El Calafate

One Cool Glacier

The only draw of this small southern Argentinian city is the Moreno Glacier with its blue-hued jagged ice peaks. While the city and the area surrounding the glacier are over-run with tourists, Moreno is very much worth seeing.

Our first view of the glacier was by boat. While the ride was enjoyable and it allows you to get pretty close, we prefered the views from the many catwalks positioned around it. The glacier is constantly moving and the sounds it makes as it shifts and grinds are fascinating, particularly when big chunks break and fall into the water below.

El Calafate itself is small and not that interesting. We did, however, enjoy a fabulous parrillada at an atmospheric restaurant called La Tablita. The amusing part of the evening is when the power suddenly shut down and the place was cloaked in darkness. The staff didn´t miss a beat: instead of panicking, they put romantic candlelight on each of the tables. They´re clearly used to this occasional inconvenience.