Perito Moreno Glaicier (El Calafate), Patagonia, Argentina

Type of trip: Nature and Active

Length: One week
Date of the trip: January 2015

Home base: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Flight itinerary: Rio de Janeiro - Buenos Aires - El Calafate - Buenos Aires - Rio de Janeiro

Highlights

The whole trip was two and a half weeks.  We spent the first week just outside Buenos Aires playing tennis in Pilara Tennis Academy but this is a different kind of activity, so I will not cover it here.  The second half of the trip was a visit to Argentinian Patagonia.  Many people take long two or three weeks trips to explore this wonderful region including visiting Usuaia, Tierra del Fuego and Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.  We decided to see just one part this time and leave other places for next visit.  So I asked my Argentine friends about the best place to go if I were to chose just one.  They pretty much unanimously recommended Perito Moreno Glacier, and so we went there.  And we were not disappointed.

This is one of the most impressive things one can see.  A massive land locked glacier surrounded by beautiful mountains.

The sheer power of the ice is impressive with huge pieces falling off once in a while.  The colour of the ice is absolutely amazing.

From practical point, it is important to be at the glacier as early as the park opens.  There are very good galleries/walkways that are built next to the glacier which allows you to view it and it is beneficial to be there before the big buses of tourists arrive there.  But the first thing to do is to get your ticket for the boat tour as soon as you arrived (unless you have it from your tour operator, we didn't).  We arrived early, got the ticket for the boat ride and spent the morning admiring the glacier and having a picnic (the hotel provided packed lunch) looking at falling pieces of ice.  After lunch we went on a relatively short but worth-wile boat ride to get quite close to the Glacier.

You can also join a walking tour on the Glacier which sounds pretty good but only kids older than 10 years old are allowed.

But the glacier was not the only thing which was stunningly beautiful.  We walked and cycled for hours admiring amazing landscapes with no-one to be seen for miles.  We were very lucky with the weather.  It was sunny and warm but not hot, so it was perfect for outdoor activities.  In fact the trip was so nice that we no longer are sure we want to go and see other parts of Patagonia as worried to be disappointed.  This one is really hard to beat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno_Glacier

http://www.losglaciares.com/en/parque/

Logistics

There are few daily direct flights to El Calafate from Buenos Aires.  On our way back connection to Rio de Janeiro was really not great (arriving in the middle of the night), so we spent a night and morning in Buenos Aires.

Once in El Calafate, the hotels tend to pick you up from the airport, so it is pretty straight forward.

Quite a few people do long driving trips across Patagonia crossing between Argentina and Chile.  This sounds fun but way too much driving and sitting in the car, which is not really our thing, so I can't comment on this.  

Accommodation

Patagonia - Hosteria Alta Vista.  This place is superb.  It is located half way between El Calafate and Perito Moreno Glacier.  Literally in the middle of nowhere.  All you can see around are beautiful fields, mountains, lakes and skies.  It is just stunning.  We stayed there for three full days and did many activities:

• We went hiking for hours (the trails are quite well marked but we managed to get a little bit lost - totally our fault for trying to improvise too much - and got the hosts worried).  
• There bikes to borrow and we went cycling with the boys.  My husband also went mountain biking a couple of times (again, there are a couple of nice trails).  
• The boys also were taken horseback riding for hours.  They loved it.  The young man who looks after the horses was excellent with children and there was proper equipment for them including helmets, etc.  
• On the last day we walked to the sheep sheering farm that is owned by the same family as the hosteria and they explained to us the process and showed it all to us.  Pretty impressive.  
• Well, and of course on the first day we went to see Perito Moreno Glacier.  

Now a few words about the hotel itself:  

• It is a family owned very well run place.  The owners are super nice and warm.  They speak perfect English and were very helpful in all respects.  
• Despite our expectations (we were really in the middle of nowhere in a small hotel), the food was great.  The dishes were varied and as there were not too many customers during the first two days of our stay, we were asked about our preferences and they were really keen to accommodate our requests.  The portions were very big.  In fact too big for us but some might like it. 
• The rooms are simple but comfortable, very clean and cosy.  
• This hosteria is located half way between El Calafate and Perito Moreno Glacier, hence you have an advantage of not having to drive too far and to be at the glacier early.  

All in all, I think this place was amazing in all respects.  

http://www.hosteriaaltavista.com/

Buenos Aires - Moreno Hotel.  This is a very good hotel located in San Telmo area of Buenos Aires, very close to the main attractions in the centre.  The Art Deco building is really beautiful.  The rooms are huge (the largest is Big Loft) and contemporary furnished.  It is not a luxury hotel and it doesn't claim to be, so there are no extras but the rooms are very clean and I like the fact that the floors are wooden, hence can be easily washed.  Breakfast is very basic and the food was OK, there is nothing wrong with it but nothing particularly good to note either.  All in all, this is a perfect charming hotel in the heart of Buenos Aires which is very reasonably priced.  

http://morenobuenosaires.com/en/index

Food

Aldo's Vinoteca y Restoran - This restaurant is adjacent to Moreno Hotel.  The food is very good and the wine list is just amazing.  The atmosphere is pretty cool and staff is very friendly and patient even with three young children at dinner time.

http://aldosvinoteca.com/

Other places to consider visiting
Peluqueria y Barberia La Epoca - a great place if you need a shave, haircut and a drink.  This place is really quirky with amazing ambience.  It is an old fashion barber shop but also has a bar.  Definitely worth a visit.

https://www.google.com.br/maps/place/Guayaquil+877,+Buenos+Aires,+Argentina/@-34.6218001,-58.4404051,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x95bcca3880911f81:0xce5217e489558a42

Other options
Here are some other hotels in El Calafate that we considered and the reasons why we have chosen Hosteria Alta Vista at the end.  I would have happily stayed in either of these four hotels but of course I don't know if they would have lived up to my expectations.

Nibepo Aike - this place seems similar to Hosteria Alta Vista where we stayed.  I had a hard time choosing between the two.  At the end I felt that the location of Alta Vista was slightly better but both are out of town surrounded by fields.

http://www.nibepoaike.com.ar/

Estancia Christina - again, a similar type of a hotel but located a bit further away next to another glacier (Upsala Glacier).  Looks great but at the end we have chosen not to travel any further.

http://www.estanciacristina.com/english/ellugar.html

EOLO - a Relais&Chateaux hotel.  Looks stunning but doesn't allow kids less than 12 years old.  Fair enough...

http://www.eolo.com.ar/home_eng.htm

Hosteria Los Notros - the only hotel located inside the Park and overlooking Perito Moreno Glacier.  We seriously considered it but at the end decided to stay outside which was the right choice for us as we ended up doing more than just the glacier.  If you stay in Los Notros you are somewhat restricted and can't do the hikes and the bike rides we ended up doing.