Rakabudiswa: 02.02.2018
Glacier Perito Moreno is the ice behemoth. One of the few stable glaciers that still exist on Earth. The starting point is the city of El Calafate. It doesn't have much else to offer. Glacier Perito Moreno is located 80km outside the city and can only be reached by car or an expensive bus. The entry fee of €20 per day is not a bargain. But the view was worth it.
I booked the budget version, simply a bus with a guide and 3 hours on the platforms in front of the glacier. Of course, there are many different ways to explore the glacier. Jürgen, for example, booked the mini tracking on the glacier.
In the morning, the bus picked me up at the hostel and we drove to the glacier. It was raining above the glacier and the sun was shining behind us. At the first stop, we could see a rainbow. Breathtaking! The ice masses sticking out 70m above the water surface were simply insane. Then we continued to the actual viewing platforms. The glacier grows about 2m per day in winter and runs through a lake. In summer, it dams up the lake until it has built up enough pressure to burst the glacier. The platforms run along the mountain opposite the glacier valley. So you can get very close to the glacier right now.
I found myself a nice spot with a perfect view of most parts of the glacier. Now it was just a matter of listening to the forces of nature. The ice was cracking, thundering, and rumbling all the time. It's simply gigantic how much energy is released here. Everyone was waiting for a piece to break off and crash into the water. Since the whole thing is huge, the sound reaches you delayed. So you always had to keep your eyes on the glacier because when you heard it crack, the piece was usually already halfway submerged in the water. So I spent almost 2 hours just watching the giant from the railing. Small pieces break off constantly. It's just fun to watch the whole thing. Most of the time, only smaller pieces broke off. But then I was lucky enough to see a big slab break and hear the crack and splash.
A completely successful tour unfortunately ended way too quickly.
Unfortunately, the camera can't focus properly on the glacier, but I think you still get a good impression ;)