Upsala and Spegazzini Glaciers
Monday, October 31st: El Calafate, Argentina
After a light breakfast, we drove west to the Los Glacieres national park and arrived at a small tourism office along Lake Argentina in Puerto Bandera. There was some initial confusion, but we clarified that we were in fact in the right place and got in line to board the catamaran for our glacier tour of Upsala and Spegazzini.
We cruised through the fingerlings of the lake, passing by icebergs of various sizes and several prominent glaciers. Upsala has been rapidly receding over the years in comparison to Spegazzini, which has remained close to its original size since discovery. We ventured in and out of the boat for hours, capturing photos and taking in the colors of the turquoise blue glacial ice with mountains in the backdrop. We waited patiently and watched intently for ice to break off and were rewarded with several glacier cracks that resulted in ice tumbling into the lake below.
We stopped at the refugio for lunch and an educational session of the glaciers - we had our very own private tour guide as the only people in two boats that spoke English. After eating all of our pre-packed empanadas, we bought a milanesa sandwich and found our local cup-o-noodles brand, Pasta Box. They’re not quite at the level of Yum Yum noodles, but quick & easy with several flavors of pasta and rice that will be good for backpacking.
On the way back to the port, we both fell asleep in our seats, trapping our seatmates for the entire return journey.
Like on many of our excursions and travels, we run into the same people. There was a family of four on the boat with us that we would later pass on the trail of Laguna de Los Tres in El Chalten.
Accommodations: AirB&B, El Calafate, Argentina
