Glacier

We left Chile on another very long bus journey, aching from the big trek the day before, and travelled back to Argentina, to a place called El Calafate. People only really visit El Calafate for one reason, it is 80k away from the amazing Perito Moreno Glacier in Parque National Los Glaciares. So we arrived in El Calafate at about 1pm and by 4pm we were stood infront of the most incredible thing I have ever seen...the glacier!

Perito Moreno Glacier is 30k long, 5k wide and 60m high..its BIG! We were told it would be really exciting standing there watching the glacier and that you can hear it..I was thinking how on earth can you hear a glacier? And yeah it would be cool to stand and see it but didn´t imagine it would be terribly exciting. However I was wrong..it was so exciting watching it and we were there for 4 hours with it! Basically the glacier is constantly advancing..up to 2m per day! This means it regulary ´calves´ icebergs from its face. Calving is when the huge jagged icebergs fall off the glacier and crash land into the water below making massive splashes and small tidal waves in the lake. We were lucky enough to witness this about 4 times during our visit and it was SO exciting!! Such a amazing sight! When this happens it makes a thunderous noise so loud you think there´s about to be an earthquake or something! Its crazy! Hence ´hearing´ the glacier! In fact you hear the glacier moving all the time even when there is no calving on the outside you know there is movement inside and can contantly hear ice falling and smashing.

So this was the second glacier I´ve ever seen and has completely ruined it for any other glaciers..I´m glad I saw the one in Ushuaia first as I woudn´t have been so impressed with it! AMAZING!