Do you have any idea how loud is the sound of a huge chunk of ice falling into the frozen waters?
Slowly going North, we stopped in El Calafate after Torres Del Paine. The sleepy town isn´t so sleepy anymore and has become a gateway to the nearby most spectacular glacier in the world: Perito Moreno.
Being Canadians, we are no stranger to ice, snow and anything else frozen. Yet, this glacier is one of the most amazing natural wonder I have ever seen.
Perito Moreno is 80 kilometers away from El Calafate, in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. The glacier is basically a low gap in the Andes where the snow has accumulated and recrystallized into ice.
Upon arriving at the glacier, it looks like a long and thick river of ice in between many mountains. But as we got closer, what surprised me the most was the loud sound of ice breaking.
We strolled a long series of catwalk, some above the 60 meters high glacier, some much lower and closer. The ice block is not compact, it is a river of thick jagged peaks, some milky and grayish, some deep blue.
As the sun hit the face of the glacier, around noon, we witnessed several huge chunk of ice collapsing in the Canales de los Témpanos (Iceberg Channel). Enormous blocks suddenly crashed into the water, causing a huge wave, temporally clearing the water of other icebergs for a few minutes.
I had never seen, nor heard, anything like that before… Definitely worth a visit.
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wow – those photos are incredible!!! IT looks more like a movie and I can imagine how loud that is… It’s so cool you’ve seen it so close up too!!!
Wow. Going back and forth from Chile and Argentina are we? I didn’t realize that Los Glaciares has its source in the Andes. When I searched for it in the map, I thought it would be facing the Atlantic Ocean. Little did I know that it is further inland, way farther from Rio Gallegos than I originally thought.
Stunning “documentary”, photos and text
Zhu that is beautiful!
I actually had the chance to go on a cruise to Alaska, US and we got to see the glaciers and even land on them in a helicopter ride!
You are right, the sound is enormous and just fills you. Ah, beautiful! Thank you for commenting on my blog Zhu. I appreciate you!
Wow! I was just gonna ask you about this place in the last entry. It’s definitely a marvel to behold!
Those pictures are incredible! I’ve seen glaciers in Iceland, New Zealand, and Canada, but these glaciers blow them all away!
Sue and I saw some neat glaciers in Alaska a few years ago and were told that the deep turquoise blue is ice that has been so compressed by the weight of ice above it that it is denser than normal ice and so refracts a different wavelengh of light, ie. blue rather than white. Cool eh?
Wow… what a travel… you really see a lot…
Very nice images !
I am sitting in front of my PC screen wondering why I am sitting here instead of traveling… 🙁
I would love to see that in person. It must be amazing…too bad they’ll be gone in a couple of years:(
This is wonderful, amazing and showing the mysterious beauty of nature. I do agree with you: ‘an amazing natural wonder‘! Thanks for describing the feeling so well and for this wonderful pictures – a thrill to watch and read!
The first time I saw a glacier, was at Svalbard and I had the same feeling. To see ice build up for 5000 years is indescribable.
Amazing photos Zhu. How lucky you are to be there the exact minute ice broke from the glacier with your camera ready. You are having an insane holiday, and i’m jealous that i’m not with you.
I did scientific research in Antarctic in undergrad, but went down to the Ice via Christchurch, New Zealand. I’d love to visit Tierra del Fuego some day! I think many other nations (e.g., in South America) make it to Antarctic via that route.
What an amazing experience for you! Thank you for sharing.
OH WOW!!! Amazing and yes definitely a good experience and I want to have a go sometimes too.
From hot to cold you are amazing Zhu 😀
I am sure it is pretty amazing to experience something this unique up close and personal. So then dear Zhu, since you got the stories to tell and the pictures to show (and what great pictures they are) I got only one question for you…
Where is “Indiana Zhu” the movie and when do we begin shooting? Yes, “we” , you don’t have a good action flick without an annoying supposedly humourous freak sidekick, you know. And I am the man for the job and you know it! My agent’s cellphone should be ringing right about now… OR NOT!!!
Good to know you are having fun , take care of yourself world traveler!
Salut Mam’selle 😉
Incredible pics; I can understand your enthusiasm !!
I think that seeing the marvel of the glaciers almost makes you forget that you are back to the cold .
