Bear Grylls is the British host, author, and star of Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild. He spends his time traveling the world in search of beautiful locations, new adventures, and extreme experiences in nature that will challenge his renowned survival techniques. This week he took us to Patagonia and gave us a taste of the true ruggedness manifest through the south of Argentina.

Now I don’t imagine that most people would choose to strand themselves in the middle of the Argentine steepe without any form of food or water, descend down a crevice of one of the world’s largest glaciers – Perito Moreno, or climb 250 feet straight up the vertical face of a rock without a safety rope; but nevertheless Bear’s show will give you a great impression of the beauty and vastness of the rugged Patagonian outdoors. And not only that, but if by chance you do ever find yourself in a jam, you’ll be well equipped with the best survival techniques from Bear’s expert lessons.

This week was the first episode of the two week Patagonia special on Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild where Bear took his loyal fans on an adventure to Perito Moreno. The Perito Moreno Glacier is the largest of the thirteen glaciers located in Los Glaciares National Park in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina.

It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the country and one of the most important glaciers in the world. This UNESCO sanctioned World Heritage site is characterized by spectacular views of crystal blue glacial icebergs that will take your breath away. And just as Bear demonstrates, the beauty of this natural wonder can just as easily be a threat if you don’t keep your distance.

I don’t recommend rapelling down a deep dark crevasse of ice that may collapse around you at any time as Bear so eagerly does in his show, but if it is a trek on the glacier that you want, or a boat tour through Argentino Lake, there are regular tours offered from the local agencies out of El Calafate that will make sure to show you a good, and safe time.

When Bear finally escapes from the icy front of the glaciers, he finds a companion for the rest of his episode 1 adventures – a real Argentinian gaucho who accompanies him through the rugged terrain. The gauchos are the cowboys of these southern lands that live a very rough and old fashioned lifestyle.  They are an important part of the Argentine culture and national tradition.

With the beautiful Andes Mountains as a backdrop, Bear and his gaucho friend follow the path of a Patagonian puma in an attempt to track him down, they ride horse back across the endlessly arid and flat lands, and they even eat raw meat from a cow which had fallen victim to the wild animals that roam the land.

Bear Grylls shows us Patagonian adventures at an extreme. Traveling to these deep south lands under the same conditions in which he travels, many not be very appealing to the masses; however once you see these special episodes of Man vs. Wild you will definitely be inspired to discover more about the true spirit of Patagonia and jump into an adventure of your own.

As previously mentioned there is a two episode special on Patagonia so make sure to check it out. You may have already missed the first, but next Friday night Bear will take us to another remote Patagonian location and show off his skills while he goes into battle verses nature. (Friday Dec 14th, Discovery Channel – 9pm Eastern Time)

• Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild Episode 2 Explores El Chaltén
• Southern Lights Dialogue Addresses Climate Change
• Patagonia Scenery Featured in June Vogue
• Incredible Perito Moreno Rupture Captured on YouTube
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At 3am, when my bus finally pulled into the El Calafate bus terminal, I was too tired to think straight, but thankfully I didn’t have to. A friendly man from Hostel del Glaciar Libertador greeted me as I stepped off the bus, loaded up my bags in a hostel vehicle, and before I knew it he had escorted me and a few other backpackers to the front steps of our hostel. It didn’t take long to get into a room and soon after into a bed.

I slept like a baby and into the following morning, when I had to force open my heavy squinty lids. But when I finally did take a look around, I was amused to see what a wonderful hostel I had stumbled into without even noticing. For starters, I was in a cozy bed, by myself in a room with four bunks. There were heated floors and large wooden storage closets, and the shower/bathroom was private and spotless.

I was so comfy that for a second I considered sleeping in, but it didn’t take long for my adrenaline to start pumping in anticipation of everything that lay beyond the hostel doors, and that idea flew right out the window.

There is really only one reason that travelers to Argentina come to El Calafate (and it’s not for the night life). It’s for the Perito Moreno Glacier. Its ice cloak coves 600,000 hectares, the glacial front is 5km long, and it shoots up to a height of over 60 meters above water. All that heavy ice produces a never ending show of fractures and detachments of huge sheets of ice that tumble down into the water below with a mighty roar. It’s amazing, and that morning I was one of the eager tourists waiting to see it.

