After the thrills and spills of Buenos Aires I took a two and a half hour flight to El Calafate in the heart of Patagonia, towards the very south of the Country. From the moment we started descending towards the airport I knew I was in for something special over the coming days. The views were incredible.
El Calafate is a nice town with some cute cottage style houses but there isn´t really a whole lot to do there. It was merely a place to base myself as I went discovering the natural beauty of the surrounding areas.
The highlight was without any doubt the Perito Moreno Glacier, situated in Los Glaciares National Park, about 70km´s from El Calafate. It was possibly the most spectacular piece of natural scenery I have ever seen. This glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that is growing in size. The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 kilometres wide, with an average height of 74 m above the surface of the water of Lake Argentino. It has a total ice depth of 170 metres. Every so often part of the glacier breaks off and creates an incredibly loud thunder like sound. Furthermore the natural surroundings make the glacier all the more spectacular, with a backdrop of snow capped mountains, forests and gorgeous bright blue lakes with the sun glistening against it. I was very fortunate that the weather was bright and sunny which only added to the viewing pleasure.
After spending a few hours walking around the various viewing trails, I took a short boat ride which brought me up even closer to the glacier. The views from the boat were spectacular with many icebergs located in the lake surrounding Perito Moreno.
Once the boat journey had concluded I began the highlight of the day. With the help of crampons I undertook a one and a half hour hike through the glacier itself. It was quite an experience walking on such an enormous piece of ice and experiencing its many crevices, lakes and mini waterfalls, all of which changes frequently as the glacier advances. It really is a photographers dream. At the end of the trek we were given a complementary glass of Famous Grouse, on the rocks. Usually I don´t enjoy the Grouse, especially when consumed in shot format, but this occasion was different as our guide used the ice from the glacier to enhance our drinks. Certainly the nicest glass of whisky I´ve ever had.
The following day I took a trip to El Chalten where I hoped to catch a glimpse of the famous Fitz Roy mountain and experience a couple of the supposedly beautiful treks the place has to offer. Sadly the weather was not quite as kind as it was the day before. No sooner had I arrived in the village I was greeted with horrible rain, freezing cold and extremely strong winds. I was completely unprepared for such conditions. No water proof clothes, no water proof hiking shoes, nothing! I attempted one of the trails for 25 minutes before I made the sensible decision to turn back, and save myself the hassle of a bout of pneumonia. It was disappointing but after the sensational weather the day before I really cannot complain.
Patagonia is simply an amazing place. The scenery is breathtaking with many mountains and its deserted landscape with limited rough vegetation. It is one of those places that you don´t get bored looking out the window during a bus journey. This is something I will be very thankful of over the next day as I am about to embark on a 24 hour bus journey to Puerto Madryn, where I will banter away with penguins and whales. A combination of the scenery, music, Spanish lessons on my Ipod, and Paula Radcliffe´s autobiography should be enough to keep me sane.
Later
No comments:
Post a Comment