Here are just a few thoughts about visiting this area. I have cut and pasted an extract from our travel journal which we posted to friends and family as we toured South America to keep them up todate and that we were still alive and kicking.
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Next we went to El Calafate stopping overnight at Rio Gallegos where I
bought a super fleece for 10 euros and we had a nice meal in a tenedor
libre where you eat as much as you like for peanuts, the BBQ meat in these
is always wonderful and copious, (argentinian beef is delicious) this is
turning out to be a gastronomic tour after all !
El Calafate is a nowhere town, for tourists only, lots of chic expensive
boutiques and that s all, we stayed in some cabañitas which had been
recommended to us by a young couple of travellers we met earlier, the cabins
were tiny, had an upstairs and downstairs and were very warm and cosy if you
don t suffer from claustrophobia, but we felt very relaxed there and the
owners were delightful.
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| Favourite spots: |
We did 2 excursions here, 1st day a trip in a large luxurious catamaran to
see three glaciers, we sailed between huge ice bergs which were all shades
of blue, beautiful. The glaciers were impressive but the next days trip was
even better, this time it was a bigger glacier - Perito Moreno - it just
blew your mind, we were kitted up with crampons and walked for a couple of
hours over the glacier, like walking on a frozen lunar landscape, lots of
photos of course. At end of walk the guide , who spoke very good English
with a good sense of humour, said there was a surprise in store, and over
the next valley they had filled glass tumblers with ice from the glacier and
offered us Scotch whisky !! Then back to base, crampons off and a short boat
trip then bus to view the glacier from specially built wooden balconies
which were very close to the front edge of the glacier, you could hear very
loud rumblings like thunder and then a huge piece of ice would fall off
crashing into
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| What's really great: |
Then back to base, crampons off and a short boat
trip then bus to view the glacier from specially built wooden balconies
which were very close to the front edge of the glacier, you could hear very
loud rumblings like thunder and then a huge piece of ice would fall off
crashing into the water, very exciting !!
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| Accommodations: |
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there is plenty of choice for all pockets and life styles
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Published on Saturday January 5th, 2008
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Mon, Jan 07 2008 - 04:02 PM
 by quikflikchiq
i also have just been to el calafate but i dont think there is loads of choice for accomodation !
el calafate should just be used as a stop to visit the perito moreno glacier. i think just get in and get out.
el chalten is a much nicer and cheaper place to spend a few days and the walks there are spectacular ! |
Mon, Jan 07 2008 - 11:54 AM
by mistybleu
| Informative, but not enough detail, some pictures would also help and make it more interesting to read. |
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