As mentioned in my last post, I now have an awesome travel companion to finish out my trip with. The super cool Katie B. met me in El Calafate and after another day relaxing in El Calafate and arranging logistics for the next few days, we jumped right into what Argentinian Patagonia has to offer, with the first stop being the Southern section of Glacier National Park.
We booked the "alternative" glacier tour to glacier Perito Moreno through the hostel we were staying in. The only alternative part seemed to be driving a different way into the park which allowed us to stop and pat some tamed guanacos and take several very necessary guanaco selfies. Then the real tour got underway with several hours walking along the pathways in front of the stunning glacier Perito Moreno. The pictures don't really do justice to how immense it is and of course can't capture the sound of the ice rumbling and cracking and the thundering noise every once in a while when a large chunk would break off and plunge into the lake below. Currently the glacier has actually reached the whole way across to the peninsula and has blocked the channel connecting the two sides of the lake. According to our guide, one half of the lake is actually six meters higher than the other. Eventually the water will wear away at the ice block which will collapse in magnificent fashion (according to pictures from previous years) and the lake will even out again.
From El Calafate, we took a brief detour the whole way down to the end of the world in Ushuaia (which will be another post) before coming back north again to hit the Northern section of Glacier near the town of El Chaltén. El Chaltén calls itself the trekking capital of Argentina and that claim definitely has some merit. There are a ton of trails that begin right in town, eliminating the need to take a bus or taxi anywhere. Katie and I decided to take advantage of the free camping in the park and spent three days enjoying the beautiful scenery and unnaturally beautiful weather (it was actually warm and sunny for our entire trek!) under the shadow of Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Torre. Treks around El Chalten often get compared to Torres de Paine (probably because a lot of backpackers end up doing them back to back)and while in my opinion, the hikes themselves don't offer the constant gorgeous scenery Torres does, the end points and overlooks of Fitzroy and Cerro Torre equal anything Torres has to offer. Definitely more than a worthwhile stop.
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| Mt. Fitzroy and it's range |
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| Lago de las Tres and Fitzroy |
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| Lago Torre and Cerro Torre |
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