50°20'00"N and 72°18'00"E
May 4th-6th (Fri-Sun)
Patagonia is a difficult-to-define region, mostly because it is as much an idea as it is an officially designated territory. I'm starting my adventures with the towns of El Calafate and El Chalten which are almost 2700km south of Buenos Aires. Fortunately I found a package deal that included a 3hr 20 flight down here so saved my bottom a 30/40 hour bus trip. I discovered after a quick google search only 7 other 'cities' share the 50° South latitude, these are either in Chile, Argentina or the Falkland islands. The Antarctic Circle is located at latitude 66° 33' 44" S and there are no cities from 60° - 90°. I'm in good company.
My first port of call down here is El Calafate because it's the town closest to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. The town exists primarily to absorb the number of visitors who come to gawk at the main Perito Moreno Glacier and those surrounding it, Upsala, Spegazzini, Onelli, etc. I've arrived late in the tourist season, it's winter but I must have brought Irish luck with me because the weather forecast is in my favour. Summer temperatures here average at about 12, 13° but it's notoriously windy, speeds of 80-100km are often clocked. This week they seem to be experiencing a bit of a high so I've got the summer temperatures with only a light breeze, and about a tenth of the tourists in town. It is obvious I'm spouting off exactly what the tour guide on the bus into the national park told me? Anyways, sweet deal for me.
From moon-like planes, to marshy burnt looking grass lands and forests rich in autumn colours to milky blue and turquoise glacier lakes. And then you've the clouds, mountains, the canyons and the glaciers. Words and photos really cannot describe the landscape down here. I really feel my camera, both body and lens, and my ability really lets down Patagonia. I really struggled with my manual settings trying to capture all the colours, especially at Perito Moreno glacier where everything in the frame seemed to be a different shade of blue or white. It was an amazing experience seeing the glacier, and by god is it noisy. Sounds like thunder when pieces of ice fall off, which is much more often than you'd think! Luckily I've made two American travel companions down here and one of them seems pretty nifty with his Nikon, he's got some photos of me which I plan to steal.
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| Took a 'Safari Boat' trip to the glacier, included in my package. |
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| Arhhheeentina! |
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