Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
378
EL CALAFATE AFTER DARK
La Toderia,
Av. del Liber tador 1177 (no phone), ser ves fast food during the day and
funky music at night.
Humus,
Gobernador Moyano and Bustillo (
&
02902/491144
) is
a very popular wine bar at the Posada los Alamos.
Don Diego de la Noche,
Avenida del
Libertador and 17 de Octuber (
&
02902/493270
), remains the town's most happening
late-night pub.
7
PARQUE NACIONAL LOS GLACIARES &
PERITO MORENO GLACIER
The Los G laciares National Park covers 600,000 hectar es (1.5 million acr es) of r ugged
land that str etches v ertically along the cr est of the Andes and spills east into r olling
steppe. Most of Los Glaciares is inaccessible to visitors except for the park's two dramatic
highlights: the granite needles, such as F itzRoy near El Chaltén (covered in “El Chaltén
& the FitzRoy Area,” below), and this r egion's magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier. The
park is also home to thundering riv ers, blue lakes, and thick beech for est. Los Glaciares
National Park was formed in 1937 and declar ed a World Heritage region by UNESCO
in 1981. It is a wild, r ugged, and yet sublimely beautiful landscape—one that offers up
surprise, wonder, adventure, and serenity all at once.
Named after famed Argentine scientist Francisco “Perito” Moreno (“perito” is the title
given to someone considered an expert in their field), the famous glacier P erito Moreno
is a must-see, as impor tant to Argentine culture and tourism as Iguazú Falls or the Casa
Rosada. Few natural wonders in South America are as spectacular or as easily accessed as
this glacier. It's just one fingertip in the imposing Patagonian Ice Cap, the fourth-largest
frozen mass in the world after the two poles and Greenland. Perito Moreno is one of the
few glaciers in the world that is not r eceding. Scientists like to stay that it is “ stable,” or
constantly growing and receding. Around 1900, Perito Moreno was measured at 750m
(2,460 ft.) from the Península Magallanes; by 1920, it had advanced so far that it finally
made contact with the peninsula wher e tourists no w walk the lo vely and ne wly refur-
bished boardwalk and take in views. Each time the glacier r eached the peninsula, which
would occur ev ery 3 to 4 y ears, it cr eated a dam in the channel that drastically alter ed
water levels on either side. Ov er the period of a fe w years, the built-up pr essure would
set off a calving explosion for 48 to 72 hours, br eaking the face of the glacier in a crash-
ing fury. The last time this happened was in July 2008, making news across the country.
Perito Moreno is usually reliable for sending a few huge chunks the size of buses hurling
into the channel thr oughout the day. Sit in silence with y our camera r eady and y ou're
almost certain to get a fabulous photo oppor tunity of a calving glacier.
What impresses visitors most is the sheer siz e of P erito Moreno Glacier—a wall of
jagged blue ice measuring 4,500m (14,760 ft.) acr oss and soaring 60m (197 ft.) abo ve
the channel. You literally could fit the entire city of Buenos Aires on it. From the parking
lot on the P enínsula Magallanes, a series of vista-point walkways descend, which take
visitors directly to the glacier's face. It's an unforgettable, spellbinding experience, wor th
taking in slowly so you can savor the view and capture the ice cracking off in photos or
videos. You can join an organiz ed group for a walk on the glacier , and ther e are boat
journeys leaving from Puerto Banderas for visits to the neighboring glaciers. I n 2008, a
12
