All posts tagged "patagonia"

Close up views of the ice.

Close up views of the ice.

Various views of the right side of the glacier. In the top photo, that little thing in the water is a huge boat. The glacier is really big, though it’s hard to tell without anything to give some perspective. I kept hoping a group of kayakers would paddle up to the face of the glacier so I could take some pictures showing how little they were.

Various views of the right side of the glacier. In the top photo, that little thing in the water is a huge boat. The glacier is really big, though it’s hard to tell without anything to give some perspective. I kept hoping a group of kayakers would paddle up to the face of the glacier so I could take some pictures showing how little they were.

After the boat, I walked around a series of walkways to various viewpoints in the park. Here is the view of the left (south-east) and right (north-west) sides of the glacier.

After the boat, I walked around a series of walkways to various viewpoints in the park. Here is the view of the left (south-east) and right (north-west) sides of the glacier.

Today I headed to the biggest tourist draw in Patagonia: Perito Moreno Glacier. I think it’s the world’s biggest glacier, or the fastest growing, or something like that. (I didn’t pay for a guide!) It’s about 55 metres tall (160 feet), 5 kilometres wide (~3 miles), and really deep. My tour started with a boat trip that went up to the glacier’s face. The boat can’t get *too* close because the glacier is constantly calving massive icebergs that crash into the water. It was a nice ride, but the boat is annoyingly packed full of tourists, and everyone is trying to take photos simultaneously.

Today I headed to the biggest tourist draw in Patagonia: Perito Moreno Glacier. I think it’s the world’s biggest glacier, or the fastest growing, or something like that. (I didn’t pay for a guide!) It’s about 55 metres tall (160 feet), 5 kilometres wide (~3 miles), and really deep.

My tour started with a boat trip that went up to the glacier’s face. The boat can’t get *too* close because the glacier is constantly calving massive icebergs that crash into the water. It was a nice ride, but the boat is annoyingly packed full of tourists, and everyone is trying to take photos simultaneously.

The highlight of the park: Torres del Paine. I was fortunate that some of the clouds cleared away while I was at the viewpoint. Still, my photos are nothing like the postcard shots of the Torres taken on blue sky days.

The highlight of the park: Torres del Paine. I was fortunate that some of the clouds cleared away while I was at the viewpoint. Still, my photos are nothing like the postcard shots of the Torres taken on blue sky days.

Part of the trail went through forests too. I really liked the trees.

Part of the trail went through forests too. I really liked the trees.

When the dirt road ended, the scenery got a lot more majestic. The trail runs through a valley and along a snow-lined river.

When the dirt road ended, the scenery got a lot more majestic. The trail runs through a valley and along a snow-lined river.

I got to Puerto Natales around 11pm, exhausted. By the time I was settled in a hostel, it was after midnight. Then I learned that the bus to the park would leave at 7am. No rest for the wicked! During the drive into the park, you catch glimpses of the famous Torres from far away. The skies were blue and most of the tourists on the bus were taking tons of photos. I chuckled at them - after all, we were going to be spending a bunch of time up close to them when there would be plenty of opportunities to take much nicer photos. Within the next ten minutes, clouds rolled in, it started pouring rain, and the Torres were almost totally obscured. Ouch! The walk from the bus drop into the park was lovely despite the rain. The first 7km are along a dirt road cutting through some pretty marshy land. (See photo.)

I got to Puerto Natales around 11pm, exhausted. By the time I was settled in a hostel, it was after midnight. Then I learned that the bus to the park would leave at 7am. No rest for the wicked!

During the drive into the park, you catch glimpses of the famous Torres from far away. The skies were blue and most of the tourists on the bus were taking tons of photos. I chuckled at them - after all, we were going to be spending a bunch of time up close to them when there would be plenty of opportunities to take much nicer photos.

Within the next ten minutes, clouds rolled in, it started pouring rain, and the Torres were almost totally obscured. Ouch!

The walk from the bus drop into the park was lovely despite the rain. The first 7km are along a dirt road cutting through some pretty marshy land. (See photo.)