After a brief night's rest in Buenos Aires, we headed down to Patagonia. Our first stop - El Calafate - the gateway town to Argentina's glacier region.
For our trip to Perito Moreno glacier, the weather gods smiled upon us. Blue sky provided a stunning day-long backdrop for our glacial ogling.
The next day was spent trawling the waters of Lago Argentino. Our tour boat threaded the iceberg-laden lake - delivering us to the fronts of Upsala and Spegazzini glaciers.
Leaving the glaciers but not the ice, we flew down to Ushuaia - Argentina's southernmost city. A boat tour of the Beagle Channel is a must. And we couldn't pass up the chance to dog-sled our way through a Patagonian valley.
Although it was winter, it was not the frigid antarctic cold we had dreaded. We almost could have left our long underwear home. But I'm glad we didn't.
Date(s): August 2006. Album by David Kohl. Photos by David Kohl & Ross Rosenberg. 1 - 39 of 39 Total. 4999 Visits.
Map of Argentina We began in Buenos Aires and flew down to El Calafate, then to Ushuaia and finally back to Buenos Aires.
First view of Perito Moreno Los Glaciares Park covers over 1.5 million acres and is home to over 300 glaciers. It was declared a World Heritage region by UNESCO in 1981.
Closer glimpse Perito Moreno is one of only two advancing glaciers in South America. This river of ice snakes 20 miles down from its source high in the Andes.
Getting closer The front of the glacier is nearly 3 miles wide and towers 200 feet above the water.
Boat trip to the front of the glacier A 40-seat launch periodically leaves from Bahia Bajo for a 1 hour tour along the face of the glacier.
Near the front of the glacier The boat can go within about 500 feet of the front of the glacier.
Photo Op On warmer and sunnier days there is more frequent "calving" or breaking off of the ice along the face of the glacier. Although the day was sunny, it was still too chilly to see any calving.
View from a walkway A series of wooden walkways allow for viewing of the glacier from above. To fathom the size of the glacier, look for the person dressed in red at the bottom center of the photo.
Another walkway view The mountain peaks surrounding the glacier are commonly known as "the ghosts" because they are rarely visible - most often enshrouded by clouds. Only 10 to 15 days a year are clear enough to see them. Boo!
Still another view It was noted that the entire city of Buenos Aires (the 11th largest city in the world) could comfortably fit into the area covered by this glacier. And this is not the largest glacier in the park!
Glacier with boat The green water that surrounds most glaciers is known a "glacial milk". Its greenish color is due to the mineral particles carried by the glacier and then transferred to the water as the ice melts.
Head shot You are actually able to trek on the glacier. But unfortunately, in winter no treks were being led.
View of a glacier high in the mountain Glaciers are rivers of ice formed by the accumulation of snow. Each new layer of snow compresses the older layers. Gradually, the air pockets within the snow get smaller and smaller. The snow becomes more compact. Over time, the snow becomes denser - transforming itself into glacial ice.
Spegazzini Glacier Spegazzini Glacier is the highest glacier in the park. This day we saw no sun. But because it was a cloudy day, the blue of the ice was more vivid than on a sunny day.
Iceberg portrait The arms of Lago Argentino were littered with icebergs. These icebergs are formed when a mass of ice breaks away ("calves") from the front of a glacier.
Another tour boat passing an iceberg The intensity of bluish color in an iceberg is dependent on the amount of compression in the ice as well as the refractive quality of the light.
Close encounter with an iceberg It must be remembered that only about 15% of an iceberg's actual size is visible above the water; the remaining 85% is "hiding" beneath the surface.
Iceberg with arch - view 1 Apart from the wooded mountainous shores that lined this channel, this area felt like it could be Antarctica.
Iceberg with arch - view 2 The cerulean blue glow emanating from these "bergs" appeared as if they were lit from within.
Iceberg with arch - view 3 Another tour boat can be glimpsed under the arch of this iceberg.
Tierra del Fuego Map From El Calafate we headed down to the tip of Argentina.
Ushuaia Ushuaia ("oosh-why-a") - is the southernmost city in Argentina. With a population of about 40,000, this town is nestled between the Beagle Channel and the mountains that tower behind it.
Ushuaia Map We took a boat trip along the Beagle Channel (following the pink line on the map) as well as a day-trip into the mountains to Las Cotorras ski center.
View from the boat Heading away from Ushuaia late one afternoon, we began our 2-hour tour of the Beagle Channel.
Beagle Channel Sea Lion Island The male sea lion can grow up to 11 feet in length; the females usually do not surpass 8 feet. They only eat fish - devouring between 33 and 55 pounds a day.
Isla de los Lobos Sea lions and comorants share this rocky island in the Beagle Channel.
Sea lion fun Of the sea mammals with both fins and feet (pinnipeds), the sea lions are the only ones that have ears.
Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse The 36-foot high Les Eclaireurs ("The Illuminators") Lighthouse, built in 1920, stands at the entrance to Ushuaia Bay.
Chilly view of the lighthouse
Another lighthouse view
Storefront window display A storefront display in Ushuaia used stuffed penguins (penniquins?) to model fleece jackets.
Close to Antarctica Ushuaia lies only about 600 miles from the Antarctic shores. From November to March, many tour boats leave from Ushuaia boudn for Antarctica.
Antarctica The Argentine claim in Antarctica.
View from our hotel Our hotel, Posada Fueguina, sat a few blocks up a steep hill - away from the main street of Ushuaia. Blissfully quiet with beautiful views over the Beagle Channel. Info at: http://www.posadafueguina.com.ar/
Yamana The Yamana were the original inhabitants of the Tierra del Fuego region. As shown in this old postcard, the men often painted themselves with black carbon and white clay for ceremonial display. They wore little clothing even though they lived in such a harsh climate.
Dog-sledding We hired a dog sled at Las Cotorres ski area - about a half hour's drive northeast of Ushuaia.
View from the front View from the front seat of the dog sled.
Amateur driver The driver let us both take turns steering the dog sled.
Snow shoes We also rented snowshoes ("raquetas") for an afternoon.
