Kanika Kalia
The spectacles of Patagonia are truly remarkable. And there are not many places in this world, where a dream meets the reality. Located in southern America, Perito Moreno glacier is a science fiction dreamscape. If you aim at visiting only one glacier in your life, Perito Moreno has to be it. At an impressive scale of 30 km in length and over 250 sq km in size, Perito Moreno Glacier is true “The wall in the north” ( of course minus the wildlings from The Game of Thrones;). Intrigued, yet? Yes it is one of the only three glaciers in the world that are growing rather than receding — the other two being Pio XI glacier in Chile and Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealeand. While the size of the glacier is bound to leave you speechless, this Unesco World Heritage Site located in Los Glaciares National Park in southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, has the most number of ice ruptures in a day. Visiting this spectacle is like catching nature live in action. All you need to do is — keep your camera ready.
Glacier Perito Moreno moves about 2 metres a day making it come closer to the shore until every few years a dam of ice is formed between the glacier and the land. This in time becomes a bridge and eventually the pressure builds so much that the bridge ruptures and vast chunks of ice fall into the Lago Argentino. Last time this massive ice rupture happened in 2016.
It is one of the few areas in Patagonia, which does not require extensive hiking and without a doubt is the most exposed secret of Patagonia.
How to reach: The Perito Moreno Glacier is part of the Los Glaciares National Park and is located about 80 km from the small town of El Calafate. It is best to make this touristy town as your base and take a bus or a day trip with a tour company to Los Glacier National Park. The journey takes about two hours from El Calafate to reach the park entrance and it is nearly 600 Argentinean pesos for a return ticket by bus. If you are visiting Perito Moreno between November and March, it is the peak season and hence it is advised to book the tickets well in advance. In any of the packages offered , the park entrance fees is not included and is about 500 pesos on top of your tour prices.
When on a tight budget
Visiting Perito Moreno is not going to be a cheap excursion. But if you are on a tight budget, here are some important tips.
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