Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
portation. These nautical excursions allow you to sense the magnitude of Glaciar Perito
Moreno, still from a safe distance. Tours do not include transfers to Parque Nacional Los
Glaciares (AR$130 round-trip) and park entry fee.
THE STORY OF GLACIERS
Ribbons of ice, stretched flat in sheets or sculpted by weather and fissured by
pressure, glaciers have a raw magnificence that is mind-boggling to behold.
As snow falls on the accumulation area, it compacts to ice. The river of ice is
slugged forward by gravity, which deforms its layers as it moves. When the glacier
surges downhill, melted ice mixes with rock and soil on the bottom, grinding it into
a lubricant that keeps pushing the glacier along. At the same time, debris from the
crushed rock is forced to the sides of the glacier, creating features called moraines.
Movement also causes cracks and deformities called crevasses.
The ablation area is where the glacier melts. When accumulation outpaces melt-
ing at the ablation area, the glacier advances; when there's more melting or evap-
oration, the glacier recedes. Since 1980 global warming has contributed greatly to
widespread glacial retreat.
Another marvel of glaciers is their hue. What makes some blue? Wavelengths
and air bubbles. The more compact the ice, the longer the path that light has to
travel and the bluer the ice appears. Air bubbles in uncompacted areas absorb long
wavelengths of white light so we see white. When glaciers calve into lakes, they
dump a 'glacial flour' comprised of ground-up rock that gives the water a milky,
grayish color. This same sediment remains unsettled in some lakes and diffracts
the sun's light, creating a stunning palette of turquoise, pale mint and azure.
Hielo y Aventura
ICE TREKKING, CRUISE
( 02902-492205, 492094;
www.hieloyaventura.com
; Libertador 935, El Calafate)
Conventional
cruise Safari Nautico (AR$120, one hour) tours Brazo Rico, Lago Argentino and the
south side of Canal de los Témpanos. Catamarans crammed with up to 130 passengers
leave hourly between 10:30am and 4:30pm from Puerto Bajo de las Sombras. If it's busy,
buy tickets in advance for afternoon departures.
To hike on the glacier, try minitrekking (AR$670, under two hours on ice) or the
longer and more demanding Big Ice (AR$1070, four hours on ice). Both involve a quick
boat ride from Puerto Bajo de las Sombras, a walk through lenga forests, a chat on glaci-
ology and then an ice walk using crampons. Children under eight are not allowed; re-
serve ahead and bring your own food. Don't forget rain gear: it's often snowing around
the glacier and you might get wet and cold quickly on the boat deck.
