We had intended to visit El Chalten, then come back
to El Calafate and then cross over to Chile at the nearest point to here. However, as we were researching, we changed
our plans and will be going north to Los Antiguos (a 12 hour bus journey) for
three nights, and on to Esquel (and another 12 hours bus journey). A lot of this journey will be on the Ruta 40,
which not tarmacked all of the way.
The bus picked us up at in El Chalten about 9:45
and we finally got to our hotel in El Calafate at about 13:00. The scenery didn’t seem to be quite to awe
inspiring as it did on the way to El Chalten; the golden sun-down hour can make
such a difference. El Calafate is named
after the fruit, similar to a blueberry, which grows in the region. (It is amazing that anything can grow in
Patagonia, Argentinian’s steppe, because the is little rain and a great deal of wind).
We chose our hotel, the Koi Aiken, because of its
view of Lago de Angentino. Its other
main benefit (also its main set-back) is that the centre of town is a thirty
minute walk away. After arriving, we had
to go into town to replenish cash and investigate excursions to the Glacier
Perito Moreno and car hire. The cash was
sorted quickly, but these machines will only let you have AR$1000.00 a time,
that’s about £100, which doesn’t go very far but makes sure they get plenty of
commission/fees. Early December is the
beginning of the main summer season and we were surprised to find that one of
the hire companies had no vehicles left and another had only 4X4 monsters at
AR$2400.00 (£240.00) per day with a maximum of 200 kms. 200 kms is nothing in this area. It is 88kms to get to the glacier - and 88kms
back. And you would, no doubt, have to
pay for petrol on top of that.
Our room, on the ground floor, does have a
restricted view but at the top of the hotel there is a guest lounge with
incredible views of the lake and the bordering wetland (that boasts over 150
different species of bird) together with views of the entire town. We brought our second cup of breakfast coffee
up here and we had the place to ourselves.
It is now 11:30 and we still have the place to ourselves. Paul is doing his pilates and I am enjoying
the rest, and the view.
The excursion we chose to go on was with XL Tours,
a one-man outfit, owned and run by Juan Angulo with his fourteen seat mini-bus. At AR$280.00 per person, Juan takes his
passengers along the old road to the Glacier Perito Moreno. The old road is far less travelled these days
because it is not tarmacked, making progress a slower. The bumpy ride was worth it though. We stopped along the way for photo
opportunities, Condors and other raptors, as well as a brief stop to a ranch
café. Manuel, dressed as if ready to
jump on his horse and round up the livestock made us all feel welcome, even
though none of us actually spent any money there. Apart from Manuel and the view, the other
most interesting photo opportunity for me was the orphaned fox cub living in
the fire-grate, whose best buddy, also called Manuel, a small ginger kitten.
Moving on to the glacier, the National Park
charges an entry fee of AR$130.00 per person.
A bit steep, but worth it for the spectacular views. This glacier is unusual in that it is topped
up with the same amount of snow at the back as it loses from the front. And coming up to the southern hemisphere’s
mid-summer, there are constantly ‘bits’ falling off. First you hear the ice cracking, like thunder
in the distance, and all heads turn.
Then, as the ice hits the water, from a height of thirty or forty
meters, the thunder reverberates like you are in the heart of the storm and the
resulting excitement of ‘ooos’ and ‘ars’ would not be out of place at a
firework display.
Those wishing to take the boat trip to the edge of
the glacier, an additional AR$120 pax, were ferried to the port and the rest of
us used the extra hour willing huge chunks of ice to detach and start new lives
as icebergs. The three and a half hours
we had there went very quickly and all too soon we were piling into the minibus
to head back to town and the other element that makes Juan’s XL Tour better than
any of the bigger companies, is a visit to a local hostelry for a glass of
local beer and a hot empanada. It was when we sat down for the refreshments that we met and chatted to the other English speakers - Australia and US and a young German girl who spoke good English, while the natural Spanish speakers sat at another table. The XL
Tour was only AR$40 (or £4) more than the others and I am so glad to have come
across it before taking the first one, recommended by the guide book.
Today is Tuesday 10th December. We had to book an extra night’s accommodation
because the bus we need to take only goes every other day. Unbelievable, we have this loft space all to
ourselves again. It has to be 10 X 5
meters and is surrounded on three sides by windows. The sun is shining but the wind is
howling. The only thing missing is a
kettle to make a decent cup of coffee.
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