minimunchkin: El Calafate

From Iguazú we flew south to begin our journey through Patagonia. Our first stop was El Calafate. All of us were looking forward to coming here, not just for the glaciers, we’d been told that this area is famous for their lamb. And we were ready to feast on some good roast lamb, after having so much beef since we arrived in Argentina.

El Calafate was absolutely beautiful. I didn’t really know what to expect when we got here, but as drove from the airport to the hotel, all we saw were the brightest blue sky and snow capped mountains. The air was crisp and fresh which was a really nice change from the humidity in Iguazú. El Calafate could be any ski resort town you’d find anywhere in the world. Streets lined with cold weather gear shops, little bars and restaurants, and people walking around in their cold weather wear.

El Calafate at night.

Cool kid with his cool car.

Ahhh just what we needed to warm our bellies... whole roasted lamb!

“How am I going to finish all that?” 😲

Our tour took us out to Estancia Alice, a working cattle ranch which also runs 4x4 excursions for visitors. The kids got their first taste of 4x4 driving as Anna, our guide, drove us up Mount Frias. They had a great time bumping up and down as we drove through muddy and rocky tracks. We had an amazing view of the Argentino Lake as we drove higher up, with views of the Centinela river valley as well. Unfortunately the weather was a little cloudy so we weren’t able to see Torres del Paine in the distance. Nonetheless the views that we got were stunning enough.

Our “comfy” ride, well maybe not comfy but definitely warm!

Pure joy at getting to ride upfront.

Another 4x4 coming down the terrain we just took.

Cattle and guanacos living in harmony.

At 1030m high, overlooking Argentino Lake and the surrounding mountainside.

Stormy weather coming in. Time to head down before we get caught in the storm.

But we still had time for a quick snowball fight!

Last remaining bits of snow from winter. Looking at her, you’d think this little girl has never seen snow before. She was so happy playing on this small snow mount.

Back at the ranch, lunch was more meat! We also had some really tasty lamb empanadas, pumpkin soup and also a flan for dessert. Not a bad way to end the morning.

The same day, we went for another 4x4 excursion in the afternoon. This one would be quite different from the one we went on in the morning. We will be going in a 25-seater 4x4 bus up to Balcon de Calafate (Balcony of El Calafate). But by mid-day the weather had turned for the worse with heavy rain coming down. The sky was completely covered in clouds and we could hardly see anything out of the window. It really was a waste of an afternoon but oh well, not much we could have done, as we told the kids just try to make the best of it.