot, since they are almost always covered by clouds. We met people who went three days in a row to finally see all of Cerro Fitz Roy, but still could not see Cerro Torre. Continue Reading →

El Calafate – Parque Nacional Los Glaciares

By on 29. December 2007 in Argentina
Glacier Upsala, the biggest glacier in South America, Parque Nacional de los Glaciares, El Calafate, South Patagonia, South America

Glacier Upsala, the biggest glacier in South America, Parque Nacional de los Glaciares, El Calafate, South Patagonia, South America

Our first excursion in El Calafate took us to this National Park. After a short bus ride to Puerto Bandera, we embarked our boat, the Quo Vadis, a state of the art catamaran designed for 310 people, for the trip on Lago Argentino. Although we knew we would get to see some of the most spectacular glaciers on this globe, we were overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the glaciers and incredible display of colors. Continue Reading →

Staying At The Hostal America Del Sur

By on 28. December 2007 in Argentina
Hostal America del Sur, one of the best Hostels we have ever experienced, El Calafate, South Patagonia, Argentina

Hostal America del Sur, one of the best Hostels we have ever experienced, El Calafate, South Patagonia, Argentina

El Calafate, the gateway to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and especially to Glaciar Perito Moreno, has all the features of a typical frontier town. The main drag, Avenida Libertador San Martin, is lined with souvenir shops, restaurants and tour operators. There is nothing much to discover once you leave this street. The road to our hotel, only 10 minutes from the center, is a dirt road, further out that there is nothing but Patagonian steppe, which means vast flat emptiness. Continue Reading →