After hearing the hostel staffers’ description, I immediately booked an excursion and my excitement and little-kid-enthusiasm kicked into high gear. So I started a game of 20 questions with the staffer to see just how well-informed he was about Perito Moreno related topics. Needles to say, he passed with flying colors.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=BDHayMS33MA]

The excursion I took was nothing short of amazing, even better than the stories I had heard back in Hostel del Libertador. We traveled through the Patagonia valley and marveled at the roaming guanacos and pink flamingos until we arrived at the panoramic view of the frozen natural wonder. I was able to see it from the front, the back, the balcony view, the boat tour, and even right beneath my feet as I went on a mini trek on top of the glacier. I couldn’t get enough.

After all that excitement I had worked up an appetite, and was ready to do some cookin’. I headed to the grocery store with a few fellow travelers I had bonded with on my excursion, and we made our way up to the kitchen. Cooking space is somewhat limited, but I can’t imagine a better way to wait your turn than by sipping Argentine vino and hanging out with new friends on the hostel’s bean bags.

There is a large open room with a homey cabin-like ambiance and many picnic tables, high vaulted wooden ceilings, and televisions, where everyone gathered while eating. After we finished cooking our meal we joined the rest of the troops and unwound for the night.

Making the trek to Perito Moreno is perfectly complemented by a stay in one of Argentina’s coziest hostel accommodations, Hostel del Libertador.

• Perito Moreno Glacier, a Must-see Tour in Patagonia
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• Trekking on El Perito Moreno Glacier – An Unforgettable Experience
• Patagonia Cuisine: As Delightful as its Scenery and its Adventures

<p class=”clear”>If a year ago someone had told me that I would go trekking on a glacier, I would have laughed. First of all, where the heck would I ever go where I would be able to find a glacier? Secondly, what glacier could anyone possibly walk on? Aren’t all glaciers big blobs of ice, constantly splitting and crashing into the water (because of global warming)? Oh how naïve we can be. On my recent trip to El Calafate in southern Argentina, I did indeed trek on a glacier. For what amounted to about $10 dollars an hour, I was treated to one of the most memorable experiences of my life.</p>

At 9 am, I left my hostel and boarded a bus that took me and numerous other tourists to the Glacier National Park, which is about an hour outside El Calafate. The bus safely maneuvered the narrow and windy roads despite its size, and parked above what is known as the balconies of Perito Moreno Glacier. The balcony course provided five or six short walks in between platforms that looked out over the amazingly expansive and breathtaking the Perito Moreno Glacier.

Although the day was marred by pouring rain, I still could not wipe the smile off of my face. The immensity of the glacier was amazing. It looked like it rose hundreds of meters out of the water and spanned back for kilometers. (I would later find out that both of these observations were true.) At one point, I looked far out to my right to a point where the glacier and the lake met and saw a small spec which, upon closer examination, proved to be not a spec at all, but a large sightseeing boat that was dwarfed by the monstrous glacier.

After a couple of hours and dozens of pictures from every possible angle and vantage point that the balconies offered, we boarded the bus again and headed down to lake level on the other side of Perito Moreno. We arrived at a small port and hopped into a small shuttle boat that ferried us to a small forest on the other side of the lake where we split up into two groups of about 15 people (Spanish speakers and English speakers).

<p class=”clear”>A quick 10 minute walk brought us up a trail in the woods and down to a black sand beach that led right up to the base of the glacier. From there, we took turns waiting to have metal crampons attached to our shoes by the trekking guides to help grip the icy surface of Perito Moreno.</p>

Once we were all equipped with our crampons, we began our glacial trek. In a single file line, we traversed in a zigzag pattern up a couple hundred meters until all we could see for more than 180 degrees around us was the surreal bluish-white color of the glacier. Every hundred meters or so, our good-humored guides would joke about the ice cracking, or pretend that someone was falling down one of the 600-meter deep drain holes that run from the top of the glacier to the base.

