The next day we're based out of El Calafate and take a full day trip to the Nibepo Aike estancia and then the Perito Moreno glacier for more jaw-dropping views.
1 Dad checking out the view from our room in Hotel Xelena on the shore of Lago Argentino.
2 Early in the morning, we board a van to drive out to Nibepo Aike, a working estancia (ranch). The 2 hour drive is entirely on rutted, gravel road, but the views of the Andes are excellent.
3 A closeup of some Calafate along the road. The Calafate berries grow everywhere around here, are very tart, and remind me of açai berries. They also make for an amazing mixed drink called Calafate Sour.
4 A Rhea along the road. These are big flightless birds related to the ostrich and emu. They're pretty cool looking.
5 A small flock of Rheas.
6 About to pass through another entrance into Parque Nacional los Glaciares.
7 We arrive at the Nibepo Aike estancia. Here's the dining hall where we'll be having an excellent lamb and steak lunch shortly.
8 I hope these guys aren't on the menu.
9 The views from the ranch are excellent. It would be quite a lifestyle to live out here.
10 The estancia used to be much larger, but was required to downsize when the National Park was formed. But they still actively raise sheep for wool and cattle for beef. Next we get a quick demonstration of barrel racing from the gauchos.
11 Then we get to see a demonstration of sheep shearing. Most of the wool produced here is sent to China where the lanolin is extracted for use in cosmetics and other products.
12 Then we board a small boat for the ride out to the Perito Moreno glacier.
13 Our first distant view of the glacier. The Perito Moreno glaciar is one of the few glaciers in the world that is stable, meaning it grows at the same rate it shrinks, so it's average size remains about the same year-to-year.
14 We get off the boat for a short hike across the island for another view of the glacier.
15 The nice inlet where the boat had dropped us off.
16 Looking back at the view. The trail here is mostly just a beaten path through the flowers.
17 Once we reach the other side of the island, we're rewarded with a great view of the glacier.
18 Then the boat picks us up to take us for a much closer view. Here we are at the back of the boat.
19 The boat takes us up to within a few hundred yards of the face of the glacier.
20 The face of the glacier averages 240 feet above the surface of the lake, and extends over 300 feet below the surface.
21 The blues in the ice are amazing. They're so deep and vibrant in places, it looks like there's LED lights in the ice. The density of the ice causes it to absorb blue light frequencies less efficiently than other colors, giving it the blue hue.
22 A close-up look at the Península de Magallanes where the glacier reaches all the way to the land forming a natural dam. The dam causes the water on this side of the lake to rise almost 100 feet higher than the other side. The ice dam eventually starts to melt at the bottom, forming a bridge. Eventually, it collapses entirely, known as the "Rupture", causing the lake level on both sides to even out.
23 Leaving our up-close view. On next to the Balconies for perhaps the best views yet.
24 Our first view as we arrive at the Balconies. Yet another spot at the very, very top of my all-time jaw dropping view list. The picture does not come close to conveying the sheer vastness of the glacier.
25 Another view of the glacier. The lighting on the ice fall changes continuously as the clouds move in and out.
26 Dad and I at the Balconies.
27 The Balconies are an impressive series of walkways and lookout points covering the entire end of the pennisula and providing endless, amazing views of the glacier.
28 The crevices and canyons throughout the top of the icefall are fascinating.
29 A panoramic view showing both the Southern and Eastern faces of the glacier.
30 We head further down the Balconies for a look at the East face.
31 Here we see a small calving in-progress. You almost continously hear creaks, and groans, and cracks coming from somewhere in the icefield. And then occasionally a loud crash, and a huge chunk of ice falls off the face of the glacier into the lake causing a wave to ripple across the lake. The crowds on the Balconies wait for the calvings and cheer whenever they happen.
32 Video of a small calving in-progress.
33 One more picture of Dad and I at the Balconies, then it's time to head back to El Calafate for the night. What a day!