Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Exploring the Southern Sector
}
Lago Roca
34 miles (55 km) SW of El Calafate.
Te l
(02902) 492-797.
@
from El
Calafate.
Camping Lago Roca,
(02902) 499-500
∑
losglaciares.
com/campinglagoroca/indexe.html
A hidden gem, Lago Roca is a
turquoise lake fringed with
forests and overlooked by
snowy peaks. It offers excellent
camping and trekking
opportunities. For hikers, the
highlight is the 3-hour, medium-
level trail to the 4,220-ft
(1,286-m) summit of
Cerro
Cristal
; from the top there are
tremendous views of Glaciar
Perito Moreno, Lago Argentino,
and the Torres del Paine
mountain range in Chile.
At the foot of Cerro Cristal and
by the lake is
Camping Lago
Roca
, which offers plenty of
outdoor activities including
bicycle hire.
The southern sector of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares
is characterized by the magnificent glaciers that spill
downward from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the
great frozen plateau of ice that sits atop the southern Andes.
These glaciers are remnants of the Ice Age, when they
stretched far beyond their current boundaries, reaching the
Patagonian steppe and gouging deep U-shaped valleys as
they advanced. On the glaciers' retreat at the end of the
Pleistocene era, 10,000 years ago, these huge troughs were
filled with meltwater, forming the region's great lakes.
}
Glaciar Perito Moreno
53 miles (85 km) W of El Calafate.
@
from El Calafate.
g
from
Península Magellanes.
n
Ave
Libertador 1302, (02902) 491-005.
∑
parquesnacionales.gob.ar
Glaciar Perito Moreno is a
spectacular sight at 19 miles
(31 km) in length and 2.5 miles
(4 km) in width. Its ice flows
down from the cordillera into
the milky, mineral-rich waters
of
Lago Argentino
.
The most popular way to
observe the glacier is from
the catwalks on
Península
Magellanes
, 492 ft (150 m)
across Lago Argentino from the
glacier's face. Descending the
catwalks is an auditory and
visual experience heightened
each time a huge chunk of ice
breaks off the glacier's face and
tumbles into the
Canal de los
Témpanos
(Iceberg Channel) in
a process known as calving.
Boat excursions start from
docks
Muelle Bajo de las
Sombras
and
Muelle Perito
Moreno
, ferrying visitors to the
glacier's front wall.
}
Glaciar Upsala
75 miles (120 km) NW of El Calafate.
g
from Puerto Punta Bandera.
n
Fernandez Campbell, Ave
Libertador 867, (02902) 491-155.
∑
patagonia-argentina.com
Although less accessible than
Glaciar Perito Moreno, this
glacier is far bigger, stretching
to a mammoth 31 miles
(50 km) in length and covering
a surface area of 230 sq miles
(595 sq km). Once the biggest
glacier in South America, it is
now fast disappearing at a rate
of 656 ft (200 m) per year and
has lost its title to Glaciar
Viedma. Scien tists attri bute this
to global warming.
Full-day catamaran excursions
to Glaciar Upsala depart daily
from
Puerto Punta Bandera
.
The outward journey sails the
Brazo Upsala
(Upsala Arm) of
Lago Argentino, threading its
way through a mass of huge
blue icebergs towards the
glacier's face. Tour operators
also take visitors to Glaciars
Onelli
,
Agassiz
, and
Spegazzini
before returning to dock.
Hostería Helsingfors
112 miles (180 km) N of El Calafate.
Te l
(02966) 1567-5753.
Open
Nov-
Mar.
∑
helsingfors.com.ar
Located on the beautiful
southwestern shore of Lago
Viedma is Hostería Helsingfors.
Founded in 1917 by Finnish
pioneer Alfred Ranstrom, the
ranch was named for his
country's capital Helsingfors
(Helsinki in Swedish).
At the estancia, guests
can choose from eight
beautifully fitted rooms and
enjoy a range of excursions that
include boat trips across the
lake to Glaciar Viedma and treks
into the spectacular
surrounding mountains.
The turquoise Lago Roca overlooked by forests and snowy peaks
For hotels and restaurants see pp278-83 and pp288-99
