If you are interested in my trip, I travelled with G Adventures for 2 weeks on their End of the Earth tour which you can read more about here.
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When the Argentinians discovered Patagonia (and got rid of all the natives), they wanted people to relocate from the north to live there but nobody would. So they went further afield and persuaded the Italians and Spanish (who chose the mountainous most southern part), the Welsh (the middle part) and the English (who preferred the flat land of the northern most part). They all became farmers and there is still a big Welsh community there today (and is the largest Welsh speaking community outside of Wales).
Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina is really awe-inspiring. The photo above is Perito Moreno glacier which is absolutely stunning, I don’t know if I have ever seen a natural phenomenon quite so jaw dropping. The glacier is 30km long, 5km wide and 60m high and advances at a rate of 2m per day so is considered stable. This forward movement causes huge icebergs to calve from its face (we weren’t lucky enough to see this happen).
However we were so lucky with the weather again – the sun had come out for us by the time we had walked to the best viewpoints. The glacier is such an amazing colour blue and I found myself just staring at it, mesmerised – the photos don’t do it justice.
By the time we got back to Calafate it had really warmed up so we found a rooftop bar and had a few beers. We then went to a restaurant Rodrigo recommended that did excellent home cooked food and then onto La Zorra (The Fox) bar where we had ‘fernet’ and coke which is a liquor that tastes very herby and slightly weird! I was sitting enjoying my drink when someone walked past behind me and corrected my posture! I know it’s not great but I’ve never had somebody physically correct it before….
The next day we travelled further south and crossed the border to Chile. There were huge posters of wanted men as I presented my passport to the border guards which were a little unnerving! I guess the idea is to make you remember them 😉
The landscape in Patagonian Chile feels quite different – it seems greener, there are more trees and more wildlife too. Our destination was Puerto Natales which is on the Pacific coast although it looks more like a big lake as there is so much land around. They found the river at Christmas which is where it gets its name from. We found a lovely vegan restaurant for lunch which was nice and cosy and run by an English woman. It really does make you wonder how people end up where they do…..
We had a meeting with our guide at 6pm and he really whetted our appetite for hiking and camping – I feel really excited now! We went to another great restaurant for dinner which specialised in seafood (my favourite) – I had a plate full of octopus, scallops, mussels and king crab. I’m having to remind myself of the exchange rate, there are around 750 Chilean pesos to the pound. It seems a little cheaper than Argentina but not a great deal – I think Chile’s economy is more stable. We got all our stuff ready for camping for 2 nights then got an early night!
If you are interested in my trip, I travelled with G Adventures for 2 weeks on their End of the Earth tour which you can read more about here.
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Beautiful Photographs in your article today on the glacial wonders in Argentina, the photographs give you the feeling you are right there.
Is there a better time of the year to visit Argentina, what other sights would I might wish to explore while I was there?
What other beautiful places are there to visit and explore, how old are these glacial wonders and what is the weather like there year round?
Hi Jeffrey, many thanks for your comments.
The sights of Patagonia (both the Chilean and Argentinian areas) were absolutely stunning, I would recommend the Fitzroy Mountain Range – you can base yourself in El Chalten and do day treks or camp along the way. The Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile is also beautiful – I have written further posts on both. They are absolutely wonderful for trekking.
The weather is best in the summer, the best months are generally December to February. In the winter it gets pretty cold and visibility is far worse. The glacier has been around since the last ice age which I think was about 20,000 years ago?! Pretty incredible!
Please let me know if you are going to book a trip there, I’d be happy to give you some tips!
Louise
Wow Louise! This has really fired me up to travel South America. I’ve done South East Asia and Australia/New Zealand/Fiji and am thinking about my next trip now – Patagonia looks beautiful.
Cost wise is it an expensive place to travel? Do you recommend South America as a good place to travel?
Hi Steve, I’m glad you enjoyed my post.
I can definitely recommend South America. It varies wildly in terms of cost, scenery and culture and really determines what kind of trip you are after. If you are into trekking I can definitely recommend Patagonia, it was absolutely stunning. It is fairly pricey in both Argentina and Chile – especially at the moment with Argentina’s rising inflation rate. Bolivia is a lot cheaper.
Let me know if you are going to book a trip – I am happy to give you more tips and suggestions!
Hi Louise,
Omigosh, how stunning! Are you a professional photographer?
You made me want to book a trip right now to go see those glaciers! I’ve always been interested in the southern part of South America, and have been an avid armchair traveler to those regions, since I was not able to get there, physically, yet.
You also offered up a good history lesson too — I had absolutely no idea that there was a large Welsh population in the region, wow!
Did you find much difference in the attitudes of the Argentineans and the Chileans?
Pat
Hi Pat – thank you for the compliment! No, I’m not a professional photographer but I do enjoy looking for good viewpoints/angles. Believe it or not, all my photos were taken with the iPhone 6.
Honestly, I could not recommend Patagonia highly enough, it was absolutely stunning and if you’re into trekking then its a must-do. I had no idea about the welsh population either, the history of the region is fascinating. Butch Cassidy hid out there for a time too….
No, I didn’t find much difference in their attitudes, in fact I made friends with people of both nationalities 🙂 The argentinians would argue that the Chileans wear their hearts on their sleeve a bit too much…..but I found both nationalities to be pretty passionate!
Please let me know if you’re thinking about booking a trip, I’d be happy to help out with suggested itineraries/places to stay etc 🙂
Thanks for your comment!
Louise
Wow, that is quite a glacier. I’ve never seen one up close. When I think of glaciers, I think of up above the Arctic Circle. Seeing one of the largest sand dunes up in Greenwich, Prince Edward Island is one of the largest natural wonders I have seen. I’ll have to go down to Argentina some day and see this glacier.
Thanks for your comments Kevin.
It was absolutely incredible, its hard to put into words (or photos for that matter) just how wonderful it was! I’d never seen anything like it – we just stared at it for ages!
Wow Louise! That must be an amazing experience for you to have been there! Would definitely consider putting this on my bucket list as I need to visit more of South America. It is definitely a “Glacial Wonder!.” I love your pictures and I enjoyed your post. Keep it up!