Perito Moreno Glacier Trek: Worth the Cost
Of all my days in South America, the day I visited the famous Perito Moreno Glacier was hands down the most expensive day out, but also one of the most spectacular. The Perito Moreno Glacier is within Los Glaciares National Park, in the Santa Cruz region of Argentina. As a UNESCO world heritage site, LGNP is the largest park in Argentinas Protected Areas System and is partly covered by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
Perito Moreno is the only the third largest glacier in the ice field, yet at 254 square kilometres is still bigger than Buenos Aires City. It is special because not only is it the most accessible, with tours to and from the glacier daily and wheelchair access to viewpoints, but it is also one of the only glaciers that is in equilibrium, rather than receding. Because of its position and growth trends, the Perito Moreno Glacier also undergoes 'ruptures' after it creates a dam wall between Brazo Rico and Lago Argentino when it reaches the shoreline. For video, images and information about these rupture events, which have come to be known as one of the most impressive natural spectacles on the planet, head to https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/south-america/argentina/perito-moreno-glacier-collapse-video-argentina-patagonia-spd/ . I only wish I could have seen one, because even the tiny amounts I did see fall off the glacier as part of its natural process I thought were damn spectacular themselves!
Initially, when I headed over to South America, just visiting the glacier was on my to do list. A simple visit to viewpoints and walkways that show off its beauty are not overly expensive. But as I did more and more research, I knew I would regret not grabbing the possible once in a lifetime opportunity of getting to actually walk on the glacier itself, despite the blowout in budget that came with it.
I waited until I was in El Calafate, the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park and Perito Moreno, to book onto a tour. I highly recommend doing this, as you can never be sure of the weather, so it gives you a chance to book just the day before and know you will get the best experience. All you have to do is walk down the main strip of El Calafate and you will find many different companies offering tours every day. After scouting around online, I found Hielo y Aventura got the best reviews and had the best price, so I visited their sales shop first and was able to get a tour the next morning. For the tour, I paid 9000 Argentine Pesos (Approx $219AUD), which included transport to and from the glacier, plenty of time to walk the walkways, and then a Mini-Trekking tour of the ice. Mini-Trekking allows for 90 minutes on the ice, otherwise if you have a bigger budget you can do Big Ice, which is 3 hours ice time. None of the tours I looked at included food, or the park entry fee (800 Pesos, paid on the bus in cash when you get to the park).
The day started early because I was in a hostel that was not on the designated pick up list, so I had to walk 1km to the main office of Hielo y Aventura for pick up at 8am. The bus ride was around 90 minutes, and we had an on board tour guide who spoke in both english and spanish that explained what we were seeing in the surrounding landscape. Sometimes I find these to be boring or irrelevant, but on this trip I found our guide to be extremely interesting and loved all the info she provided about both the nature and wildlife.
It was an extremely cold and dreary morning, with on and off rain, but dressed in my trusty Arc'teryx waterproof jacket and layers, the conditions took absolutely nothing away from the incredible surrounds. Because of the weather, they opted for us to spend time on the walkways first, admiring the enormity and beauty of the glacier. Walking alone along the walkways, I quietly listened to the groans and cracks of the glacier that were interspersed with indescribable crashes as massive chunks of it hit the water. Because of the weather there weren't too many people there, so I was lucky enough to find myself completely alone on a viewing platform. This is one of those moments in life you close your eyes and return to, just to try to capture its incredible essence again. The glacier is huge in the truest sense of the word, and the way the colours glisten throughout it from stark white to the most beautiful pristine blue, is a sight you have to see in person to believe.
After an hour on the walkways, I headed to the cafe to buy a cup of tea to warm my hands and eat my packed lunch (the cafe there is big with a diverse range of options for anyone that doesn't want to bring food from town). We were then driven 15 minutes back towards El Calafate to where the boats that take us across to the glacier leave from. The boat ride was cold if you were outside, but comfortable and warm in the interior. We were on the boat for 20 spectacular minutes, getting up close to the glaciers 70m high terminus as we weaved around icebergs.
After the boat trip, we stored our bags in the dedicated Hielo y Aventura hut that had warm fires and cups of tea ready for our return. We were then split into english speaking and spanish speaking groups and walked 10 minutes through a dense forest to the edge of the glacier, where we were fitted for crampons and shown how to walk in them.
Finally, we were on the ice, and thankfully the weather had cleared for us. At the start the ice is all a bit murky and covered in dirt as it merges with the forest, but after a short climb it became the pristine white ice you would imagine. Over the 90 minutes on the ice, we were taken over cravasses, allowed to try out the guides ice axes, shown deep holes in the ice that gave off the majestical blue colour I truly cannot describe, and told lots of information about how it forms and the importance of glaciers for our planet.
The trekking was not overly strenuous, people of all ages and abilities could take part, but it was very cold. As the trek came close to the end, we were surprised with a bar table set up on the ice, and were each served a shot of whisky over ice blocks we watched get dug out from the glacier. It was an incredible and warming end to the trek before making our way back through the forest to the boat trip and bus ride home, arriving back in El Calafate at about 6pm.
Overall, there is no way I could do my day at Perito Moreno Glacier justice in writing. All I can say is that if you have the opportunity and means to trek on the ice, do it. From the incredible experience I had, I highly recommend Hielo y Aventura, but there are many options if they are full. My top tips for it are check the weather forecast, pack lots of extra layers (double gloves and waterproof pants were a godsend!), and if you have a good camera, this glacier is one place you certainly want to have it on you.
Still We Rise