We spent the rest of our time in Patagonia visiting El Calafate—a small town (though bigger than El Chaltén) most notable for being located close to the Perito Moreno glacier, a natural wonder of the world.

Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers that is advancing and growing, not retreating, and is the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water. Like the creeks around El Chaltén, you can drink directly from the glacier water pools at Perito Moreno. The impressive glacier is also larger in area than the city of Buenos Aires, stretching 30 kilometers into the mountains!

To visit the glacier, we went through an organized day tour (booked through our hostel) that was split into three parts:

Balconies: We spent the first hour walking along ramps and balconies directly in front of the glacier, which provided panoramic views of its entire north face that juts into the Argentino Lake. From here, we saw lots of ice chunks fall off (or “calve”) in the warm, mid-day sun.

Something not captured in the pictures is the sound of the glacier—when you’re looking at it in real life, it seems so still, but really it’s quite alive with sound and movement. You can hear the water trickling through crevices all over the glacier, the diminishing echoes of ice chunks that previously calved due to the warm sun, and the ominous cracking sound of another impending break.

Boat trip: Then we took a 20-minute boat ride for a closer look at the glacier. The ride ends on the other side of the lake, where you can now access the glacier by land.

Ice trekking: Put on your crampons, it’s time to go on the ice! This was the “mini-trekking” portion of the tour, where we actually could walk on the glacier itself. It was definitely one of our coolest (jokes!) experiences of the trip so far. 

Crampons are metal spikes that tie around your shoes. They felt really weird to walk in at first but were remarkably good at keeping us secure on the ice, even when going downhill.

On the ice, we could explore the glacier’s many deep crevices, blue pools, and icy slopes. 

And the trek ends with a glass of whiskey on (glacier) rocks!

Travel Notes:

• If you can, do an excursion at Perito Moreno that takes you on the ice! We both thought the extra cost was definitely worth it for the experience.
• If you’re spending a day at Perito Moreno, pack and bring your own lunch—there may be some food options while you’re there, but it’s limited and more expensive.
• Credit cards are accepted in many of the stores and restaurants, including the grocery store, but have cash for any bus tickets and your hostel. Luckily, El Calafate (the town, not the airport) does have functioning ATMs, so also use this stop to stock up on cash, especially if you’re going to El Chaltén next.