Big Ice – Trekking The Perito Moreno Glacier

It takes something special to get me out of bed at 5.50 am and the Perito Moreno glacier certainly falls into that category. When planning our South American adventure from a drizzly, leaden sky Britain several months before I was adamant that this jewel of Argentinean Patagonia was a must-see.

We had been told that the cheapest option when visiting Perito Moreno was to see it from the viewing platform on the shorter tour. Whilst that was fantastic in itself, looking back the 350 pesos (about £40) extra we paid to do the ‘Big Ice’ tour and actually walk on the glacier was the best £40 we’d ever spent.

After a semi-comatose (well, I was) 40 minute minibus ride into Los Glaciares National Park from El Calafate the glacier gradually appeared on the horizon. We parked at the visitors centre at the top of the steep hillside leading down to the glacier. Pleasingly, the trees kept the main attraction out of sight at this point, leaving the truly awe-inspiring wow moment of the endless whiteness stretching into the distance until halfway down the staggered staircases. As we took pictures, large chunks of ice creaked and groaned before falling into the water below.

Next stop was the glacier itself, via a short boat ride which dropped us on the shore alongside. It was here that the juxtaposition of trees, grassy hillside and imposing mass of ice was most impressive. The groups ahead of us, already scaling the ice, looked miniscule against the enormous icy backdrop. After a 30 minute walk along side the glacier we attached our crampons (with some help from our guides - some of us more than others) and gingerly started our Big Ice adventure.

In total we spent three and a half hours on the ice – the kind of place where it’s almost impossible to put your camera down for a second. The mist and clouds of the morning sporadically gave away to brilliant sunshine which made for some incredibly scenic views across the now gleaming ice.

By the time we stopped for a surreal lunch by an improbable neon-blue lake in the middle of the glacier, the amount of photos taken was already into the hundreds. The free keying and whiskey whilst we road the boat back courtesy of our fantastic guides Hielo y Aventura was just the icing (excuse the pun) on the cake.