After leaving Torres del Paine exhausted, we arrived into El Calafate. It is a small town, situated close to the shores of the picturesque Lago Argentina (the 3d largest lake in South America). The town itself doesn´t have a great deal to write home about. It has a very touristy high street, which is nice, but nothing special, and some delicious but overpriced eateries! The real attraction of Calafate is its proximity to the Perito Moreno Glacier.

The glacier is of such monumental proportion, that it is nye on impossible to understand its sheer scale of the formation. It is 250km2 of Ice, stretching 30m in length and is the worlds 3rd largest reserve of fresh water. It is also one of only 3 glaciers in Argentine Patagonia that isnt retreating.

We began our day on a tourist bus from Calafate, following the shoreline of Lago Argetina. The first glimpse of the glacier across the lake is a brilliant moment, as the contrast against the blue of the water, is dazzling. The first part of the day would be a boat cruise just in front of the glacier. It gave a very interesting perspective to view it from water level, and aided in helping us understand and appreciate the height of the ice. The close you get to the glacier, the sound of Ice cracking and moving grows louder and louder. Every so often small pieces melt and crash into the water below with a monumental sound, that seems out of keeping with the size of the piece of fallen ice. The wake created from even the smallest piece of Ice is amazing. After the boat cruise we drove to another part of the Glacier, where one can walk from above, to level with the top of the glacier. This gives yet another different, aerial perspective, as you can see how the Ice streches seemingly endlessly into the horizon.

It was another highlight to add to the growing list that we have been lucky enough to experience thus far!