Monday March 2, 2020
Many large glaciers form part of the Southern Patagonian Ice field located in the Andes ranges that is shared with Chile. One of the big attractions of El Calafate is the glaciers that feed into Lake Argentino.
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Map showing the Los Glaciers National Park and access from El Calafate.
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The Western or Andes end of the lake has seven glaciers that feed into its milky blue waters including Upsala, Seco, Heim, Spegazzini and Perito Moreno.
The largest glacier in this group, Upsula is only accessible by boat.
After collection from the hotel we travelled 45 km to Puerto Bandera of Lake Argentino and boarded our vessel, the large catamaran the Maria Turguesa.
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| Boarding our ship (right side) |
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| Heading to the glaciers |
Upsala Glacier is among seven glaciers feeding Lake Argentino, where boats dodge icebergs the size of small islands en route to the wall of ice. It is South America’s largest glacier, in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Los Glaciares National Park near El Calafate, measures 56 kilometres long and 10 kilometres wide.
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| Upsula Glacier. Named by the Swedish research team that explored it over 100 years ago |
The icebergs in the surrounding waters were also a great attraction
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| Scotch on the Rocks - the crew claimed the ice was about 500 years old. |
Another glacier we saw was Seco glacier.
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| Seco glacier in retreat |
Other glaciers were melting rapidly since it was just early autumn and the bedrock was warm.
The Spegazzni Glacier is an impressive sight because its wall onto the lake is over 130 meters high.
Puerto Moreno Glacier
The most famous glacier of Patagonia is Puerto Moreno - it began to form during the last Ice Age, which started approximately 2.6 million years ago and ended around 11,700 years ago. Scientists calculate that the
Perito Moreno glacier is approximately 18,000 years old.
The Perito Moreno Glacier, located 78 kilometres from El Calafate, was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile.
Only the northern face is accessible from Lake Argentino
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| The northern face of Puerto Moreno glacier |
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| The blocked channel that leads to the southern side |
Regular carving requires a safe distance from the terminus of the glacier.
A great experience viewing part of the ice field that is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water
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Upsala Glacier is among seven glaciers feeding Lake Argentino, where boats dodge icebergs the size of small islands en route to the wall of ice. It is South America’s largest glacier, in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Los Glaciares National Park near El Calafate, measures 56 kilometres long and 10 kilometres wide.
Regular carving requires a safe distance from the terminus of the glacier.
The icebergs in the surrounding waters were also a great attraction
The most famous glacier of Patagonia is Puerto Moreno - it began to form during the last Ice Age, which started approximately 2.6 million years ago and ended around 11,700 years ago. Scientists calculate that the Perito Moreno glacier is approximately 18,000 years old.
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