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Writer's pictureKirk

El Calafate Patagonia- Self Drive (Part 2)

To this point I've covered my trip to the quaint and remote village of El Chalten. The rainbow encountered along the way was an omen of the great things to come. The scenery beyond the village did not disappoint.


All of this drive was contained within the National Parque Glacieres in the Argentina region of Patagonia. This 1.5 million acre park is only slightly accessible to the public via gravel and paved roads. The Andes mountain range within the park is reserved for the more fit and ambitious mountaineers, well beyond my ability and desire. I was content taking the easy route.


The drive beyond the village of El Chalten continued to be wet and dreary, but fortunately no downpours. Being in a small car on these gravel roads I was unsure what I would be in for. Especially with glacial waters coming off the mountains I didn't want any additional amount to be added. As you'll see, the river waters could get very close to the road


Haze set over the foliage and hills from the moisture in the air.


These scenes were so serene. Very peaceful to visit these places with no one else around. I wasn't always the only one there, but most the time. I enjoyed this scene alone.


Of course, I took my selfie photo op.



The moment was enhanced by these lovely visitors, so I guess I wasn't alone.



Looks like an enchanted land. Mirador means balcony or viewpoint in Spanish.



What's nature without a waterfall?




Enjoy the waterfall with me:




Just the rugged outdoors and me in my tiny subcompact car.


Glacial water runoff from the Andes.





See how close the water runoff is to the dirt road?This is why I'm happy there was no hard rain to enhance the glacial water melt from the Andes. I realize the road did not look washed out from past storms, but I wanted no increased risk in my small car and no one nearby to help.






I miss this road and scenery. Too bad Patagonia is so far away.



The gravel road was actually in pretty good condition. No large potholes.



Seems like there should be a poem written about these types of views.


Many scenic pull offs on the road.


Crossing an iron bridge. This was a nice spot. I pulled over for some photos.


I was well dressed for the temperature. It's cold here even in their summer.






The magnificent Andes mountains!






I really hated leaving this behind. To me, this is the essence of Patagonia. I enjoyed Ushuaia and did a self drive there as well. I'll document that later. But I enjoyed this part of Patagonia the best.


It seems the most memorable parts of visits to these remote areas are the self-drives. Especially if you can capture a piece of nature all to yourself. I'm not sure if I was just lucky in my timing, or if it is normal, but I felt I had the place to myself most of the time.


I hope you enjoyed the pictures and videos as you joined me vicariously on this travel day through the heart of Patagonia!

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Roger Wells
Roger Wells
Sep 12, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Wow, absolutely beautiful.😳🤗🙏

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Kirk
Kirk
Sep 12, 2023
Replying to

I agree! Thanks for reading,

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Mike Wells
Mike Wells
Sep 11, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

The scenery is incredible the waterfall is nature at its best. If they receive a lot of snow it would be hard not to wash out the roads from the run off.

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Kirk
Kirk
Sep 11, 2023
Replying to

Glad you enjoyed. The roads in the park are open only seasonally. I assume the Park itself maintains them. I don’t know what the winter is like there.

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