El Calafate & El Chalten, Argentina

Tuesday Nov. 27th 2012
We take the bus from Puerto Natales at 8h30 to go to l Calafate (12000 pesos = 24.85$$ Can.) and we got there at 2h30pm. Our hostel is ''Hostel del Glacier Libertador'' for 90 Argentina pesos per night (18.19$ Can.). We go there and then leave again to go into town to eat and to go make reservations for the trekking on Glacier Perito Moreno that will be on Thursday Nov. 29th. We walk into town most of the afternoon. For the trek on the glacier Perito Moreno, there are two options. There is the mini-trek where you get to walk on the glacier for about 1h30 but you stay close to the side of it, or there is the option ''Big Ice'' that will let you walk up to the middle of the glacier before coming back to the side after 3h30 hours of walk. I think option 2 is definitely more worth it, because it is the only time you will probably have the chance to experience walking on one of the biggest glacier still in movement. The big Ice costs 950 pesos + 100 pesos for the entrance fee to the park ''Los Glaciares Sur'' (1050 pesos = 212.24$ Can.).

El Calafate

El Calafate

El Calafate

Wednesday Nov. 28th 2012
Relax day of walking into town and staying at the hostel. At 3pm we took a bus to go to the ''Museo de Hielo'' where there is a bar completely built of ice. A little outside of town, that is why we had to take a bus to get there. The entrance to the bar is 80 pesos (16.17$ Can.) and it's open bar for the time you are in, We can only stay for about 25 minutes though (but I had time for two drinks anyways). Very interesting because the bar, the walls and everything inside is made of ice that comes from the glacier Perito Moreno, even the glasses were of ice. When we got back to town we go to make a rental for hiking boots that we will need for the hike of the next day. We went back to the hostel to cook and stayed there in the evening.

El Calafate

View in front of the Museo de Hielo

Ice Bar

Thursday Nov. 29th 2012
The bus from ''Hielo y Aventura'' comes and picks us up directly at the hostel at 7am. We get to the Los Glaciares National Park and we have about 30 minutes to walk around the mirador to observe the glacier from many angles. Then back to the bus that will bring us on the south side of the lake and very close to the glacier. We stay hiking along the side of the glacier for around 1h until we get to the cabin where we can put on our crampons and start walking on the glacier. We walked up to the middle of the glacier and have lunch there, then we left going back to the same side we came from but taking another route. We saw nicest bluest lakes on top of the glacier, rivers and even a waterfall that went down many meters inside to the center of the glacier. The walk on the glacier lasted 3h30 in total. Very interesting to walk on such a big mass of ice. Back into town after the day at 7pm and we had a BBQ with friends met at the hostel.

Glacier Perito Moreno

Magellanic Woodpecker (female)

To see how big the boat is, we can imagine the size of the glacier

We will start trekking soon

Lake on the glacier

River that becomes an inside waterfall in the glacier

Unimaginable how big it is

Click on image to see all pictures from the album ''El Calafate - Glacier Perito Moreno''

Friday Nov. 30th 2012
We go to the bus terminal in the morning to go buy our bus tickets to go to El Chalten (120 pesos = 24.26$ Can.). We go eat and get on the bus at 1pm. We go to the hostel ''Rancho Grande'', that we had booked last minute with the help of the hostel in Calafate, for 90 pesos (18.19$ Can.) each per night. We then go take a walk into town like we usually do and find a little cafe (Chiche, Azucar, La Leche) and they had the best ''Alfajores'' (cookies) I have ever had. We stop at the supermarket on the way back to find somethink for supper and go back to the hostel for the evening. (The supermarket in El Chalten is not super. There is not a lot of variety and you will not always find what you are looking for. If you would like some special food while there maybe buy it in Calafate before leaving. The prices are also a bit higher, so if you would like you could buy a few extras in Calafate before leaving. I would have liked to know this before we went there but it happens, but I figures I could pass the word around a bit. But don't get me wrong we did have good suppers every night anyways.)