On this specific trek, ice-hiking skill were not necessary, and safety was not an issue. There are, however, much more challenging trekking options. The guides’ jokes were all in good fun, and everyone was confident that they had our best interest and our safety in mind.

Everywhere we turned and every ridge we walked over provided a new amazing view or picture opportunity. The intricacies of the glacier were more remarkable than I had imagined from the balconies, and I remarked to other hikers that no matter what anyone back home was doing that day, I had them beat. I mean, I was walking on a glacier!

At the end of our trek, we passed over a ridge and found our way to a table that had previously been placed on a flat area on the lower part of the glacier. Our guides cracked some glacial ice and filled a couple dozen glasses with it, and then served us a beautiful scotch and Perito Moreno ice drink accompanied by some chocolate truffle candies.

After we toasted and took some more pictures, we trekked back off of the glacier and headed back through the forest to the bus. On the walk back, we heard a loud cracking noise and turned back to face the glacier. The noise continued for a few more seconds and was followed by a huge chunk of the glacier (far away from where we hiked) crashing down into the lake below, sending large waves out in all directions. It was the most impressive show of nature that I had ever seen.

The ferry back across to the lake concluded our two hour trekking experience and provided us with our last views of the glacier. As we boarded the bus, everyone marveled at what a unique and amazing experience we had just had. I would absolutely recommend the Perito Moreno Mini-Trekking daytrip to anyone who is visiting the El Calafate area. Or if you are choosing where you would like to go in southern Argentina, this excursion is reason enough to pick El Calafate!

• Glacial Encounters: Hiking on the Perito Moreno Glaciar in Argentina
• Perito Moreno Glacier, a Must-see Tour in Patagonia
• Incredible Perito Moreno Rupture Captured on YouTube
• Southern Lights Dialogue Addresses Climate Change
• Patagonia Cuisine: As Delightful as its Scenery and its Adventures

My visit to the Perito Moreno glacier a couple of hours away from El Calafate, Argentina, was an escape to a landscape of jagged white and blue ice. It stretched past the mountains in the distance and clouds clung to the far reaches of the glacier. A milky blue-gray lake lapped at one end of the glacier and transported thick pieces of ice away from it.

The heavy silence that hung over us like the clouds on Perito Moreno was only broken by camera clicks and the thunder-like sound whenever a piece of ice – no matter how small – broke off the glacier and collided with the lake water.

As we took a boat chartered by the Solo Patagonia tour company across the lake to the foot of the mountains closest to the Perito Moreno glacier, the immensity of the body of ice towered high above us. An archway in the ice that bridged the glacier to the piece of land on which the lookout points stood allowed both sides of the lake to flow into each other.

Every few decades the passage closes up from the force of the moving glacier, damming up one side of the lake and causing it to rise until the pressure buils up enough to break through the ice and restore the archway. It’s impossible to predict the next time it will happen, but I have heard that the explosion of water through the ice is one of the most remarkable natural sights in the world.

My travel companion and I were part of a group that donned crampons – metal spikes that attached to the bottom of our shoes – and thin gloves to protect our hands from the rough ice, and hiked up the Perito Moreno glaciar. The bright white and pale blue of the ice stood out against light brown hills and black mountains. We followed single-file along a narrow path chosen by our guide based on how the ice had shifted.

Turquoise pools of water were scattered among towers of ice, indicating narrow chasms that allowed underlying lake water to seep up into the glacier. The water tasted crisp and achingly cold. We trekked along the ice for an hour and a half, pausing every once in a while to take in the awesome landscape, and to take photos. My travel companion said it reminded her of C.S. Lewis’ land of Narnia.

At one point, as we maneuvered around a massive cliff of ice, one of the guides asked us if we thought he could scale the vertical glacial wall. As we insisted that he couldn’t, he took hold of two ice picks and, kicking the front spikes of his crampons into the ice, scrambled up to the top. We all gasped when he pretended to slip and hung from the ice picks near the top of the cliff, legs dangling. He swiftly got to the top of the precipice and looked down at us triumphantly, laughing at our worried expressions.

