Francisco Pascagoula Moreno, or Perito Moreno as he is better known, was an Argentine scientist, naturalist, conservationist, politician, explorer and geographer. Dying in 1919 at the age of 67, he is a bit of a legend in Argentina. Not only are numerous streets and plazas throughout the country named after him, a large town and a huge national park also bear his name. Yet he is most famous for his association with the Perito Moreno Glacier, close to the tourist town of El Calafate in Santa Cruz province. The glacier, measuring a huge 30km in length, was duly named following the extensive research work in the Glacier National Park area, carried out by the man of many talents and careers.
We arrived to the town following a grueling drive from Rio Gallegos. The last 3 hours of the drive were spent literally fighting against the cross-winds. I can’t stress how exhausting it is driving in such conditions. It takes all your strength, both physically and mentally to keep the campervan traveling in a straight direction. However arrive we did, and I for one was absolutely delighted.
We celebrated with a stroll around the lovely town and ice creams for all. It may have been autumn in southern Patagonia, but as the kids always remind us, it really always is a good time for ice cream! Having gotten ourselves in their good books, we doubled down with a quick trip to the local playground. Well we thought it would be quick that is. After a slow start, the kids made friends and soon turned into a combination of an immovable object and an unstoppable force. They spent hours playing with locals, tourists and of course their parents. Football, baseball and chasing were among the popular games played, however this blog is too short to list them all. We ended the day with a visit to the bahia or “bay” at the edge of the town. There we saw flamingos in their thousands as the sun set behind the mountains. All in all, a very good start to our trip to El Calafate.
Next day we headed to a glacier museum located on the edge of town. It was a fantastic experience, where children and adults were able to learn a huge amount about the glaciers of not only Argentina and Chile, but those located worldwide. It was really useful in retrospective, as this knowledge helped us appreciate what was to come. We left there and drove about an hour to the edge of the Glacier National Park, where the following day we would go to see the famous Perito Moreno Glacier.
As we very often do with the campervan, we “wild-camped” that night. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, this essentially means parking the vehicle and sleeping in it in a place that is not a campsite. This can take the form of a petrol station, a town square, a port, a beach, a mountain, a jungle, a desert…well you get the picture! That night we found a beautiful spot, nestled off a quiet country road, beside a river with snow-capped mountains towering around us on all sides. Mobile coverage was non-existent so we had the pleasure of each other’s undivided attention and happily played board games together late into the evening.
Having negotiated the park entrance and lengthy entrance drive, we eventually arrived at the departure point for the glacier trek. Laura and Olivia would do this for the morning (Diego was still too young to be allowed). As they set off with their helmets, crampons and warm clothing, the two boys settled in for a morning of climbing, rock-throwing, excavating and digging around the lakes edge. On their arrival later that morning, we were greeted with stories of incredible views and unique sights. They had loved the experience, especially Olivia who had been apprehensive when signing up to the adventure. It had not been easy they said, as maneuvering on such a structure was very challenging, even with the latest gear and technology.
After a quick sandwich in the campervan and drive to the glacier walkways, the four of us would get to experience the glacier in all its beauty and might. To be fair to the Argentinians, they know how to build a tourist walkway. For the Perito Moreno Glacier, they have built almost 5km of fantastic walkways, allowing visitors to view this marvel from a multitude of angles. The scale of the walkways also affords space to visitors, meaning that the often-felt discomfort around such a big tourist attraction was not evident for us.
Seeing the glacier up close and in person really does take your breath away. It’s immense size, structure and rawness is only trumped by the sight and sound of the ice “calving” or falling from the glacier into the waiting water. This deafening roar brought out gasps and roars from visitors young and old throughout the afternoon. As the rain began to fall at the end of our walkways route, our children dragged us away and back to the campervan. They had hugely enjoyed the glacier, but were clear in their message that it was now time to leave. It was barely above freezing so they may have had a point! We left the national park and drove the thirty minutes to the local port, where we would sleep for the night ahead of a boat trip we would take the next day to see a few more glaciers in the national park.
Our last day in the world of glaciers would be mostly spent in a boat cruising across Lake Argentina. Given it is Argentina’s largest lake, this would take our captain several hours to complete. On our trip, we would see three separate glaciers, some up close and personal, others only visible from the safety of several kilometers away due to iceberg related dangers. We would also get a nice lunch in a purpose built complex close to one of the glaciers. Arriving back to the port, we were glad of the experience, but probably felt that it may have been a glacier too much for the kids that day.
As we left the national park and headed back on the road due north, with a car full of sleeping passengers, I reflected on our brief visit to the national park, its glaciers, and the pioneer who brought this part of the world to the international spotlight. How must he have navigated such rough and hostile terrain to identify, understand and map such natural structures? How could this be have done this with mere woolen jumpers and leather shoes to protect him from the harsh elements? How could he have navigated a freezing body of water 150 years ago, roughly the size of Greater London? Here we were driving a heated campervan, arriving to hand-crafted walkways, travelling in a state-of-the-art catamaran and eating in an idyllic purpose-built restaurant. And we were all shattered from the “effort” we had made.
Sometimes we (and I very much include myself in this) take the name of a place for granted. There is a reason the powers that be decide to reflect the lives of particular people on their streets, plazas, buildings or landscapes. Perito Moreno spent his life dedicated to the discovery and protection of areas of incredible natural beauty. This was all done in the harshest possible conditions, risking life and limb all along the way.
Señor Moreno, me quitó el sombrero ante usted (“I tip my hat to you”).
Click here to read the “A Hiker’s Paradise” blog post
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