Nature is so amazing… I would be completely in awe.
I have a couple of posts to backtrack on; I’ve been busy lately.
Take care,
Bises XX
@Linguist-in-Waiting – It took me a while to understand Tierra Del Fuego´s geography as well! To exit the place anyway, you have to go back and forth, because everybody has to take the ferry to Chile.
@expatraveler – We were trying to make a video, but it happens so fast usuaññy that you don´t have the time.
@Monica – I have always wanted to visit Alaska and I´m sure there are some enormous glacier out there!
@Froggywoogie – I should apply for a position at Envoyé Spécial 😆
@kyh – I had almost never heard of it before and it is so amazing…!
@Gail at Large – I saw the Frantz Joseff glacier in NZ (spelling?) but it was much more like a big piece of ice in the valley…
@Sidney – No reason: come on, grab your passport!!!!
@Tulsa Gentleman – Amazing! It took me a while to notice the different colors and I just love that deep blue.
@Bluefish – Actually, this is the only glacier in the world that actually moves forward, about 2 meters a year. It won´t be gone any time soon!
@RennyBA – I read your glacier story and it is quite amazing too. You were much more closer!
@Seraphine – I think the ice break several times a day (or I´m really lucky!). But the sun was strong the day we were there… and we stayed for about 5 hrs.
@Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas – Now, I´m amazed: someone who HAS been to Antarctica is commenting here! Wow… I can only imagine what the pole looks like and I wish I could have gone. By the way, do you get a passport stamp when you land on Antarctica? If so, it is definitely a collectible!
@shionge – Anytime you need to escape from hot Singapore 🙂
@Deadpoolite – It is still a secret (I don´t want the Chinese pirate the movie) but we started shooting it a few months ago. Now, they are taking me to all these secret locations and make me jump from buildings etc. 😆
@barbara – It was not that cold, that´s the best part! During the day, the sun is very strong and it was above zero.
Hey Zhu: I actually landed in Antarctica on New Year’s Eve 1999 – so I rang in the New Year/Millenium there at the Kiwi Station – Scott Base. However, I mostly spent my time at McMurdo Station (a US base), Scott Base, and out in the field working in the Dry Valleys. Too busy being a science geek, I guess – I didn’t have the opportunity to go to the South Pole. It would have been especially awesome on New Years because it would mean 24 hours of celebrating, no? Hehe.
As for the passport stamping. I only got it stamped in New Zealand. Antarctica is technically not a country (no one own’s it — because of the International Treaties) – so everyone who goes there has their passport stamped at the embarking point (e.g., Chile or NZ, unless they are nationals, of course, of those countries). At least that would be my understanding since I got stamped in Auckland. There wasn’t a customs for me in Antarctica.
You should try to get down to the Ice — there are Artists in Residence and, at least at McMurdo, a lot of support personal (e.g., chefs, crews to assist with everything, cleaning). Maybe the Canadian or French Stations need a Chinese-French-Spanish speaking woman on their staff ; ). Buenas suertes.
‘wow’ is the only word that comes to mind…..
WOW!! That Glacier is really amazing! I am not an ice kind of girl [lol] but this is impressive!
Great photos, Zhu..merci!
Chuck of ice falling reminds me of global warming -_-”
Amazing experience! Wish I can go there too…
@Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas – Wow! See, just for the experience you had, I wish I had taken sciences a bit more seriously instead of fooling around studying Chinese. You are the first person I know who have been to Antactica, I wish I had a special award to give you! 🙂
The stamp thing does make sense I guess. I had heard that it was possible to get an Antarctica stamp but I have no idea how/ where.
@Agnes – It is amazing!
@Max Coutinho – Me too, I´m more made of fire 😆 but I must say this one blew me away.
@Khengsiong – This glacier is actually the anti-global warming since it is progressing fast (2 meters a year I think).
I absolutely love this place – it was one of the best things I have ever seen. You’re right about the noise as the ice falls into the water – such loud creaking and groaning!
Thanks for bringing back memories – Abi
.-= Abi from Inside the Travel Lab´s last blog ..Liquid Gold & Mud Slides =-.
Must agree definitely worth a visit. Place is just amazing. Huge icebergs looks so powerful.
Wow!
Exactly what I said then!