What you'll do on day 6
- After breakfast, depart from El Calafate for a full-day excursion to Los Glaciares National Park, a spectacular landscape of ice, mountains and pristine nature. The highlight of the day is the magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier, located at the southwestern end of Argentino Lake, about 80 km from El Calafate.
- The glacier offers one of the most spectacular natural sights in South America. From the viewpoints and footbridges, you can admire its impressive 60-metre-high ice front and watch as enormous walls of ice occasionally break away from the glacier and plunge into the waters of Rico Bend or the Canal de los Témpanos (Ice Floes Channel), continuing their journey across the lake. The sight and sound of the ice collapsing into the water is truly breathtaking.
- Los Glaciares National Park has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to around 47 glaciers, preserving a cold and wild world that has existed for thousands of years. Perito Moreno is one of the most famous and unusual of them, as it is one of the few glaciers in the world that continues to advance.
- The glacier gradually moves towards the Magallanes Peninsula, on the opposite side of the lake, eventually coming into contact with the shore and the area of the footbridges and viewpoints. This natural cycle takes between four and six years. When the glacier blocks Rico Bend, the water level rises approximately 35 metres above its average level. Slowly, the water begins to carve its way through the glacier until the ice barrier finally collapses in one of nature's most spectacular displays.
- The glacier was named after the great Argentine explorer Francisco Pascasio Moreno, and its constantly changing landscape makes every visit a unique experience.