As we rounded the last bend in the path between two huge mounds of ice, a wooden table and two chairs came into view. A guide had hurried ahead of the group and set up two large bottles of whiskey and a bowl of bon-bons to warm our frosty bodies. The guide filled up glasses with glacial ice and a bit of whiskey and passed them around to the members of our group. As we sipped the warming liquor and bit into the rich chocolate, we all toasted to a successful glacier trek on the Perito Moreno; our crampons secured our footing in one of the last moving glaciers in the world and in the distance we heard the thundering crashes of its slow breakdown.

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• Perito Moreno Glacier, a Must-see Tour in Patagonia
• Incredible Perito Moreno Rupture Captured on YouTube
• Patagonia Scenery Featured in June Vogue

Any Patagonian traveler will tell you, Perito Moreno Glacier is the must see destination. Following the advice of fellow travelers I met along the road, I rolled into town on a cozy full cama bus at 2am (a bus with full beds). I was thrilled to see the Albergue and Hostal del Glaciar van patiently awaiting our arrival at the bus station, and after grabbing my human size backpack I jumped in the van and was escorted to the hostel. I was impressed with the hostel and would definitely recommend it – clean, well organized, and friendly. Within the first 15 minutes of arriving I had booked a tour to the National Glacier Park and was comfortably settled in my room.

I knew my body would need a little rest the next day so I opted to spend a day getting to know the town before heading to the glacier. El Calafate is a small town, primarily made up of travel agencies, local boutique shops selling hand made art from the indigenous Mapuche people, and restaurants. It is a cute and quaint town to spend a day, but I wouldn’t recommend staying much longer unless you are looking for a low key place to relax.

I did enjoy looking at the leather canvas paintings that were scattered in many shops throughout town and that screamed “Buy me! I will make a great gift” as I window shopped and contemplated whether I would be kicking myself later for buying a rolled up canvas that didn’t fit in my backpack. (I bought it, great purchase). Following an asado and a glass of wine at a local pub with the token Argentine gaucho singing and strumming his guitar in the corner, I was ready for bed and looking forward to my early morning at Perito Moreno Glacier.

Arriving at Perito Moreno Glacier

Once again the organized Hostel services were very well appreciated. My excursion included a guided tour through the country leading up to the glacier, a couple of hours to view Perito Moreno glacier from the balconies and a hike around the area, and an up close and personal view from a boat. (Trekking on top of the glacier is also an option). The bus arrived at 9am and we were off. The tour was excellent and the guide very knowledgeable. The ride leading up to the glacier was shocking and impressive due to the dramatic changes in terrain. We saw all kinds of wildlife along the way – ranging from the high flying condors to the pretty in pink flamingos.

The moment we turned the corner and Perrito Moreno came into view was breath-taking. As we got closer and closer I couldn’t help but feel that we were driving into a movie scene where the whole Earth had frozen over and was locked inside the huge pieces of ice. I just stared in awe and before I knew it I was standing on the balconies that look out over the natural wonder and enjoying the fantastic views.

The physical beauty would have been more than enough to bring everyone to silence, but in combination with the sounds of the ice crackling right before your eyes and ears, it was more than words can describe. The crowds anxiously watched and waited to witness the one big piece that would fall from the top of the towering mass that day. I saw multiple pieces come crashing down into the water, forming big waves and leaving their ‘footprints’ in the water below. However, there was one big one that I will never forget…incredible. The views from the boat gave me a completely different perspective. The magnitude of the glacier was much more apparent and the impact that much bigger as well.

The tour flew by, and I had no idea we had been gone all day. It was most definitely one of the favorite parts of my trip and I am so thankful I was able to see it. I am thankful for the advice of other travelers who told me to make it a priority even though it is not an easy place to get to, and I will continue to pass that advice along to others.

• Looking for a Great Hostel in El Calafate?
• Trekking on El Perito Moreno Glacier – An Unforgettable Experience
• Incredible Perito Moreno Rupture Captured on YouTube
• Glacial Encounters: Hiking on the Perito Moreno Glaciar in Argentina
• Patagonia Cuisine: As Delightful as its Scenery and its Adventures