One of the highlights of visiting Chile’s Patagonia is seeing the many glaciers in the area – what an incredible sight! Some of the glaciers can be hiked, like the Grey Glacier (something I did in a trip a few years later when I hike the W circuit around Torres del Paine). Other glaciers one can admire from a distance from the water (like the Serrano and Balmaceda glaciers). All these amazing glaciers are easy to reach from Puerto Natales with a glacier boat tour. I got to see these beautiful glaciers by boat and it was a very enjoyable cruise in the Chilean Patagonia. But there was even more than the glaciers to enjoy, as I would discover…
On the way to the glaciers from Puerto Natales
My tour boat left from Puerto Natales and the route over was breathtaking. Milford Sound in New Zealand was more splendid but this still was noteworthy for sure. Even if just seeing this part had been the purpose of the boat tour, that would have been worth it in and of itself. But, of course this initial part was not the end goal – the glaciers would turn out to be even better. Like it is often said, the journey sometimes is better or as good as the destination: the way over offered many great sights!
Some of the best sights of wildlife are only possible via a glacier boat tour for sure.
Grey Glacier
While I got to hike the Grey glacier during my trek in Patagonia in 2015 (see here for that story), on this glacier boat tour we took a different approach: we got off the boat and drove to the opposite shore from the glacier. It was not close enough to be awed by it, compared to being ON it, but it was a neat place to visit as we got to walk to an area on the opposite side of Lake Grey from the glacier and face the glacier and watch the ice floes. There were even waves hitting the piece of land where we were standing!
The deep cold blue of the floes was beautiful especially with the contrast to the shades of gray in the background.
Before I go on to the other two glaciers… a couple of non-nature images that I like from this boat trip.
Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers
During the cruise, we also visited the Serrano and Balmaceda glaciers. The Serrano and Balmaceda glaciers kiss the water like Grey glacier does but in what seemed a narrow and steeper “face” as it hits the water. We were able to get off the boat in one of the glaciers (the Serrano glacier) and hike around the shoreline near the glacier on some type of boardwalk built for this purpose.
And more beauty
Seeing the glaciers so close was nothing short of spectacular. These “things” are monumental and magical just like I expected they would be. But during the glacier boat tour I also saw some beautiful sights that had nothing to do with the glaciers: the unique flora in the immediacy of the glaciers. These plants were unexpected beauties – I had not stopped to think if there would be any vegetation worth looking at in this part of Patagonia.
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Pin this to your travel board and get to Patagonia some time in your life!
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