El Calafate

Great moments in Patagonia

Even before arriving, one is already dazzled by the landscape, as the views from the airplane windows are extraordinary, both of the characteristic Patagonian steppe and of the zigzagging Santa Cruz River that crosses it. In the background, the immense turquoise Lake Argentino can be seen.

We landed at the modern airport of El Calafate in the afternoon of a sunny November day. As usual, @tripticity_ decided to stay at the centrally located Automóvil Club Argentino hotel for the first few days, when we had to leave for several hours to see the attractions. The ACA accommodations always offer a perfect value for money. For the last night, the option was the Design Suites hotel, of superior category, to enjoy its facilities and the surrounding landscape. This is an efficient and compliant practice that consists of combining two types of hotels and taking advantage of their major benefits.

In the morning, we took two different tours.

On the one hand, Big Ice, lthe extreme experience to walk on the glacier. Years ago,, @tripticity_ had enjoyed the proposal of Hielo y Aventura so we had to repeat the experience.

The Big Ice is a full day excursion of high demand, which starts in El Calafate city to go -in a first stage- to Los Glaciares National Park (Parque Nacional Los Glaciares) have a first approach to the glacier from the footbridges. There we found a funny woodpecker forging his work on the wood of a tree trunk.

Then, from the port "Bajo de las Sombras" we boarded the boat that crosses the Rico Lake, to reach the south face of the Glaciar Perito Moreno Glacier.

Once at the refuge, mountain guides formed groups of no more than ten people and provided the safety elements (helmets and harnesses) that we wore during the trip. Thus, we started a first trekking through the moraine for about two hours. To get some fresh air, we made mini stops at strategic points to get fabulous panoramic views.

After the stop at the second shelter and just before starting the walk on the ice, we put on the crampons to enter the glacier.

Blue pools of water, incisive crevasses, ice caves, sinkholes, everything you pass through is absolutely admirable.

The sensation is somewhat supernatural as you advance through the extraordinary glacier. At one point during the hike, some condors surprised us with their dancing flight.

By noon, the two guides who accompanied us found a place to stop and recharge our batteries with the light lunch that each of us carried in our backpacks.

On the way back we felt the weight of the journey and the effort involved in walking with crampons on the ice. It is the same route as the outward journey of about two hours.

A short stop at the refuge to then take the boat back, where we enjoy a whiskey with ice from the glacier, a real "on the rocks".

During the transfer back to the city it was impossible not to snooze after almost twelve hours of hiking, totally amazed by what we had experienced.

On the other hand, that morning Mr. @tripticity_ left for El Chaltén.  

The first stop of this tour from El Calafate is Estancia La Leona, a farmhouse built in 1894 by Danish immigrants. The suggestion of the guides is to have a coffee there or buy a souvenir, but as it is full of buses and vans of tourists, it is better to sit and breathe the fresh air on the banks of the river of the same name. 

After bordering Lago Viedma along Route 40, take Provincial Route 23 heading west to reach the destination, one of the newest cities in Argentina, created in 1985 to strengthen sovereignty at that time in dispute with Chile. 

Baptized as the National Capital of Trekking, it became popular all over the world when it was chosen by Lonely Planet as one of the best destinations to visit, which brought with it an important amount of investments in hostels and pubs. During the day its few blocks are deserted: it is at night that the hundreds of mountaineers of every imaginable nationality return from the trails and bring it to life.

For those who are not sporty or are just passing through, a nice option is to go up to the Mirador de los Cóndores, from where you can see the town's physiognomy and the majesty of the iconic Fitz Roy. This is when the weather permits, as it is usually hidden by clouds. In fact, its original name in Tehuelche means "smoking mountain".   

It is a very easy and pleasant trek, where you can enjoy the views, the company of the condors and the curious native flowers: the dondiego de la noche, the neneo, the mother-in-law's pillow, the virgin's slipper, the paramela or the chocolate flower.

