January 20, Friday – El Calafate, Argentina

Much of the day was taken up with our flight to El Calafate.  The flight in was over a very large turquoise blue lake…obviously glacier fed.  

The airport is pretty small with only two arrival gates.  Also, it is out quite a ways from town…as in the middle of nowhere. However the drive into town was along the lake so we got some good views.

El Calafate is the jumping off point for the Argentina’s Glacier National Park and as we walked around town in the afternoon we saw lots of backpackers and hikers.  After lunch at a local pub we walked around town a bit, stopped at an ATM for some cash and then headed to the tourist center.  There we caught a shuttle to the glacier museum. 

The museum and the town overlook Lake Argentino, the large lake we saw as we flew in.  The museum was very interesting with many exhibits about the formation of glaciers and glacier ice and how the glaciers recede and advance.  There was also a movie of the collapse a few years back of the Perito Moreno Glacier Ice Bridge (more on this later). 

There was also a very interesting weather predicting sign.

The shuttle dropped us downtown so we checked a few shops on the way back to the hotel.  There were lots of shops featuring hiking and backpacking and cold weather gear.  On the way to our hotel we read the menus at a few restaurants and settled on one a short walk from our hotel.  It turned out the décor was very colorful and eclectic, the portions were ginormous and delicious, and the homemade bread was to die for.  

We saw two bluff-necked ibis foraging on the hotel lawn.