Patagonia 2023

Patagonia is one of the most stunning natural wonders in the world, located at the southern tip of South America, with its rugged mountains, crystal-clear lakes, and magnificent glaciers. We selected three locations to focus on for the trip there in February 2023 – Torres del Paine National Park, Perito Moreno Glacier, and Upsala Glacier. Our visit to this remote and beautiful part of the world was an incredible experience.

Torres del Paine National Park
Torres del Paine National Park, located in southern Chilean Patagonia, was our first stop.  The park is a natural wonder that will take your breath away. The park is home to some of the most stunning landscapes in the world, including glaciers, turquoise lakes, and towering granite spires.

One of the most iconic sights in the park is the three towering granite spires that give the park its name. The Torres del Paine towers, or “the Horns” are an impressive sight. This is especially true when viewing their reflections in the clear waters of the many lakes. Regardless of where we went in the park, these spires dominated the horizon.

Grey Lake was our first stops in the park. The lake covers an area of over 4 square miles (10 sq km).  The lake is fed by the Grey Glacier, flowing down from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. The glacier gives the lake its unique blue color. Towering mountains, including the Paine Grande and Cerro Catedral surround the glacier.  The ‘Horns’ dominate the skyline.

After lunch in the Lago Gray Hotel, we headed south, then east, crossing the Rio Paini at Puente Weber. We stopped at the river and grabbed a dozen pictures to add to our mounting cache. Our next major stop was Salto Grande, a narrow gap where the water from Lago Nordenskjold cascades into Lago Pehoe and continues south to the ocean. Nordenskjold is a strange name for a lake in southern Chile, named after the Swedish explorer Otto Nordenskjold, who explored the region in the early 1900s.

Nordenskjold Lake, and Salto Grande both offer stunning views of the mountains. The Horns of Paine are right in your face across the clear blue water of the lake. Seeing, and feeling the mass of water flowing across the gap was incredible. The views of the surrounding mountains were truly awe-inspiring. For instance, if you’re taking a hike along the lake’s shore or simply soaking up the views from a distance, Nordenskjold Lake is a must-see destination for any traveler to the park.

On the trip back to our hotel in Puerto Natales, Julie and I agreed that Torres del Paine National Park is a must-see destination. Any traveler interested in experiencing the stunning natural beauty of Patagonia should definitely visit this park. The park’s towering mountains, crystal-clear lakes, and pristine glaciers make it a truly awe-inspiring place to visit.

Perito Moreno Glacier

The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the most famous glaciers in the world and for good reason. Located in Argentina’s Los Glaciares National Park, the glacier is a massive ice field that stretches over 97 square miles. It’s also one of the few glaciers in the world that is still advancing.

We chose to first take a boat tour that brought us up close and personal with the towering ice wall. Sitting in the boat, floating in front of the ice, we were able to see the glacier’s beautiful blue ice. (See the photo above) We also heard what sounded like rifle shots in the distance, the sound of ice cracking.

After that, we stopped at the Perito Moreno Forest Walk (Paseo del Bosque). This tiered trail runs through native trees, and offers many different perspectives of the glacier. The view gave me goosebumps, as did the wind on this chilly 40° summer day. We stared across the narrow gap and took in the glacier face rising over 240′ above the surface of the lake, creating a truly awe-inspiring sight. Another impressive view from Paseo del Bosque is that of the surrounding mountains. The glacier, in a valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks, creating a dramatic landscape that is sure to take your breath away.

Whether you’re a seasoned hiker or simply looking for a beautiful walk, Paseo del Bosque at Perito Moreno Glacier is a must-see destination in Patagonia.

Upsala Glacier
Upsala Glacier The Upsala Glacier is another must-see destination in Patagonia. Located on the Argentine side of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. The glacier is an enormous ice field that stretches over 600 square miles. That size makes it one of the largest glaciers in South America.

To see the glacier up close, we took a boat from Puerto Bandera, near the western end of Lake Argentino. From the port, we headed up the Upsala channel of Lago Argentino. After reaching the peninsula separating the Upsala and Cristina channels, we started encountering icebergs that had calved from the glacier.

The boat continued North to where we could see the Upsala, Cono, and Bertacchi Glaciers. Upsala is by far the largest of the three with Cono flowing parallel (from the north) and Bertacchi from the west. Icebergs, large and small, littered the channel.

Leaving the glacier behind we backtracked south and then headed north into Cristina Channel. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Estancia Cristina, part of Los Glaciares National Park. The displays here, located in a renovated barn, are amazing artifacts of life in this remote region from the early 20th century.

Continental Ice Lookout
The last portion of our exploration was crossing a rugged ridge in 4×4 trucks to the isolated Continental Ice Lookout. The research station monitored glaciers, Murallon, Cono, and Bertacchi which fed into the Upsala Glacier. These three glaciers slid between three mountains of the same name as the glaciers.

After disembarking at the abandoned research station we hiked to a nearby observation point. Ice covered the area less than 50 years ago. The retreating glacier, seen above, is now several kilometers in the distance. The ice sheet left behind smoothed rock surfaces and exposed seams of folded rock layers.

Standing here, we realized that there had been hundreds of feet of glacier ice here in the 1960’s. Julie and I were in grade school at that time. Now the ice was receding in the distance. Sadly, it was our last full day in Patagonia.

Check out our post on the rest of Argentina.