Perito Moreno Glacier - A Must See
Lago Argentino. ISO80, 35mm, f/11, 1/320sec, handheld
We started from equator in September, and arrived in El Calafate at 50 degrees south latitude, with a gradual move southward over the past 1.5 months. The city is a hub in Patagonia and the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park.
Lago Argentino. ISO50, 16mm, f/13, 13sec, 10-stop filter used for long exposure
Even before we landed in the airport, my eyes were completely drawn to the turquoise color from Lago Argentino (Lake Argentina) - the largest lake in Argentina. I could easily mistaken that as somewhere in the Caribbean.
I guess everyone visiting El Calafate would want to put Perito Moreno Glacier on their calendar. There are so many tour options, and we were a bit overwhelmed. To make life easier, we simply followed our Airbnb host’s recommendation and took on a full day Mayo Spirit Trek boat tour from Southern Spirit. It turned out to be our favorite full day guided excursions in South America.
We loved it as we not only felt the height of the glacier from a close distance from the boat, but also sensed the mega size of the glacier from the "balcony" as the locals describe it.
We also took several stress-free hikes to see mountains, waterfalls etc. Scenic views were everywhere.
There was a dedicated photographer on the tour, who offered to take family photos for us. What a huge bonus!
During one hike, we somehow were left behind. Apollo and I ran down the mountain trail almost non stop, even I realized we passed almost everyone else. He was so relieved to find the boat was still there. I couldn’t stop smiling while following my well-exercised boy!
On our last land stop, we were told to leave bulky stuff on the boat and completely free our hands while walking off the boat because the wind was so strong that... you can complete the sentence with your imagination here. That probably explains the shape of our boat? (See above photo)
Anyway, the balcony walk was manageable even for our 2 year old. Instead of taking a shuttle, we chose to walk back to the windy dock along the balcony. It took us 25 minutes, a bit chilly but totally worthwhile!
I took over 600 photos, more than any other day since the beginning of the trip.
The only drawback here is the wind - it was so loud outside our Airbnb window that it sounded like a hurricane. It reminded me of our Iceland trip before we had kids.
For the first time, I had to give up a sunset shoot even my viewpoint was only 2 minutes walk away.
See more posts about our family trip in Argentina.
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If you want to know where we’ve traveled during our 9 weeks in South America, find your table of contents here. Also featuring my favorite family travel video in Galapagos.