One rainy day we decided to see Perito Moreno Glacier. It was difficult to get to it, because of heavy rain a day earlier. We could not take bus as we planned thus we decided to take a boat. It was still raining when we approached the glacier, netherless it did not stop us from hiking on slopes surrounding the glacier.
Perito Moreno Glacier, in the southern area of the Los Glaciares National Park, is the most important and most easily reached glacier. This is an imposing ice river, 3 km in width and 60 m in height, that descends slowly from the Hielo Continental Patagonico (Patagonian Continental Ice) to the shore of the lake, in the Canal de los Tempanos (Icebergs Channel). Only 200 m above sea level, it has turned into the biggest attraction of the region thanks to its spectacular beauty, its glacial interest and its different behavior to the rest of the glaciers of the world. It is a white giant that, moving noisily, offers an incredible scenery. During its slow advance, it blocks the Canal de los Tempanos, forming an ice dam that does not allow the drainage of the waters of the South Arm to the central part of the lake. The pressure of the water trying to recover its natural course increases from year to year until it starts to pierce the front of the glacier, producing the famous "fracture". This is a unique spectacle that repeats itself every 4 or more years where tons of ice yield to the force of the water. This process lasts up to 36 hours; peace and silence return afterwards.
Perito Moreno Glacier, in the southern area of the Los Glaciares National Park, is the most important and most easily reached glacier. This is an imposing ice river, 3 km in width and 60 m in height, that descends slowly from the Hielo Continental Patagonico (Patagonian Continental Ice) to the shore of the lake, in the Canal de los Tempanos (Icebergs Channel). Only 200 m above sea level, it has turned into the biggest attraction of the region thanks to its spectacular beauty, its glacial interest and its different behavior to the rest of the glaciers of the world. It is a white giant that, moving noisily, offers an incredible scenery. During its slow advance, it blocks the Canal de los Tempanos, forming an ice dam that does not allow the drainage of the waters of the South Arm to the central part of the lake. The pressure of the water trying to recover its natural course increases from year to year until it starts to pierce the front of the glacier, producing the famous "fracture". This is a unique spectacle that repeats itself every 4 or more years where tons of ice yield to the force of the water. This process lasts up to 36 hours; peace and silence return afterwards.