Lago Argentino: the living mirror of the Patagonian glaciers

Located in the heart of Los Glaciares National Park in the province of Santa Cruz, Lago Argentino is one of the great freshwater mirrors of Argentinean Patagonia. Its turquoise water from glacial melt washes around the slopes of some of the most impressive glaciers in South America and offers a natural backdrop of incredible beauty.

A lake formed from glacial melt

Lago Argentino owes its formation to the retreat of the gigantic ice masses that covered large parts of Patagonia during the last ice age. When the glaciers melted around 18,000 years ago, the meltwater filled the depression left by the glacial movement and gave this huge lake with an area of 1,466 km2 its shape.

With a maximum length of 78 km and an average width of 30 km, the turquoise waters of the Argentino unfold in three large arms that run between the peaks of the Andes: the Brazo Norte or Rico, the Brazo Sur or Tehuelche and the Canal de los Témpanos. It is in the latter that the Perito Moreno glacier unfurls its huge blue ice front, which is almost 5 km wide.

A refuge for Patagonian biodiversity

Apart from its impressive scenic beauty, Lago Argentino is also an important refuge for wildlife in the middle of the remote Patagonian desert. Its waters and shores are home to numerous animal species that take advantage of the abundance of fish and the tranquillity of the protected shores.

Here you can observe cormorants, seagulls, cauquenes and flamingos on the shores. The clear waters are home to fish species such as rainbow trout, perch and Patagonian silverfish. As if that wasn’t enough, the wooded shores are also home to huemules, pumas and the enigmatic gray fox of the Patagonian steppe.

Glacier arms: windows to the eternal ice

Each of the three large glacier arms of Lago Argentino offers a privileged insight into the infinite world of Patagonian ice. The Brazo Rico, the largest, is the water access to the huge front of the Perito Moreno Glacier. Boats approach from here to watch the impressive spectacle of calving or the huge masses of ice breaking off into the water.

In contrast, the Canal de los Témpanos (Channel of the Icebergs) is literally full of huge blue, floating masses of ice that have broken off directly from the front of the Perito Moreno. This dizzying “graveyard of icebergs” also offers the opportunity to navigate directly between these colossal floating blocks.

Finally, the Brazo Sur or Tehuelche borders around 32 km of the glacier tongue of the Spegazzini Glacier, the longest terminus of the entire southern Patagonian continental ice field. Here, the boats sail deep into the glacier until they reach the foot of the ice wall, where you can admire the impressive break-offs.

The colorful spectacle of the glacial waters

Perhaps one of the greatest attractions of Lago Argentino is the infinite palette of tones and colors that can be admired in its waters. From the boats, you can observe how the intense turquoise of the lake takes on different shades of green, blue and even gray, depending on how the sun’s rays fall on the glacial ice that resides and dissolves in it.

In some places, the clear water even allows you to see dozens of meters into the depths, revealing the shapes and colors of the rocks at the bottom of the lake. It is almost as if you are looking at an underwater universe of fresh water that quickly captivates you with its infinite play of colors.

The contrasts of ice and forest

Another great wonder that surrounds Lago Argentino is the impressive natural contrasts that frame it. On the one hand, the turquoise waters and the gigantic ice walls of the adjacent glaciers form polar landscapes worthy of the coldest regions on earth.

On the other hand, the southern shores of the lake are covered with dense Andean forests of ñires and lengas, creating a charming contrast between the lake’s deep-rooted flora and its surroundings.