El Chalten

El Chalten

El Chalten

Saturday 1st of Dec. 2012
We get up early and leave at 9am to go hiking in the National Park Los Glaciares Norte'', we take a trail that goes to the ''Lagune Torre'' a trek that took us about 5h in total. Quite easy, but we were not too lucky because the sky is quite cloudy and many mountains are not visible, but we can't always be lucky. When we got back to town, we stopped again at the same little cafe than the day before. Yesterday we had brownies with ''Dulce de Leche'' inside and chocolate covered on the outside rims. Today we has brownies again but with raspberry jam inside and the rims covered in white chocolate. So good, even better than the ones from yesterday :) We finish the afternoon watching a movie and stick around the hostel.

On the trail to "Laguna Torre"

Laguna Torre

The clouds was blocking the view to many summits

 

Drugstore that sells no drugs

Sunday Dec. 2nd 2012
It is not very nice outside today, so we decide not to go too far. A mix of sun and clounds. We decide to simply take a small walk to go see the ''Chorillo del Salto'' waterfalls. It's only at 3km and it takes us about 2h to go and come back and that's while taking our time. Nice waterfall but after seeing so many in the last few weeks it's nothing spectacular. The rest of the day was very relax. We changed hostel this morning and went to ''Alberque Patagonia'', that is alot calmer and much nicer than the other one and for the same price.

''Chorillo del Salto''

El Chalten afar on the road back from the waterfall

Monday Dec. 3rd 2012
When we get up it's raining and it is very cloudy and misty outside, so we decide that it is not a good idea to go and do hiking today, because even if we did we would not see anything of the scenery anyways and we are in El Chalten until the 7th of December, so not in too much of a hurry. We will wait for a better day with some more sun and less clouds to go do the trek that goes to the mirador where we can see Mont Fitz Roy. We spend most of the day catching up on internet stuff and reading.

El Chalten

Tuesday Dec. 4th 2012
We spend morning at the hostel and leave at 12pm to go do a bit of hiking in a few smaller trails. The temperature is better now. So we go do the trails called ''Los Condores'' and ''Las Aguilas'' that takes us a maximum of two hours. When we get back in town we go back to the hostel and decide to go for supper at the restaurant to make a bit of a change in the evening.

Mirador ''Las Aguilas''

Wednesday Dec. 5th 2012
Finally the day we have been waiting for to do the trek trail that goes to ''Laguna de los Tres'' that goes to the mirador of Mont Fitz Roy. e get up at 6am and leave after a quick breakfast at 7am. On our way back we took a different trail that brings us back to the trail ''Laguna Torre''. We get back in town at 4pm, so a good 9h of trekking. Once more we stop in the little cafe for coffee and Alfajores, still at the same place. We love the place, if you stop in El Chalten go there, it is definitely the best in town. We tried other desserts in a few other place but none could beat his cookies. Look for the yellow church, and it's right in front.

On the trail to "Laguna de los Tres"

Magellanic Woodpecker (Male)

Cerro Fitz Roy (center)

Laguna de los Tres

On the trail, on our way back

Cerro Torre (at center)

Cerro Torre

View in front of the cafe

Our favorite cafe

Thursday Dec. 6th 2012
Another relax day today, the clouds are back and the winds are incredible at times. We go into town a bit to pass time and we go to the bus terminal at the same time to buy our tickets to go back to El Calafate the next day. The ticket back is the same price, so 120 pesos (24.26$ Can.). It pretty much all for today, another day of reading.

Click on image to see the whole album ''El Chalten''

Cerro Fitz Roy (The highest at the right)

Friday Dec. 7th 2012

We take the bus at 8am and arrive in El Calafate at 11am. W buy our tickets for Ushuaia (585 pesos = 118.25$ Can.) and we are very lucky because there were only a few places left. Back to the same hostel ''Los Glaciar Libertador''. But only for a short night because our bus that goes to Ushuaia leaves town at 3am.