6. EL CALAFATE / LAGO ARGENTINO Cross the border into Argentina this morning and arrive at El Calafate in time for lunch. A small, picturesque village on the shores of Lake Argentino, El Calafate is named for a wild bush with yellow flowers and blue berries that flourishes here; it is also known as the “Village of the Glaciers,” the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park. Lunch in the town, which retains some of its original character as a pioneer outpost for wool traders. Then continue on to your accommodations at Los Sauces Casa Patagónica, a well-appointed resort hotel with a presidential pedigree. Nestled on ten acres near the lake, the resort offers European elegance and luxury in a setting of spectacular natural beauty. Check in, then pay a visit to a local museum, the Glaciarium, dedicated to the science of glaciers and the geological history of the area, an entrée to the astonishing world you’ll meet in Los Glaciares National Park. Meals BLD
7. ESTANCIA CRISTINA / UPSALA GLACIER All aboard at Punta Bandera for a cruise on Lake Argentino. The vast freshwater lake is fed by runoff from dozens of glaciers in the Southern Patagonian Icefield. You’ll sail by one of the largest of them, Upsala Glacier, a towering wall of ice (100 feet higher than Niagara Falls) that meets the water and stretches for miles through an alien landscape of wildly sculpted granite peaks and icebergs, and a startling palette of colors; the green of the lake beside the vivid blue, white and gold hues of the mountains, forests and ice offer dramatic photo ops like nowhere else on Earth. Disembark at Estancia Cristina, a cattle and sheep ranch founded by an English immigrant in the early 1900s (and named
Indulge in the natural scenic beauty of Torres Del Paine National Park
after his daughter). Travel via a 4x4 vehicle, then hike to a high vantage point for a stunning panoramic view of Upsala Glacier. Get a close-up look at life on the ranch, including a visit to a museum that is dedicated to Argentina’s ubiquitous cowboys, the gauchos. You’ll also enjoy a lunch of local cuisine, and learn the art of making mate tea (the national drink), traditionally brewed and served in a calabash gourd with a metal straw. Marvel again on the scenic return trip to your hotel, and arrive in time for dinner à la carte. Meals BLD
View towering Upsala Glacier by land and sea on a cruise on Lake Argentino 94
8. PERITO MORENO GLACIER Drive into Los Glaciares National Park to witness one of the world’s most breathtaking natural wonders, Perito Moreno Glacier. Fronting Lake Argentino for three miles, rising 240 feet from the water in dense clusters of jagged white skyscrapers, Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers in the icefield that is advancing, its restless movement unseen but sometimes heard in its eerie groaning, cracking, and rumbling. From high walkways on the shore opposite the glacier, you can appreciate its overwhelming scale and even have the chance to see an iceberg calve away from the ice wall, collapsing like a tall building in an explosion of thunder and water. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the presence of this immense, mystical phenomenon; its majestic landscape mesmerizes with the changing light, as the ice morphs in color, from white to turquoise, sapphire, and deep indigo blue. Return to the hotel this afternoon for time at leisure, or explore the shops and restaurants in El Calafate; its one main street is perfect for strolling, and its cafés cater to a range of international tastes. And there’s always the diversion of the dazzling night sky, untouched by man-made lights in this corner of the world. Meals BL
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