GLACIAR PERITO MORENO

The glacier is discovered thanks to a 4 km network of wooden footbridges. Each level allows you to admire the ice mastodon from a different angle. Despite global warming, the Perito Moreno is the only glacier in the world that is still advancing at a rate of two metres a day. With a surface area of 250 km² and a length of 30 kilometres, it is part of a gigantic block of ice called Hielo Continental Patagonico. The front of the glacier advances regularly by a few metres, then collapses in a cycle of two to four years, forming icebergs that float on the lake. The glacier comes up against the rocky promontory on the opposite shore, cutting the arm of the lake in half. The southern part of this arm, because of the melting ice and the water that can no longer flow, continues to expand. Flooding reaches the banks and part of the forest is submerged. After some time, the waters are up to 25 m above their usual level, and then exert a pressure of phenomenal power, eroding the facade and digging a kind of ice tunnel. When the plug bursts, the accumulated water flows out through the open breach and gradually weakens the ice bridge, which ends up breaking and crashing in a din of all devils. On the night of 11-12 March 2018, the Perito Moreno Arch at the front of the glacier broke during a violent storm. The park was then closed and this magical show took place without the slightest cheer from the crowd... This occurs approximately every four years in late summer and early autumn in the southern hemisphere. The last time, on March 11, 2016, the arch was broken in broad daylight, to the delight of the 2,000 lucky tourists. However, you may be lucky enough to witness a mini-collapse (although for reasons obviously related to climate change, we hope it doesn't happen more and more often!). In an unbelievable din, boulders come off the glacier and plunge into the water. To this punctual noise are added the incessant creaking and grumbling of the glacier in extension. The colours of the glacier change in intensity with the light. On sunny days, the glacier displays a majestic sapphire blue colour. Be aware that the last hours of sunny days are the most conducive to ice slumps. We hope that this white monster will escape the threat of climate change for a long time to come!