Your Travel Experience with Galapagos PRO
Perito Moreno Glacier
The Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park is one of the greatest natural wonders in southern Patagonia. It is the largest glacier away from the poles.
Its ice masses, which are almost as high as a house, break into the water with a bang similar to a gunshot, creating huge waves. This thunderous process is called “calving”, as the glacier does not melt here, but breaks off in blocks. Visitors often witness this spectacle, as the almost 70-metre-high glacier front of the Perito Moreno sheds smaller blocks of ice several times an hour. Larger calving, when the glacier advances as far as the Magellan Peninsula, dams up Lago Argentino and is then “crushed”, happens about every six months.
We start our guided tour along Route 11 to Los Glaciares National Park. We drive along the shores of Lake Argentino and turn off towards the Rico Arm. In the park, we reach the “Curva de los Suspiros” (“curve of sighs”), where we get off and observe the Perito Moreno glacier for the first time. We continue to the Muelle Bajo las Sombras (landing stage under the shadows) so that those who wish to sail can get closer to the south face of the glacier (optional). We then visit the front part of the glacier, where we can view it from different balconies.