Argentina's Perito Moreno Glacier

The Perito Moreno Glacier, located 78 km from the village of El Calafate, was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, who explored the region in the nineteenth century. The glacier played an important role in protecting the border area of Argentina from the claims of the neighboring country - Chile. Today it attracts crowds of tourists, and looking through a selection of photographs from Martin Saint-Amand, Christophe Berger and Jakub Polomski, you can easily see why.

(Total 11 photos)

1. The Perito Moreno glacier, which is 30 km long and 250 km2 in area, is one of the most important tourist sites in the Argentinean part of Patagonia. It is located in the Los Glaciares National Park in the southwest of the province of Santa Cruz.

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3. Perito Moreno is one of 48 glaciers that are part of the South Patagonian ice field in the Andes mountain system in Argentina and Chile. This ice field is the third largest fresh water reserve in the world.

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5. Perito Moreno is one of only three glaciers in Patagonia that are growing. The glaciologists still have not established the cause. The tip of the glacier has a width of 5 kilometers and an average height of 74 m above the level of Lake Argentino. The total ice thickness is 170 meters.

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7. Due to its size and accessibility, Perito Moreno is one of the main tourist sites in southern Patagonia. It can be reached in less than two hours by bus from El Calafate, and many tour companies arrange daily trips here. The large visitor center overlooks the southern and eastern edges of the glacier.

8. In recent years, ice walking tours have been gaining popularity. The two standard tours are the 1.5-hour "mini hike" and the "big ice" walk, which lasts about five hours.

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10. Los Glaciares National Park has an area of 4459 km2. In 1981 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its name refers to the giant ice field in the Andes that feeds 47 major glaciers. Of these, only 13 are directed towards the Atlantic Ocean. This ice area is the largest outside of Antarctica and Greenland.

11. Periodically, the Perito Moreno glacier advances on Lake Argentino, which has the shape of the letter "L". When it reaches the opposite shore, a natural dam appears, dividing the lake into two parts. The pressure of the water causes the ice barrier to collapse, and the roar of the fall is heard for several kilometers around.