エルカラファテの観光スポット

その圧倒的な美しさはもとより、地球上で3番目に多い淡水の量を誇り、現在も成長を続けている数少ない氷河の一つとして有名なペリート・モレーノ氷河。チリのパイネ山群の花崗岩の尖塔からアルゼンチンのロス・グラシアレス国立公園へゆっくりと流れ込んでいます。 この氷河の見どころは何といってもその動き。澄んだ空気の中で碧く輝く高層ビルサイズの氷河の塊が、轟音と共にアルヘンティーノ湖面に崩れ落ちるその姿は見る者を圧倒します。 ほとんどの観光客は地上から氷河を見学しますが、これで物足りなければ、小さいボートに乗って入り江まで行ったり実際に氷河の上を歩いたりすることも出来ます。

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares protects Argentina’s wild Patagonian expanses of icy glaciers and mountain lakes. With a massive 47 glaciers, the Andean ice cap is the largest expanse of ice outside Antarctica and Greenland. Created by millennia of ice flows from the Andean snowfields, the ice feeds huge Lake Argentino, Lake Viedma and the Rio Santa Cruz. The national park’s most famous glacier is the Perito Moreno Glacier, safely viewed via lookout platforms and renowned for its dynamic movement and dramatic ice falls. Climbers target Mt Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, and fly-fishers praise the trout fishing on Lake Argentino. Wildlife spotters might see condor, guanaco and pumas in the park. El Calafate is the national park’s main hub, the base for sailing cruises to spot icebergs on the lakes, hiking expeditions and mountain climbing.

The Upsala Glacier upstages even Perito Moreno in scale. South America’s largest glacier, Upsala measures 50km long and 10km wide (31 miles long, 6 miles wide). It’s only from the water of Lake Argentino that you can really appreciate the glacier’s magnitude and crystalline beauty. Forests surround the glacier and lake, and icebergs that have tumbled from the glacier’s peaks fill the water. From the glacier, you can hike to the iceberg-dotted waters of Lago Onelli and take in vistas of blue-white ice floes, jagged mountains and pristine waterways stretching to the horizon. Travel here by horseback, boat, hiking or 4WD, before taking the boat to the glacier’s towering walls fronting the lake.

A magnet for hikers and lovers of mountains, the village of El Chalten is flanked by the snowcapped peaks of the mighty Fitz Roy mountain range. Mountaineers come from around the world to climb the 3440m (1,1283-feet) Fitz Roy peak, while hikers follow mountain trails to back country campsites and hilltop lakes. El Chalten is not only a climbing and hiking hub, it’s also Argentina’s newest town, founded on October 12, 1985. The isolated little town takes great pride in its pristine surroundings and natural environment. The hiking season is December to March. Rug up, as even in summer the peaks can be covered in cloud and it can feel like a cold and wet winter’s day. Due to the increasingly wintery weather, the town shuts down from April to October. Depending on your level of hiking experience, you can hike to the Fitz Roy lookout in under two hours, or to the blue waters of Lake Capri. Other moderate hikes include Chorrillo del Salto and Piedra del Fraile.