PN Perito Moreno

After visiting the famous national parks such as Tierra Del Fuego at the very southern end of Argentina, Torres Del Paine in Chile and Los Glacieres back in Argentina we continue our journey north on the famous RN 40. Mainly being a gravel road with very limited options for refueling we need to plan our journey carefully. Starting in El Chalten we top up our Diesel in Tres Lagos for the long journey ahead. Joined occasionally by guanacos (we wrongly wrote they are lamas before but these are their wild brothers) crossing the street we prepare for more than 600km without any fuel station or even a shop to buy anything.

Our next destination is Parque Nacional Perito Moreno. It is the oldest national park in Argentina founded in 1938 but the least visited at the same time. Might have to do with the fact that you need to have your own transport to get here. It is also not famous for things like the three torres in Torres Del Paine or the famous glacier Perito Moreno in PN Los Glacieres. What we enjoye most however is the very beautiful scenery and the fact that we are pretty much alone here. During the three days of staying in the park we only see three other cars in total. Apart from being on the same camp site we never meet anyone while trekking.

Just in case you wonder about the name which is the same as the glacier Perito Moreno. They have nothing in common apart from being named after a former president of Argentina.

The park is equipped with two free camp sites that just offer basic toilets (long drop) and fresh water from the lake for example. There is one attended camp site provided by one of the estancias in the park. We didn’t use this one but it should provide showers as well.

On our first morning we have a beautiful day with no wind (not very common here). We are advise from one of the rangers (a young woman in her mid twenties) to climb up Cerro Leon. From there we do have a fantastic 360° view across a big portion of the park. For us it is a four hour hike in total with a very long lunch break at the top. On the way up we cross some small woods showing their beautiful autumn colors already.

Despite this wonderful day we are actually the only ones doing this hike. It’s only us and the sound of nature. Very relaxing and quite a difference to the previous parks we have visited. We really enjoy this a lot! In the afternoon the weather is changing and heavy rain comes in. Back to the camp site, heating turned on we plan our next few destinations and continue writing our blog.

The next morning turns out to be beautiful again. Weather is changing here rather quickly. The advise we get is to do the 8 hour return hike to Puesto del 9. This is the hut where the farmers stayed throughout the winter with their sheep herds. Most of the equipment including the walls made of wooden boxes from the UK covered with old newspapers are original. We would have loved to stay there for a night - which you can do - but we don't have the equipment and decide to do this as a day hike instead. How people can spend the entire and pretty tough winter in here is a miracle to us.

On our way we very much enjoy the ever changing landscape. We see fairly fresh Puma foot prints but don’t get to see the Puma. We also have to pass a number of smaller and bigger streams and luckily we never get wet feet. Except for once when the path led us down to the amazingly blue lake. Karin can not resist to take of her shoes and try if bathing is an option. Realizing rather quickly that the water is very very cold. As fast as she is in she was out again. ;-)

The colors of autumn are very present and so beautiful. We are really lucky with the weather as this is clearly not the general experience you have here. Usually high winds and rain dominate.

We finish another fantastic day in this amazing park and make our way to the other camp site at Lago Burmeister. With a very beautiful sun rise we get up the next day to continue our journey leaving this quiet but yet very interesting and beautiful park.