Excursion to El Calafate

Southern Patagonia El Calafate

It is a nice tourist village of a little more than 3,000 inhabitants, that nestles at the base of the cliff on the shore of the vast Lake Argentino (‘Argentine Lake’) and which offers very good and varied accommodation and day excursion. It is surrounded by small farms that grow vegetables and fruit trees forming a belt around the small urban center. The city is crossed by El Calafate Stream, which divides the village in two. A few meters from the center of the city, a gravel road leads to Nimes Lagoon, near the lake shore, a small bird reserve which houses an important population of black-necked swans, flamingoes, ducks and upland geese surrounded by a dark sand beach. Some 8 km from El Calafate the Punta Walichu Cave which gathers some replicas of paintings made by the local aborigines more than 4,000 years ago. These reproductions of the original paintings helps visitors to understand a world unknown to them.
El Calafate is the National Capital of the Glaciers and the most important city in the area. Traveling 51 km from El Calafate, you reach the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares (‘Glaciers National Park’), which protects an area covered by glacier tongues coming down from the Campo de Hielo Sur (‘Southern Patagonian Ice Cap’), relicts of the last glaciations in the Quaternary Period. Its core is in the Andes between the 40º and 51º parallels of southern latitude. This field adopts a longitudinal shape running from north to south with an extension of about 350 km and a surface of 14,300 km2 approximately. 47 major glaciers descend from this ice field, some of them belonging to the Atlantic basin, such as: Marconi, Viedma, Moyano, Upsala, Bolados, Onelli, Agazzis, Peineta, Spegazzini, Mayo, Heims, Ameghino, Perito Moreno and Frías. All of these spill over the Argentino and Viedma Lakes, which determines the particular turquoise color of their waters due to the sediments and minerals dragged from the rocky beds of these ice rivers on the mountain slopes, that remain in suspension in the waters since their specific weight is lower to the water's. This allows natural light to penetrate only to a certain depth. The most renown of all the glaciers is the Perito Moreno Glacier. Situated 80 km from El Calafate, it is the most easily reached among them. This is an imposing ice river, 3-kilometer wide and 70-meter high in its front wall, that descends from the Campo de Hielo Sur down to the lake, at Canal de los Témpanos (‘Icebergs’ Channel’), only 200 meters above se level. It is the only glacier in the area which is considered to
be in equilibrium, that is: not receding. It has always been the most mportant attraction of the region thanks to its spectacular beauty, but specially ecause
of its unusual behavior. The glacier slowly advances down the mountain slope towards the lake, producing, as it spills down, thunderous noises and ruptures. Till a few years ago, the glacier used to grow till reachingPenínsula Magallanes, on the opposite margin of the lake, across the Canal de los Témpanos, blocking the natural flow of the water from one arm of the lake into the other, thus the pressure of the water trying to recover its natural course increased from year to year until it pierced the ice dam, producing the famous ‘fracture’. This unique phenomenon took place every 4-year periods or so, with tons of ice yielding to the force of the water, and bursting in a ascinating and thunderous dance of huge deep blue and green ice
blocks turning upside down. This process lasted up to 36 hours; peace and silence returned afterwards. The last fracture took place in 1988 and from then onwards the glacier has not been able to reach the peninsula;
some scientists think it is a natural cycle matter while some others think that the global warming is to be blamed. The Perito Moreno Glacier was declared
Mankind’s Heritage by UNESCO.The front wall of the glacier can be ppreciated from a series of walkways and belvederes situated on the peninsula. Adventure tourism has strongly developed in the last
decades and it has made it possible for many people to enter intangible areas where there is very little infrastructure. This is the case of the so-called
Minitrekking on the surface of the Perito Moreno Glacier. Sailing from Bajo de la Sombra Pier, located on the road that goes to the Perito Moreno Glacier, 7
km before reaching the walkways, the Rico Arm of the lake is crossed towards the southern margin of the lake. A short walk through a virgin forest up to the lateral moraines (or glacial sediments) of the glacier, allows visitors to reach the glacier. Here, the expert guides assist the inexperienced visitors to put on the crampons in order to enjoy an expedition on the millenary ice. An unforgettable experience that does not require any special training. Other ways to approach to the Perito Moreno Glacier are the boat excursions that depart from the local piers: the Nautical Safari, a 1-hour navigation facing the south wall of the glacier, embarking at Bajo de las
