Perito Moreno

Perito Moreno

On paper, the plan involved a relatively quiet day of transfer to El Calafate. However, it turned out to be much more, becoming a day that will be difficult to forget.

We made our way comfortably to Puerto Natales, spending the first hours on some shopping, so we left at 10:30 AM heading north. We passed by Puerto Bories again, a former meat processing plant, and crossed the border into Cerro Castillo (Chilean side) and Cancha Carrera (Argentine side). This is a relatively quiet border crossing, and the process takes only a short time. You almost get the feeling that the officials are just trying to waste their time and have someone to talk to. If they are Italian, they start using some of our language and begin talking about any topic we can relate to, primarily football. Looking at the Argentine register (the computer is still something to discover), we find out that only four vehicles crossed on December 27th. This happens during peak season, and the lounge behind the counter with television and sofa provides a solution for the stress that those working in this area must experience, but also their frustration mixed with loneliness. The concept of formality in uniforms is very different at these latitudes, and the times when authoritarian regimes that ruled these countries imposed martial law on the military seem like distant memories. We start a long stretch of unpaved road through a desert interspersed with small blue lakes, where groups of pink flamingos appear as if from nowhere. We stop for a snack in Esperanza, in the same bar where we stopped last week during our transfer to Rio Gallegos. Here, we see that the weather is stable and we start to realize the possibility of ending the year "with a bang". By pressing on the accelerator, we arrive at El Calafate, where we make a brief stop at Cabañas Nevis to book tickets for a boat tour of the glaciers for the following day, and then head straight to Perito Moreno, which is 85 km from El Calafate. It's almost 4:16 PM, and four hours later, we have our dinner appointment. Since it's the last day of the year, the Michelangelo restaurant made an exception for us, allowing us to eat earlier, thus avoiding the traditional New Year's Eve feast.

Expressing the feelings that one feels upon arrival Visiting the Perito Moreno glacier is impossible. The view with the sun, besides representing an example of spectacular rarity, allows you to admire the various shades of ice-blue and to distinguish more clearly its peaks that form it. This is the glacier One of the most famous and unique places in Patagonia, and certainly one of the most famous and special in the world. After a descent of over 30 km from the large Patagonian ice field, the Perito Moreno glacier face plunges into Lago Argentino and crosses it for 5 km until it appears as an imposing vertical wall reaching 60-70 meters above the surface of Lago Argentino: one of the last, advances by almost 2 meters per day, causing enormous glacial structures, some as tall as multi-story buildings, to collapse continuously and spectacularly. In reality, the glacier rests part of its face on the mainland of the Magellan Peninsula. A river flows beneath the glacier, connecting the Rico Arm to the rest of Lago Argentino in this way. At present, the classic dam that forms, obstructing the flow of water from the Arm, is partially open, thanks to the tunnel created by the water. The warm day accelerates the process of calving with loud and rapid noises, which are easily visible to the eye, making it more difficult with a camera, although the distance from the face is very short.

Politics and society

We return with our eyes full of beautiful views and prepare to satisfy our appetites as well. At the restaurant, we enjoy a delicious meal, and the fillet continues to be the most popular dish, this time accompanied by Malbec wine. One of the local vineyards, unlike others (Merlot, Sauvignon, Cabernet, etc.), comes from Europe. We leave when it's almost midnight, when we are on the main street (Av. de Libertadores) welcoming the new year. As in all places, there are impromptu fireworks displays that are worth seeing, but nothing can compare to the spectacle we witnessed.

Perito Moreno and weather characteristics