El Calafate
Tue Mar 06
Nautical Safari of the Perito Moreno Glacier
4 Days: Mar 05 - Mar 08, 2018
Tuesday Mar 06
Nautical Safari of the Perito Moreno Glacier
Experience the Perito Moreno Glacier up close during a boat ride on Argentino Lake. View the spectacular display of falling ice blocks from a safe distance and experience the enormous size of this massive monument of nature. (Duration 1 hour. Group Activity. Maximum 130 people on the boat. Combined with the Visit to Perito Moreno Glacier)
Tue Mar 06
Visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier in Group A UNESCO World Heritage site
Leaving from El Calafate in a small group you'll drive through the Los Glaciers National Park where the world-famous Perito Moreno Glacier awaits. Enjoy spectacular views of this gigantic mass of ice from different spots on the peninsula.(09:00 to 17:00. Group Activity. Maximum 19 people. Lunch box included.)
Wednesday Mar 07: Navigation to 3 glaciers in Group
Experience the majesty of Los Glaciares National Park by embarking on a full-day group excursion which navigates to the region's top 3 glaciers. Set sail in catamaran early in the morning from Punta Bandera port (17 km from El Calafate town) navigating the northern arm of Lake Argentino. Drift along the turquoise waters passing giant icebergs and approaching breathtaking glaciers including Upsala, Spegazzini and the north wall of Perito Moreno. Though a rather long day, this excursion offers excellent perspectives of the ice giants from the large yet comfortable catamaran and takes travelers deeper into the amazing world of Los Glaciares National Park.
From being a simple village where time seemed to stand still, El Calafate has grown into a modern city, frequented just as much by the Argentineans themselves as by foreign tourists. While here, explore the Perito Moreno glacier and the 'massif' surrounding it from close quarters with trained and experienced personnel, and marvel at the sight of ice floes breaking off from the glacier and floating past you.
(try the local Patagonian craft beer)
Yeti Ice Bar Avenida Del Libertador 1359, El Calafate Z9405AHL, Argentina
Tango Sur, the place to see and maybe try your tango dance skills. Tango Sur is a bar, museum, and restaurant with a dance floor. A place with a complete one-size-fits-all deal that leaves you amazed. Decorated with antique items such as old sewing machines, vintage vinyl records, and black and white photographs, the place has a nostalgic ambience. It is located at Calle 9 de Julio and a night at Tango Sur will give you an experience full of the sound of tango rhythms. Wear your beautiful, sexy dress and put that lipstick on. Tango Sur is the perfect spot for a memorable romantic date!
Glaciarium
El Calafate’s Glaciarium is a bit of a tourist gimic, but is nonetheless popular and worth a visit. After a couple of days exploring the Glacier National Park, visitors often want to experience the cold and ice up close, and so take a trip to the Glaciarium. It is not a typical ‘ice bar’, however – inside there is a small museum with displays and videos explaining how glaciers are formed, as well as the geology of the area and climate change. At the end of the tour is an all-you-can-drink ice bar where visitors have 20 minutes to enjoy their choice of ice-cold beverage.
Opening hours: Sep-Apr, 9am-8pm daily; May-Aug, 11am-7pm daily
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Today was another long transport day to get from Torres del Paine to El Calafate. We were picked up at our hotel at 7:15 am by a young man called Fernando. Fernando didn’t speak any English and was very quiet while he drove rapidly through the gravel roads to the border of Argentina. There we had to have our passports stamped and to surrender the documents we received in entering Chile in Santiago. At that site we exited his automobile and we got into a van.
We then were driven to a place where Fernando gave documents to the Customs agent, a pretty girl who seemed to be flirting with him. After passing through this checkpoint, we met another driver, Julio, and had to exchange vehicles again to be driven to El Calafate.
Julio spoke reasonible English so I asked him about the vehicle shifts. He explained that the van recently had a frozen transmission and wasn’t reliable, but it did have an international license. Only three of their vehicles have this license so they have to play games with them to transport guests. The transportation vehicles are only used three seasons before switchig to new vehicles. One can see that these bumpy, gravel road can rapidly destroy a vehicle.
El Calafate was 270 Km from Torres del Paine and it takes about six hours to get there. The geography changes rapidly from granite mountains to the pampas (grass), gravely plains created by the glaciers. There are few inhabitants and fenced estancias (ranches) that are used for sheep farming.
We were dropped off at our botique hotel, the Patagonia Queen, and our room was ready. It is a beautiful little hotel, near the main tourist avenue.
(Pictures)
We took a brief rest, and then walked the avenue to see what was there. It is mostly places for tourist business: choclate stores, excursion travel places, restaurants, bars and banks.
I tried to get some Argentine pesos at one Banco de Argentina but the ATM does not read cards with chips. You have to look for one that will read chips in order to withdraw money. They say there is an approximately $10 US transaction fee but I was told by Chase Bank that I will not be charged foreign transaction fees. This of course remains to be seen. Remember, you should only use a debit card for withdrawals rather than a credit card (tarjeta de credito).
We ate lunch at a restaurant that served a dark beer and fugazza pizza. It was too big to eat, so we got a take out box (caja para llevar) and walked back to our hotel. The cost was $437 pesos ($21.35 US).
We were going to go tango dancing at TangoSur, but that place closed 6 years ago. Instead, we tried a cervaza tirera (draft beer) taht was very good and cost $74 pesos each for a large glass. That’s about $3.50 US per beer.
Strolling the street, we looked at the artesan stalls that cater to tourists and didn’t see anything of interest. Earline honed into the many dogs that live on the streets. Most are well-fed but some appeared hungry. Therefore, we went to a Supermarket to buy a bottle of wine and some dog food. The dogs were very happy.
Tomorrow is a full day of visiting the Perito Moreno glacier.
