El Calafate

One of the few glaciers holding its ground rather than retreating, its face stands 60 metres high. When ice breaks away the sound rolls through the valley like thunder.

Steel walkways sit at several heights across the hill that faces the ice. The lowest of them comes within 300 metres of the wall.

A boat works across the lake, threading between floating mountains of ice. On days when the ice is thick the route changes or the boat turns back partway.

A boat drops the group beside the glacier and crampons go on for two hours on the ice. A guide leads a line between crevasses and meltwater pools.

Flamingos and ducks gather on the wetland beside town and boardwalks run through it. Snow covered peaks stand behind, so birds and mountains land in one frame.

Models and film explain how a glacier moves and how it shrinks. A room built of ice sits downstairs where a glass is served below freezing.

A ranch running sheep in the thousands demonstrates the shearing. Dogs work a flock in the yard as part of the same visit.

Horses climb the hill for a view taking in the lake and the Andean peaks together. The wind is strong, so many riders take their hats off and hold them.

Handprints and animal figures remain in rock shelters by the lake. Part of the original was damaged, so a reconstruction stands beside it.

Southern beech woods line the shore of a lake away from the glacier. Few people come, so a fox or a condor may turn up on the path.

A stop on the glacier cruises out of Puerto Bandera, said to have the tallest face in the park. The boat noses into a narrow arm and idles beneath the ice wall for a while. Deck wind bites hard, so gloves and a wool hat earn their space.

A waterside path in front of town follows Lago Argentino, the country's biggest freshwater lake. Rock dust ground by glaciers tints it jade, and at sunset the far ridges flush red. Hardly a day passes without wind, so walkers outnumber bench-sitters.

A small museum in town that walks through Patagonia's geology, fossils of extinct animals, and the stories of the Tehuelche and the settlers. Visit the day before the glacier and the land's timeline falls into place. An hour covers it.

A shallow round bay of Lago Argentino right in front of town. It runs into the Nimez wetland, so waterbirds settle in numbers. In a hard winter the surface freezes and locals reportedly skate on it.

A four-wheel-drive climb up Cerro Huyliche behind town ends at a viewpoint taking in both lake and Andes. Partway up, you walk a stone labyrinth that wind and rain have sculpted. The top runs far colder than town, so pack an extra layer.

Dry badlands reached by a turn-off halfway along the road to El Chalten. Stone tree trunks and scraps of dinosaur bone lie scattered among the clay hills. The trail offers no shade from start to finish, so water and sun cover are essential.

An old roadhouse standing alone by the La Leona river, midway along Route 40 to El Chalten. Butch Cassidy's gang supposedly hid out here after a bank robbery. Buses pull in for a break, and passengers pile off for home-baked pie and coffee.

A long one-day run across the border to Chile's Torres del Paine National Park. Departure is before dawn and return after nightfall, with many hours in the vehicle. The border post needs a passport, and Chile bars fruit and meat at entry.

A boat from the Bajo de las Sombras landing that cruises along the glacier's southern wall for about an hour. Ice you saw from the walkways above now towers over you from the water. When blocks fall, the boat backs off to keep its distance.

A remote old ranch at the end of Lago Argentino's northern arm, reachable only by boat. Where the settler family lived, a small museum has been set up. From here a four-wheel-drive track climbs from here to a spot looking down on Upsala Glacier.