Family trip to Argentina during the Christmas holidays. We visited Buenos Aires and the Patagonia region.
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| We had a layover in DFW on our way to Argentina. There is a large Christmas tree in DFW Airport terminal D. It has a walkway. |
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We started our trip in Buenos Aires, capital and largest city of Argentina. December is summer season in Argentina. Buenos Aires was warm with temperatures ranging from 70F - 80F/21C - 27C. Our transfers and excursions were booked through Viator or Patagonia Dreams.
We joined a walking tour of central Buenos Aires.
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| National Congress of Argentina |
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| Palacio Barolo, an office building inspired by Dante's "Divine Comedy" |
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| Top of Palacio Barolo |
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| Obelisco, built to mark the 4th centenary of the founding of Buenos Aires |
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| Former colonial government building. It is now a history museum. |
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| Catholic Cathedral |
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| Casa Rosada, presidential palace. We arrived in time to see the changing of the guards. |
Department of Social Services building, with a mural of Eva Peron, former First Lady of Argentina. We saw the building in day and night.
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We then flew to El Calafate, 3 hour flight from Buenos Aires. As the plane was landing, we could see Mt Fitz Roy in the Patagonia region. This mountain is often used as a symbol of Patagonia. El Calafate is a small city near the Patagonian Ice Field and is a gateway to the glaciers.
Good idea to dress in layers. Even in the summer, it can still be chilly near the glaciers and in the mountains - especially on windy days.
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| Mt Fitz Roy from the airplane |
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| El Calafate airport has views of Lake Argentina. Plus the unique experience of walking on the tarmac. |
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| We stayed at South B&B in El Calafate. This bed and breakfast lodge is a 10 minute walk from the main area of El Calafate. |
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| View from our room at South B&B |
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| Sunrise in El Calafate is at 5:30am. |
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| Sunset in El Calafate is at 10:00pm. |
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| In El Calafate, close to midnight there is still a glimmer of white light at the bottom of the horizon |
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Visited Sendero Laguna Nimez, a hiking trail around several ponds. Lots of birds and ducks hang out here.
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| Pink flamingoes |
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| Red hot poker |
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| Restaurant preparing lamb |
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We had dinner at La Zaina every night in El Calafate. This restaurant is one block away from the main street and less crowded than the restaurants on the main road. Food is good.
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| Patagonia trout |
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| Lamb stew |
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We visited Perito Moreno Glacier, 1.5 hours from El Calafate. This glacier acts as an ice dam on the southern arm of Lake Argentina. The glacier park has many walkways and balconies where you can view the glacier from many angles. Plan for 2-3 hours to explore and take photos. And listen for calving - when pieces of the glacier break off and drop into the lake.
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We took a bus transfer to the port of Punta Bandera then boarded a catamaran. We sailed to the north arm of Lake Argentina then turned into the Spegazzini Channel where we saw Seco and Peineta glaciers. We disembarked at Spegazzini Refuge, near the Spegazzini glacier. We had a short walk through a Patagonia forest and its beach - we loved the views of the mountains and glaciers. There is a restaurant to purchase food. After getting back on the boat, we sailed close to the Spegazzini glacier then sailed to the Upsala Channel. We saw many icebergs, some are more than twice the size of our boat. Also saw the Upsala glacier. Then returned to Punta Bandera after a scenic, beautiful 5 hour boat ride.
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| Captain's room |
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| Glacier Seco |
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| Panoramic view from Spegazzini Refuge - we can see Spegazzini and Peineta glaciers. |
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| Getting close to Spegazzini glacier |
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| Unique cloud formation at Spegazzini Refuge. Similar shape as the northern lights. |
Next three photos are close up views of Spegazzini Glacier.
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| Panoramic view of icebergs in Upsala Channel |
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| Upsala glacier |
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We joined a day tour to El Chalten, 2.5 hours from El Calafate. El Chalten is a gateway to the mountains in Patagonia. Many people come to El Calafate to hike.
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| Quick stop at La Leona |
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| Viedma glacier |
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| Mount Fitz Roy |
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| This vehicle looks like an RV, but is actually a bus. Probably designed for off-roading. Before heading back to El Calafate, we transferred to this bus when our original bus had tire problems. |
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| Hiking to Mirador de los Condores. 30 minutes one way. The trail is steep in some places, but doable for people preferring a short hike to a viewpoint. |
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| Made it to the viewpoint. |
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| View from Mirador de los Condores |
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| Breaded chicken for lunch in El Chalten |
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| Chorrillo del Salto, glacier fed waterfall |
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We flew back to Buenos Aires and stayed at Clayton, which is a hotel inside a residential building. We walked through Parque Tres de Febrero, a large park near Clayton. The park has a rose garden but it was closed for maintenance. However, we could still see some roses from the main park trail.
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| Argentina steak at Nuevo D'accordo |
