Tourism, attractions, scenery, maps, photos, glaciars, dinoaurs, tours and more about Argentina's Santa Cruz province.
Perito Moreno glacier in Argentine Patagonia has the distinction of being the only glacier in the world to be still growing. Moreno increases because falling snow accumulates faster than it melts. Over time, the snow compresses and gravity and the ice buildup behind the glacier force it down the mountain. The distinctive blue color comes from oxygen trapped in the snow, and the dirt and mud come from the ground and rocks the glacier gathers as it noses its way downward.
El Chaltén is the newest town in Argentina, but snuggled up against the Andes, it's already become known as the Hiking Capital of Argentina. From this base, visitors can trek, climb mountains, and explore lakes and glaciers in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares.
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares has 47 major glaciers, including Perito Moreno, the only one in the world still growing, two lakes and is a favored destination in any season.
This feature by guest author Marita Alisal spotlights Perito Moreno, the most famous glacier, and some of the sightseeing possibilities in the area.
Photos, links and information about Patagonia and the glaciers in Parque Nacional Los Glacieres
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares has 47 major glaciers, including Perito Moreno, the only one in the world still growing, two lakes and is a favored destination in any season.
Photos copyrighted to the photographers and displayed with the kind permission of Patagonia Argentina.
Maps of the area include Perito Moreno and Upsala glaciers.
Open all year, offering tours to Perito Moreno glacier, El Chalten, Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine in Chile, plus horseback riding with gauchos, shearing shows at a local estancia, buses to Río Gallegos.
Description from GORP includes Cuevas de los Manos - Cave of the Hands.
"Las cuevas del río Pinturas guardan obras realizadas por los indios Tehuelches y sus antecesores. Su antigüedad es de 9.300 años, según investigaciones realizadas."
Accounts and history about the Patagonian Ice Field. Good photos and explanations about glaciers.
"Near Lago Argentino, a green water surface covering 1600 km2 ...is an important touristic resort of national as well as international importance, since there start all glacier circuits."
Near Lago Argentina, El Calafate is the gateway to the majestic world of glaciers. "The Glaciers National Park covers a surface of some 600,000 hectares with 47 glaciers, such as the Viedma, the Moyano, the Marconi, the Upsala, the Agassiz, the Bolado, the Onelli, the Peineta, the Spegazzini, the Mayo, the Ameghino, the Moreno and the Frías, all of them located within the Atlantic basin."
Superb photos of El Calafate and the glaciers that make this region knows and the "Argentine Alaska."
"Situated in the Departament called Lago Argentino, El Chaltén is on the northen margin of Lago Viedma, in the confluence of rivers De las Vueltas and Fitz Roy, in the National Reserve Zona Viedma in Los Glaciares National Park."
Photos of the Cerro Torre and the Torre Glacier
"Capital of Santa Cruz province. With near 70,000 inhabitants, it is the main financial and administrative center of the south of the Patagonia." Map and photos.
"The city has become a distribution centre for tourists who visit austral Patagonia. It has a dry cold weather with temperatures around -15ºC, strong winds in spring, and up to 25ºC in summer...Its international airport is the base for aerial operations to Antarctica and also a stopover for the transpolar flight to New Zealand and Australia."
Map and description from www.argentour.
Scientific explanation of ice and glaciers and some great photos, maps and drawings.