Sombras Pier; or the Moreno Fiesta, another 1-hour navigation along the north wall of the glacier, embarking at Moreno Pier. Some of the other glaciers are accessible by boat, most of the excursions departing from Puerto Bandera, situated 47 km from El Calafate. A few kilometers away
from the port the boats reach the narrowest strait of the Lake Argentino, known as Boca del Diablo (Devil’s Mouth). It is 1.5 km wide and it is the gateway to theNorth Arm of the lake. Pushed by the wind, numerous icebergs detached from the glacier fronts drift majestically on the water surface. The Spegazzini Glacier, located on the channel of the same name, has a surface of only 66 km2, and is one of the most beautiful glaciers
in the area with easy access. It is the one who boasts a highest wall over the lake surface due to its position between mountains. Once in the Onelli Bay, located on the channel of the same name, it is possible to disembark at the Juan Piñeiro Pier to walk through an ancient forest of lengas and ñires. After an 800-meter walk, you reach Lake Onelli where the Bolado,Onelli and Agassiz glaciers come down together towards the lagoon filling the
waters with drifting icebergs. On the shore of the Onelli Bay, there is a comfortable restaurant where it is possible to shelter from the cold and enjoy a bit of the simple but delicious local cuisine. The Lake Argentino reaches its deepest point (over 1,000 m) in front of Upsala Glacier, located two and a half hours away from Puerto Bandera. It is the largest continental
glacier in the southern hemisphere with 595 km2. The vessels approach to the glacial front as much as it is permitted by the mass of drifting icebergs. The glacier can also be reached by land, navigating into the Cristina Channel, towards the west of the Upsala Channel, and disembarking on the east bank of Península Herminita, at Estancia Cristina, to start a 3-hour walk upward along an old path opened by the Argentine Navy. During the walk, you will go across a lengas and ñires forest with a series of carved terraces and rocks perfectly polished by glacial erosion. The Cañadón de los Fósiles
(‘Gorge of the Fossils’) is a very good example thereof. Some 800 meters before arriving at the east wall of the glacier the Upsala Refuge, former seat of the ‘Instituto del Hielo Continental Patagónico Argentino’ (‘Argentine Patagonian Continental Ice Cap Institute’), built in 1953 to study the behavior of the glaciers of the area is based. The final point of this walk is a natural belvedere with a magnificent view of the Upsala Glacier, the valley and Mounts Cono, Bertachi and Murallón and their hanging glaciers. Sailing across the South Arm of the Lake Argentino, it is possible to reach Bull’s Bay. In this area, the highest mountains reflect into the bottom of the lake and create an imposing combination of green forests and eternal glaciers. This is the image ofMount Mayo with its glacier and of Mounts Negro and Ballena. A small black sand beach on the Toro Bay allows the access to a sector of the Andean-Patagonian forest of particular beauty where, besides the typical flora of the region, it is possible to see huge treeswhose trunks are over 2 m. wide and up to 25 m. tall. Going through this forest, you
arrive to the Del Toro Cascade, whose last fall is 60 m. high. The most important glacier in this area is Glacier Mayo, located in one of the most abrupt fjords of the Andes and surrounded by a dense forest. The icebergs of this glacier flow in a small lagoon, under the imposing towering mass of Mount Mayo. Lake Roca, located to the south of Lake Argentino, only 65 km from El Calafate, is an ideal place to walk around, horse ride, fish and camp. The way up to this place is a typically Patagonian road, where it is possible
to observe the local flora (broom sedge, calafate shrubs and other weeds) and several ovine cattle-raising ranches, where is interesting to visit the huge shearing barns, which come to life during the shearing season from December to February. It is also possible to observe a few original rupestrian paintings that will allow visitors to get in touch with the history of the primitive inhabitants of this lands. Passing by Lake Roca, the road finally ends at Estancia Nibepo Aike, located on the South Arm of Lake
Argentino, where you can take advantage of the chance to taste some delicious Patagonian lamb. From there you a walking path that skirts the shore of the South Arm towards the Tres de Abril and Fría Lagoons, offers a great view of the majestic mountains of the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile (in spite of the proximity between both parks, there is
no direct road that links them).