Spegazzini | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 80 (2 OF 3) – GLACIERS, LAGO ARGENTINA, PARQUE NACIONAL LOS GLACIARES (SOUTH), EL CALAFATE, ARGENTINA

During the boat cruise in Lago Argentina, we visited four glaciers in total. The first one was Upsala Glacier. Although being one of the largest glaciers in the park, due to the poor weather and far distance, we could barely see Upsala from the deck of our catamaran. The next came the small Onelli Glacier on a hilltop. The real highlight came when our boat approached Spegazzini Glacier, where we could get really close to the face of the ice. After Spegazzini, the boat moved through the fjord-like waterways for two hours until reaching the majestic Perito Moreno. When we reached this final destination, there were occasional sunbreaks casting some dramatic lighting onto the blue sheet of ice. Although touristy, the cruise was a relaxed and only way to reach all four glaciers in a day from El Calafate.

Upsala Glacier (1 photo below)
Onelli Glacier (1 photo below)
Spegazzini Glacier (3 photos below)

Perito Moreno Glacier (8 photos below)

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South America 2013 – Our Destinations
Buenos Aires (Argentina), Iguazu Falls (Argentina/Brazil), Pantanal (Brazil), Brasilia (Brazil), Belo Horizonte & Inhotim (Brazil), Ouro Preto (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Paraty (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Samaipata & Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Sucre (Bolivia), Potosi (Bolivia), Southwest Circuit (Bolivia), Tilcara, Purmamarca, Salta (Argentina), Cafayate (Argentina), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), Antofagasta & Paranal Observatory (Chile), Chiloe (Chile), Puerto Varas (Chile), Torres del Paine (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), El Chalten (Argentina), El Calafate (Argentina), Isla Magdalena (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Valparaiso (Chile), Afterthought

December 31, 2013 | Categories: Argentina, Day 81 to 90, Patagonia | Tags: Argentina, blue, brazo, cruise, destination, El Calafate, Glacier, journal, Lago, Onelli, Parque Nacional los Glaciares, Patagonia, Perito Moreno, photo, South America, Spegazzini, things-to-do, Travel, Upsala | Leave a comment

DAY 80 (1 OF 3) – ICEBERGS, LAGO ARGENTINA, PARQUE NACIONAL LOS GLACIARES (SOUTH), EL CALAFATE, ARGENTINA

With the rain and cold temperature, today was certainly not favorable to do a full-day lake cruise. Originally we planned to go ice-trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier. Unfortunately a few days ago we discovered that all ice-trekking at Perito Moreno was fully booked up in the next few days. We opted for the alternative of doing a lake cruise to visit the several famous glaciers along the west side of Lago Argentina. At 7am the tour organizer picked us up from our hostel. By 8:30am we were among the few hundred of tourists lining up at the dock to pay for the national park entrance admission. It was the most touristy event we experienced in Argentina similar to the Iguazu Falls. One after another, about five catamaran left the pier at Puerto Bandera, bringing hundreds of tourists westward to the first glacier, Upsala Glacier. When our boat entered Brazo Upsala, icebergs of different forms and sizes began to appear. The translucent blue of the icebergs was absolute captivating that even in today’s poor weather and lighting, the colour seemed to glow in the various shades of grey. A close encounter of the icebergs was certainly something we couldn’t achieve without a boat. The icebergs were so beautiful that many passengers, including us, were willing to brave the rain and cold winds to stand out at the boat deck as long as we could endure.