It is not easy to have lunch because the pubs are more focused on nightlife. The driver and cadet's choice was the dining room of Rancho Grande, hostel, a Patagonian lamb stew with french fries. The revelation was the superb ice cream from Domo Blanco.  

The tour ended with an easy hike to the Chorrillo del Salto, a waterfall whose greatest charm is offered in winter when it freezes completely.

Once back in El Calafate and after the reunion, we went to eat at Mako, Matías Villalba's restaurant.

Located in the main street of the city, on Libertador Avenue, the distinguished dining room offers the experience of fire and wine. It has a varied menu in which meats stand out, so that evening, when the sun was still shining in El Calafate, we chose a Wellington tenderloin and a glazed lamb, accompanied with vegetables. 

We finished off with an extraordinary sweet, the triple chocolate texture, as well as a white chocolate soup with black cocoa crunch.

We were extremely tired, so the comfortable bed at the ACA Hosteria that night felt like a bed of kings.

Rest was necessary because the next day we were in for another grueling, hours-long excursion to Torres del Paine National Park (Parque Nacional Torres del Paine) in Chile. 

For our third day in the city of El Calafate we had booked the Gourmet Navigation tour.  

This is a ride on a modern vessel to visit three of the main glaciers of the Patagonian Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur). The premium option offers not only a special pass service but also an exclusive sector for no more than twenty people, which allows the possibility of appreciating the circuit in absolute tranquility and comfort. 

As soon as we arrived, and even before setting sail from Puerto Soledad, we were treated to small sweet delicacies along with a coffee service. It was there when Gabriela, the guide who accompanied us during the circuit, introduced herself. We started the tour along the Canal de los Témpanos. We crossed the Devil's Pass, the narrowest stretch of the largest lake in Argentina. By then Gabriela explained to us that glacier milk is the release of rock particles that refract sunlight and give them turquoise or gray color depending on the time; that the waters remain between two and eight degrees centigrade with fish such as perch, trout and salmon, which enters once a year.

The detachments, huge pieces of ice -especially from the Upsala Glacier- move downstream in the huge Lake Argentino. For this reason, as soon as we start our navigation we come across these impressive floating ice formations of a brilliant sky blue with intense blue spots. The shapes are wonderful, the colors are surreal.

We continued towards the Upsala and could see its immensity in the distance.

Then the boat stopped at Bahía de Las Vacas pier for a short ride in which we were surprised by a downpour, which generated a funny moment when we splashed on the stony beach of the lake. Cows in the wild are an heirloom of cattle ranches.

Next, we headed towards the Spegazzini. glacier. It was there that we were surprised by a condor in its nest. Then we were invited to share a moment with the captain of the ship, who told us about the vicissitudes of his job, while detailing the characteristics of the glacier and how to navigate in those icy waters. 

The guide's story was very valuable. We learned that Antarctica, Greenland and the Patagonian Ice Field -located between Chile and Argentina- are the largest blocks of frozen water in the world; that the ice of the summits accumulate snowfalls of more than five hundred years ago; that the icebergs are moved by the winds; that the whole area is made up of some three hundred glaciers; that Spegazzini is the highest in the national park at 134 meters; that next to it rises the majestic Peineta mountain; that only 17 kilometers away is the border with Chile.

Everything is imposing, the whites and turquoises of the crests of the centenary ice are amazing.

After the impressive approach to the high walls of Spegazzini, we took shelter in our cabin to enjoy lunch that awaited us. We started with a terrine that combined typical Argentine flavors, such as morcilla (blood sausage); then a vegetable soup; and for the main course, the classic Patagonian lamb.

The weather in Patagonia is changeable, we went from cold rain to piercing sun in a matter of seconds.

