After you’ve seen the Iguazu falls, you’ll think Argentina is just showing off with its glaciers. The jewel in the crown is the Perito Moreno Glacier. Measuring 250 square km, and 30km long, it is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field but only one of three Patagonian glaciers that aren’t retreating.
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rnImpressive chunks of ice crash down into the water from a height of 60 metres, below which are a further 170 metres of ice. The glacier advances (and retreats) at a rate of 2 metres a day.
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rnVisitors can walk on the ice further up the glacier, and there are boat trips around other glaciers in the area. Stay at the new Esplendor Hotel when in El Calafate (see SLEEP), or at Los Notros (www.losnotros.com)