Lago Argentino and Los Glaciares National Park:

Situated in the province of Santa Cruz in the Argentine Patagonia, Lago Argentino extends 125 km east of the andes mountain range. It is 20km wide and it is possible to sail the entire lake. It is 300 metres deep and just in front of the Upsala Glacier the depth is over 1000 meters. The total area of the lake covers 1560 sq. km which makes it the largest in South America.

El Calafate with a population of 6500 inhabitants, lies on the Lago Argentino southern coast line and it is a real tourist attraction. Los Glaciares National Park was founded in 1937 and was nominated in 1981 by UNESCO as a Monument of World Heritage. This covers an area of 6000.000 hectares and originates at the inmense Campo de Hielo (Great Ice Range) of the Andes (350 km long between 40 to 60 km wide), from which 47 glaciers descend, 13 of which belong to the Atlantic basin and the park is madeup for these glaciers.

Every year thousands of tourists flock to Argentina's spectacular Perito Moreno glacier, one of the country's most important attractions in the southern Patagonia region.

The names of the glaciers from north to south are: Marconi, Viedma, Upsala, Agazzi, Bolado, Onelli, Spegazzini, Mayo, Ameghino, Moreno and Frías. The most famous is the perito Moreno Glacier, situated 85 km from El Calafate. It crosses the Canal de los Témpanos, reaches the Magallanes Peninsula and because of this is the so called Brazo Rico of Lago Argentino remains blocked. This raises the level of the water 19 and 36 meters above the level of the rest of the lake and creates pressure on the main ice wall which breaks and produces a spectacular sight and unforgettable sound. This happens approximately every three years (last time March 2012) but the breaking of the ice is constant and this is why it is important to stay within the main observation areas so as to avoid the waves created by the falling ice.

The weather is generally cold and dry but is midler between the months of september to april. In summer the temperature can reach 26 degrees. It rains quite often from january to may and the windsare very strong from january to april.

This year some 2,500 visitors were given a special treat as they saw a huge chunk of the glacier calve and collapse.

Calving happens relatively regularly due to a river that 'digs out' the ice underneath the enormous 97 miles squared glacier, but the last time a section broke away was in 2008.

Tourists who were visiting the attraction witnessed whole sections of the glacier sink into the water, with many onlookers cheering and whistling at the phenomenon.

One of the most popular tours to Perito Moreno includes the option to trek over part of it using crampons.