The bus drivers are on strike. So we ditched our plans to take a bus to Foz do Iguaçu, and instead hopped a flight to El Calafate to go glacier hunting.
El Calafate is in Patagonia on the edge of Lake Argentino. Really far south in Argentina near the Chilean border. It's a cute little mountain tourist town. Reminds me of Colorado ski towns like Breckenridge 25 years ago (before Starbucks and such). At zero degrees Celsius, this is probably the coldest place we will visit on our journey. Luckily, we are able to rent cold weather gear for our "Mini Trekking" adventure.
Some observations and tips for those of you considering a visit to El Calafate and the Perito Moreno glacier:
1) You can rent jackets, boots, pants and gloves in El Calafate for 130 pesos
2) It's not as cold there as you think it's going to be
3) Crampons - that's what the spikey ice climbing shoes are called
4) Exchange your dollars for pesos in Buenos Aires, where you can find people who will buy your dollars for almost twice the official rate. Not so in El Calafate
Happy glacier hunting to you!
On the glacier, we met super-cool Anna, who happens to be from our old 'hood in Brooklyn. Small world...
El Calafate is in Patagonia on the edge of Lake Argentino. Really far south in Argentina near the Chilean border. It's a cute little mountain tourist town. Reminds me of Colorado ski towns like Breckenridge 25 years ago (before Starbucks and such). At zero degrees Celsius, this is probably the coldest place we will visit on our journey. Luckily, we are able to rent cold weather gear for our "Mini Trekking" adventure.
Some observations and tips for those of you considering a visit to El Calafate and the Perito Moreno glacier:
1) You can rent jackets, boots, pants and gloves in El Calafate for 130 pesos
2) It's not as cold there as you think it's going to be
3) Crampons - that's what the spikey ice climbing shoes are called
4) Exchange your dollars for pesos in Buenos Aires, where you can find people who will buy your dollars for almost twice the official rate. Not so in El Calafate
Happy glacier hunting to you!
On the glacier, we met super-cool Anna, who happens to be from our old 'hood in Brooklyn. Small world...
RSS Feed
