Chile/Argentina - Perito Moreno Glacier

 We overnighted in the town of El Calafate and spent the morning at Los Glaciares National Park.  Unlike the blue skies on my first visit almost ten years ago, this time it was a cold and very windy day, making it almost unpleasant to be out.  But we put up with it as it was the only rough day in the more than two weeks we've been on the road. 

Unlike most glaciers in the world that are retreating because of climate change, the Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the few that are still pushing forward.  As a result of its continuous forward movement, there is constant calving.  We were lucky to witness calving in a cave that resulted in a spectacular collapse of the cave sides - all this happening right in front of our viewing platform.

The low clouds over the glacier made the top of the glacier difficult to see, same as on my previous visit.  But the interplay of light and clouds resulted in a constantly changing landscape.  The images below are from the few hours we spent at the glacier.  You may find different shots of the same views but I shared them because the changing light changed the perspective.

I have to say my previous visit yielded different perspectives of the glacier, including the impressive closeup view from the boat cruise to the front of the glacier.  Check out the earlier blog post here.  

Perito Moreno Glacier

Close up view of the front

Close up of the head of the glacier

Left and right flank of the glacier

The cave collapse sequence...

The top surface of the glacier

The mountains around the glacier

The glacier viewpoints are accessible via wheelchair ramps and many miles of boardwalk.

And then just as we were leaving, a rainbow!

Next post - El Chalten

Chile/Argentina - Torres del Paine Pt 2

We moved inside Torres del Paine National Park for the second part of our stay.  The Hosteria Pehoe, situated right on Lake Pehoe, gave us a unique perspective on the Horns and also saved us some driving distance going to the other parts of the park.  Access to the Hosteria is only via a pedestrian bridge and we had to haul our luggage from the parking lot on the lakeside to our lodgings on the island.  But there is a vista point at the top of the island which makes sunrise shots handy.

One of our first stops in the park was at the Salto Chico Waterfall.  This is right beside the high-end Explora Hotel which has a terrific view of the towers.  The path down to the waterfall consists of treacherous wooden steps but there are viewing areas that provided views of the mountains and the waterfall.  And it got better - views of the mountains with the two lakes in front, complete with reflections.  

We had to drive an hour in the dark on gravel roads to Laguna Armaga for sunrise.  We were worried there won't be one when we got there but after we set up our tripods, the light started to change and you will see below how magical it was.  There were a couple of flamingos that flew by at the lake but I didn't have my long lens with me.  

We were hoping to see two more waterfalls, the Rio Paine Waterfall which we did see and the Salto Grande which we didn't.  Unbeknownst to us, the Salto Grande parking lot closes at 6pm just as we were arriving.  No waterfall.  No sunset either.  You win some you lose some.

There are always people with good eyesight who could see pumas from their cars.  We counted on these scouts to stop by the roadside so we know when to stop too.  The puma was stage centre for at least 30 minutes until a ranger showed up and everyone kind of got back into their illegally parked cars.  The guanacos kept a close watch on the puma - tension was indeed in the air!  It was fun while it lasted - a spirit of community even out there in the wilderness.

We were lucky to catch another sunrise before we left the park for the border.  We managed to get to the gas station with just enough gas!

 

Salto Chico waterfall

Explora Hotel in front of the horns

The whole massif with the two lakes from a viewpoint behind the hotel

The pedestrian bridge to the Hosteria Pehoe

On my first visit I was able to capture a perfect reflection of the mountains at this point.  This time around we arrived too late and the waters have started to move.

View from the Hosteria

We were close enough from the island to zoom in and see more of what it's like behind Los Cuernos.

 An Austral thrush (easily mistaken for a robin) - another lifer

We headed out early morning to Laguna Armaga for sunrise.  There were hardly any colours when we arrived but within 20 minutes, everything changed!

It was dazzling!

The three towers continued to change colour as the light changed.  When we first arrived, they were covered by clouds but these gradually moved off as the sun hit.

Finally a flaming red

Paine River Waterfall

A young gray fox appeared to have just woken up

Cars stopped on both sides of the road - a puma sighting!

These guanacos were also watching the puma to see which direction it was heading

Our last morning at the lake, we waited for sunrise at the viewpoint at the top of the island.
It was a short hike up to the top - the moon was still around when we got there.

                                Still mesmerising in the dark, before the sun came out

Another enchanting sunrise, not as dazzling as the one the day before but still gorgeous

On our way out of the park - one last encounter with the Massif.  It looked different again.

A Black-necked swan family in the lake - another lifer!

One last look!

Chile/Argentina - Torres del Paine Pt 1

We stayed for three days in a cabin in the Villa Rio Serrano, a tourist base just outside Torres del Paine with the horns within view of our front porch.  For those days, we were able to do sunrise and sunsets either from our accommodations or from vista points nearby.  It was really handy not to have to hike in the dark for sunset.  

We did an afternoon hike along the river and also did an after dinner hike behind the Rio Serrano hotel.  The long summer days meant there were lots of time between dinner and sunset although the horns are not at their best at sunset.  It's sunrise that brought out the colours.  We made one trip to Grey Lake but it was too windy to walk around.  Nevertheless I got my favourite shot that evening of the moonrise over the backside of the horns, a perspective not often seen.  

I tried not to be repetitive with my photos but the reality is the towers are the most photogenic mountains I've ever seen.  I have shot them many times on my first visit but it didn't stop me from photographing them again and again.  No matter where we went, we came back to vistas of the towers in its different incarnations depending on the light and the clouds.  So please bear with me.  😅

The view of the Paine Massif with the Rio Serrano in the foreground

Sign marking the Villa Rio Serrano area

View from Vista Paine where we stayed

Black-faced ibis in the field

Merlin

Chimanga Caracara a regular visitor

The first sunset

Grey Glacier at Grey Lake

Sunset from the other side

Moonrise on the not often seen side of the Paine Massif

Golden hour hit

Second sunset - it didn't hit the mountains

The horns from the river

Upland Geese - white males, brown females

Male in mating form

Great Grebe - the largest species of grebes in the world - a lifer for me

Lots of these trees on the river walk

Sunrise on the second morning was spectacluar, almost surreal, accompanied by a rainbow!

The red is true colour!

And then it faded...

Then the sun came out

Behind the Rio Serrano Hotel

The horses came out before sunset for their evening exercise

Third sunset

Sunrise on our last day at the cabin - different again

Sunrise panorama