That's when we really got to know our tablemates, the lovely Spaniards we were fortunate enough to meet. The trophies that @tripticity_ proudly treasures are not the experiences that your travels give you, but those people that destiny has in store for you. Indeed, Angela and Alfonso had been placed at the next table at the beginning, but as our group was incomplete they decided to join us; one of those exciting coincidences because the talks that continued with them during the trip were really memorable. Alfonso, a member of the Ibero-American Academy of Gastronomy (Academia Iberoamericana de Gastronomía), gave us an advanced theoretical class that day, not only on the world of cooking and good food, but also on life itself. Fearless, witty, a real movie star, he conquered us forever as much as the sweet gaze of his beautiful companion Angela, the beautiful and serene Sevillian.

After lunch it was the turn of the imposing Perito Moreno glacier, the world famous ice formation. 

The boat navigates the length of the north face, and although there are only a few minutes dedicated to the highlight of the excursion, the whimsical shapes and the collapse of its walls leave the visitors stunned.  

At the end of the tour we just wanted to thank life for such a beautiful opportunity to know this Patagonian immensity and celebrate the meeting with Angela and Alfonso, with the longing to meet again in the future.

We went back to the hotel for a short rest, as we were picked up an hour after our arrival for the next tour we had booked at Patagonia Chic. The region is an astronomical corridor so we were tempted to see the stars clearly, almost as a memory of that night in Salinas Grandes when we stayed at Pristine Camps, or even the one we experienced in Trevelin, in the garden of the Cuatro Vientos house.

El Calafate option is more modest. The tour includes a visit to an old sheep ranch, when wool was the main production of the area. After a simple dish of lentil stew we waited for darkness to arrive, which in spring in those latitudes comes after ten o'clock.

Maybe a little bit because of tiredness and another because of the long wait, the tour was not what we expected. But it must be said, we clearly saw the passing of satellites and even shooting stars.

After the well-deserved rest and before moving to our hotel, we decided to visit the Glaciarium, an interpretation center of the Patagonian ice. The view of the city of El Calafate and Argentino Lake from there is remarkable; besides, the guided visit allows us to understand the transcendence of this natural heritage.

Around noon we headed to Hotel Design Suites, where we spent our last night, enjoying the panoramic view from our suite overlooking the turquoise lake. In addition, the spa area includes a warm water pool, ideal for relaxing after the effort of the previous days' tours.

In the evening, we opted to have dinner at the hotel's restaurant.

In the morning we enjoyed the variety of breakfast buffet options and then continued our relaxation at the pool.

Our return flight was scheduled for after lunch, so we dared to stop by El Alambique for a gourmet farewell to El Calafate. We checked out of the hotel, took our bags and headed towards Estancia 25 de Mayo, where the Kau Yatun hotel is located.

Alejandra Repetto's restaurant, winner of the 2022 edition of the Prix Baron B, is located there.

In our tour around Argentina, @tripticity_ has been trying to get to know each of the restaurants chosen in the federal contest and we are proud to have tasted the gastronomic proposals of El Nuevo Progreso by María Florencia Rodríguez in Jujuy; Kalma Restó by Jorge Monopoli in Tierra del Fuego; Poytava by Saúl Lencina in Misiones; El Baqueano by Fernando Rivarola in Salta; Fonda Sur by Paula Chiaradia in Trevelin; all because of our eagerness to know the different variants of authentic Argentine cuisine.

It was, in fact, our second visit. After the Torres del Paine Tour we had decided to have dinner at El Alambique before returning to the hotel. Thanks to Georgina's good predisposition, we were able to occupy a table without previous reservation. That night we ordered a Chilean Carmenere, the Cono Sur from the Cachapoal Valley. The options for the evening were to start with some peculiar guanaco empanadas with black charcoal dough, followed by pasta with guanaco and prawns with guanaco jerky. The closing, a Calafate meringue with lavender cream, exquisite and delicate.

Therefore, after that night of flavors, we knew we could not leave El Calafate without trying one of the famous house dishes, the guanaco burger with caramelized onions, green apple and tres leches cheese, as well as a sourdough pizza with tomatoes a la chapa. For dessert we opted for a fantastic pear and thyme ice cream.

And so, exhausted but happy, we left the city of the glaciers having seen its famous ice and enjoyed its glorious gastronomic offer.