Tue Mar 06
Nautical Safari of the Perito Moreno Glacier
4 Days: Mar 05 - Mar 08, 2018
Tuesday Mar 06
Nautical Safari of the Perito Moreno Glacier
Experience the Perito Moreno Glacier up close during a boat ride on Argentino Lake. View the spectacular display of falling ice blocks from a safe distance and experience the enormous size of this massive monument of nature. (Duration 1 hour. Group Activity. Maximum 130 people on the boat. Combined with the Visit to Perito Moreno Glacier)
Tue Mar 06
Visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier in Group A UNESCO World Heritage site
Leaving from El Calafate in a small group you'll drive through the Los Glaciers National Park where the world-famous Perito Moreno Glacier awaits. Enjoy spectacular views of this gigantic mass of ice from different spots on the peninsula.(09:00 to 17:00. Group Activity. Maximum 19 people. Lunch box included.)
Wednesday Mar 07: Navigation to 3 glaciers in Group
Experience the majesty of Los Glaciares National Park by embarking on a full-day group excursion which navigates to the region's top 3 glaciers. Set sail in catamaran early in the morning from Punta Bandera port (17 km from El Calafate town) navigating the northern arm of Lake Argentino. Drift along the turquoise waters passing giant icebergs and approaching breathtaking glaciers including Upsala, Spegazzini and the north wall of Perito Moreno. Though a rather long day, this excursion offers excellent perspectives of the ice giants from the large yet comfortable catamaran and takes travelers deeper into the amazing world of Los Glaciares National Park.
From being a simple village where time seemed to stand still, El Calafate has grown into a modern city, frequented just as much by the Argentineans themselves as by foreign tourists. While here, explore the Perito Moreno glacier and the 'massif' surrounding it from close quarters with trained and experienced personnel, and marvel at the sight of ice floes breaking off from the glacier and floating past you.
(try the local Patagonian craft beer)
Yeti Ice Bar Avenida Del Libertador 1359, El Calafate Z9405AHL, Argentina
Tango Sur, the place to see and maybe try your tango dance skills. Tango Sur is a bar, museum, and restaurant with a dance floor. A place with a complete one-size-fits-all deal that leaves you amazed. Decorated with antique items such as old sewing machines, vintage vinyl records, and black and white photographs, the place has a nostalgic ambience. It is located at Calle 9 de Julio and a night at Tango Sur will give you an experience full of the sound of tango rhythms. Wear your beautiful, sexy dress and put that lipstick on. Tango Sur is the perfect spot for a memorable romantic date!
Glaciarium
El Calafate’s Glaciarium is a bit of a tourist gimic, but is nonetheless popular and worth a visit. After a couple of days exploring the Glacier National Park, visitors often want to experience the cold and ice up close, and so take a trip to the Glaciarium. It is not a typical ‘ice bar’, however – inside there is a small museum with displays and videos explaining how glaciers are formed, as well as the geology of the area and climate change. At the end of the tour is an all-you-can-drink ice bar where visitors have 20 minutes to enjoy their choice of ice-cold beverage.
Opening hours: Sep-Apr, 9am-8pm daily; May-Aug, 11am-7pm daily
====================================
Today was another long transport day to get from Torres del Paine to El Calafate. We were picked up at our hotel at 7:15 am by a young man called Fernando. Fernando didn’t speak any English and was very quiet while he drove rapidly through the gravel roads to the border of Argentina. There we had to have our passports stamped and to surrender the documents we received in entering Chile in Santiago. At that site we exited his automobile and we got into a van.
We then were driven to a place where Fernando gave documents to the Customs agent, a pretty girl who seemed to be flirting with him. After passing through this checkpoint, we met another driver, Julio, and had to exchange vehicles again to be driven to El Calafate.
Julio spoke reasonible English so I asked him about the vehicle shifts. He explained that the van recently had a frozen transmission and wasn’t reliable, but it did have an international license. Only three of their vehicles have this license so they have to play games with them to transport guests. The transportation vehicles are only used three seasons before switchig to new vehicles. One can see that these bumpy, gravel road can rapidly destroy a vehicle.
El Calafate was 270 Km from Torres del Paine and it takes about six hours to get there. The geography changes rapidly from granite mountains to the pampas (grass), gravely plains created by the glaciers. There are few inhabitants and fenced estancias (ranches) that are used for sheep farming.
We were dropped off at our botique hotel, the Patagonia Queen, and our room was ready. It is a beautiful little hotel, near the main tourist avenue.
(Pictures)
We took a brief rest, and then walked the avenue to see what was there. It is mostly places for tourist business: choclate stores, excursion travel places, restaurants, bars and banks.
I tried to get some Argentine pesos at one Banco de Argentina but the ATM does not read cards with chips. You have to look for one that will read chips in order to withdraw money. They say there is an approximately $10 US transaction fee but I was told by Chase Bank that I will not be charged foreign transaction fees. This of course remains to be seen. Remember, you should only use a debit card for withdrawals rather than a credit card (tarjeta de credito).
We ate lunch at a restaurant that served a dark beer and fugazza pizza. It was too big to eat, so we got a take out box (caja para llevar) and walked back to our hotel. The cost was $437 pesos ($21.35 US).
We were going to go tango dancing at TangoSur, but that place closed 6 years ago. Instead, we tried a cervaza tirera (draft beer) taht was very good and cost $74 pesos each for a large glass. That’s about $3.50 US per beer.
Strolling the street, we looked at the artesan stalls that cater to tourists and didn’t see anything of interest. Earline honed into the many dogs that live on the streets. Most are well-fed but some appeared hungry. Therefore, we went to a Supermarket to buy a bottle of wine and some dog food. The dogs were very happy.
Tomorrow is a full day of visiting the Perito Moreno glacier.