After you land on the airport in El Calafate in Patagonia, greater than 3.5 hours by airplane from Buenos Aires, you’ve received quite a lot of selections for what to do and the place to remain. Aside from our keep on the Explora El Chalten lodge that we had already arrange, we put our tour within the arms of Say Hueque Journey Excursions and made the pillars of it Perito Moreno Glacier and Nibepo Aike Estancia.
We just lately posted a characteristic story about this El Calafate tour and for those who comply with that hyperlink you possibly can see the complete rundown and a few extra images. We simply put collectively some video highlights for our YouTube channel although, so preserve going to view the explorations in movement.
We received picked up on the airport by our driver and information and made the scenic drive across the lake and small metropolis to reach at Nibepo Aike Estancia and Lodge. Whereas it is a working farm that’s been working for round 120 years, it’s truly a part of Los Glaciares Nationwide Park, with a grandfather clause permitting them to maintain working, however with a restrict on the variety of cattle allowed.
We received to see a little bit of the farm life whereas we had been there, becoming a member of some day guests to observe a sheep shearing after which having a giant asado lunch ready by some gaucho grillers. Later we went on a horseback trip by the lake and over some hills, getting spectacular views alongside the way in which. I additionally hiked up the mountain behind the farmhouse-turned-hotel to get an much more panoramic vista with the lake and mountains.
Nibepo Aike is correct on the sting of Lago Argentina and the mountains past. We had been there on the finish of summer season however the mountain tops had been lined with snow and when the clouds cleared we might glimpse a glacier or two. In the event you took a hike from right here with an skilled mountaineer and loads of provides you may hike throughout one of many world’s largest icefields into Chile. Argentina and Chile share this nice expanse of wilderness and their border runs down the center. It’s a protected nationwide park on either side.
That border was truly negotiated by Perito (a nickname) Moreno, the explorer credited with discovering the large calving glacier now named after him. So after all we needed to dedicate a day to visiting that with Say Hueque. It’s considered one of Argentina’s most well-known websites and deservedly so. Try the video of the estancia and glacier right here:
It was good to go to the glacier with an skilled Say Hueque Argentina Journeys information who knew what he was speaking about. You see quite a lot of conflicting info and stats about probably the most well-known glacier in Argentina while you log on and begin digging round. Plus he had been working excursions there since earlier than there was a protected walkway to traverse, so he knew the facility and the risks of large blocks of ice calving into the water.
We noticed the pure surprise from each angle potential, on the way in which finish, on each stretch of the suspended walkway, and all the way down to the top of it the place we had lunch (full with glacier ice cocktail) and took a sightseeing boat trip for a distinct view.
On a visit to Patagonia, both on the Argentina facet or the Chile facet, it’s essential to keep in mind that experiences trump pampering quite a lot of the time. If you wish to get into distant areas and do one thing moreover hop on and off a van, you need to drift a bit and never all the time count on high-thread-count sheets and a full spa. The rationale to remain at Nibepo Aike Estancia is to get a style of the farm life, trip horses, and have a glass of Argentine wine by the hearth after taking within the wonderful surroundings.
We did get somewhat pampering on the finish although, on our final night time at Los Panchos Lodge. A lot of the luxurious locations to remain on this area are properly exterior of the town, however Los Panchos is a protracted stroll alongside the lake or a brief taxi trip to the middle of city. We ate close by, however the nearer you get to the middle, the extra pubs and eating places there are to select from.
On the finish, our Say Hueque driver picked us up on the resort and took us out to the airport for a tragic goodbye to Patagonia. See the complete characteristic story right here: A Multi-day El Calafate Tour—Perito Moreno Glacier and a Farm Keep.
Article by Timothy
Timothy Scott is the founder and editor of Luxurious Latin America and has been overlaying the area as a journey journalist because the mid-2000s. He has visited every nation we cowl a number of instances and is predicated in a UNESCO World Heritage metropolis in central Mexico, the place he owns a house. See contact info right here.
