Tag: kayak

Kayaking to Moreno Glacier – El Calafate, Argentina


There are two big attractions outside of El Calafate, both of which are for the outdoor enthusiast. The bigger of the two, or the one that I am told is the most visited sight in Patagonia is the Moreno Glacier. There are many ways to experience this glacier. There are treks that will take you out on the ice. One is more of an adventure than the other one, so depending on your hiking level, you find the one more appropriate to you. There is also a ferry like ship that people can book passage on and it will give them a tour of the lake, getting close to the glacier so people can see it calf. Many people load up their cars and drive up to the main visitor center where there is a walkway that will take them to many great viewpoints where they can still hear the rumble of the ice as it falls into the water. And there is the option that we took which is to put on some wetsuits, grab a paddle, and push a kayak off from a sandy shore two kilometers from the base of the glacier.


Each one of these options allow you to explore the glacier in many different ways but they limit the amount of people that can experience any of the options except for the walkways by the visitor’s center. Because of these limitations, the excursions have a tendency to start to book up, so I would recommend to book them at least a month in advance, or if you are trying to play the weather game to look for a good day to enjoy the glacier, no later than a week earlier. If you do wait until later do understand that some options might not be available. This is what happened to us, and part of the reason that we ended up kayaking instead of doing one of the treks.

This is not to say that kayaking is a bad option. I love kayaking, and though it does not get you as close to the glaciers as the big boat will, it still gets you close, and the perspective you get from being low on the water makes the glacier look the most impressive. It towers over you and a couple of times, we actually felt the waves created by the glacier shedding a cathedral-sized hunk of ice from its edge. My issue was seeing the glacier this way was that I have visited a couple of glaciers by kayak, and I really want to try voyaging over one some time in my lifetime.

Still, the company, Patagonia Chic, we went with supplied us with the perfect day to go out and do this. It did require an early morning as they came by our hotel with a bus to take up into the national park. On the ride up, a guide talked to us about the area and some interesting facts about it. My favorite was where the name of the town, El Calafate comes from. There is a berry that grows on wild bushes in the area that is called calafate. It looks like a tiny blueberry, and people pick them to eat or turn into a jam that you can find all over the town.

After an hour and half ride, they dropped us off with the kayaking company. The company supplied us with wetsuits, kayaks, and two guides. There was a little talk about how to operate a kayak which is always nice to have, especially for those that have never kayaked before, and our guide was so good that he gave me a couple of pointers that I have never heard before making my kayaking experience even better.

We had a beautiful day to go out to see the glacier and explore some of the recently birthed icebergs. The weather was 21 degrees Celsius which I am told eight degrees warmer than the typical temperature during this time of the year. I am also told that they do still go out in adverse weather conditions, but they do go out with two expert guides to educate and help people guide themselves through choppy waters. The also have a Zodiac boat that follows a safe distance away so as to appear as if it is not there at all. This is mainly for those times when some capsizes their boat so they can pull them out of the chilly water as fast as they can. Not that we needed it, but it was nice to know that the company took safety very seriously.

The whole experience on the water lasts for about an hour and a half. Patagonia Chic gave us a couple more hours to enjoy ourselves at the visitor’s center. There is a cafeteria style restaurant for food if you are hungry but you can also bring your own food and enjoy it at one of the park benches close to the walkways. It also gives you plenty of time to explore all of the walkways at a leisurely pace allowing for more pictures of the glacier from many different angles. It makes for a long day, but one that you will not soon forget. I also like the many options that are available to explore the glacier. Though I did not stay out in El Calafate long enough to try another excursion, I now live close enough that I am now thinking about doing a different excursion if I ever find myself out in this area of the world again.

Until next time, I hope you are able to find those experiences that are amazing, no matter how you get to enjoy them.

The Alki Art Fair – Seattle, Washington

There is a rule of thumb in Seattle – when the sun comes out, you go outside. It is strictly followed during the winter months when the sky is usually shrouded in a cloud, but things are a little different during the summer months. There might be some clouds in the early morning, but they usually burn off before the afternoon, and the day delivers the perfect weather to enjoy. This is why many people come to visit this city during the summer, and certain places crowd in with people.

The city knows this as well, and uses the opportunity to have their festivals and fairs. They find the most iconic places in the area and gather artists, food, and music to give the people something to do while the weather is so beautiful. One of these celebrations has been coming year after year in late July on Alki Beach near West Seattle.

The Alki Art Fair is a chance for artists from the Pacific Northwest to come together to show off their latest creations. It is a great place to find paintings, photographs, woodworking, clothing and jewelry directly from the artists who created it. Many people gather here to find that next perfect thing for their house while being able to talk to the artists at the same time. Most of the work has the feel from this part of the world, and helps to support the arts in just Seattle, but all of Washington and Oregon as well.

The best part of coming to this art fair as opposed to others across the country is that afterwards, I found myself still on Alki Beach. It is one of the hidden treasures of Seattle. Yes, it does bring out many tourists who want to have a great view of downtown Seattle and hand out on beach right on the sound, but it is not as many as are found in Queen Anne or Pike’s Place Market area. It is the place where you can find more of the local population, especially on a great summer day as they look for the perfect place where they can come out and enjoy it.

Alki Beach is far enough away from the Seattle’s city center that tourists rarely find it, but it is a great location to hang out on the beach all day, enjoy kayaking or paddle boarding, and there are plenty of shops and restaurants on the other side of the street from the beach to entertain you as well. The art fair is just a great excuse to make it out to this part of Seattle and adds more flavor to an already great spot. If you were unable to make you way to it this year, don’t worry, there will be another chance to make it there next year. It will help you to make it out to this spot of Seattle and see something that many people miss out on during their visits here. It won’t take you long to figure out why when you come.

The Icelandic Lagoon for Everybody – Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I have been told that Iceland was on track for breaking record this year for tourism. A lot of that was due to the fact that a lot of people have planned trips to Iceland for the last couple of years, and have had to cancel due to Covid. Now that restrictions have eased up, all of those planned trips that never happened are being cashed in, and more people are flocking to Iceland ever than before. With that in mind, there have been a couple of places where I have felt like I could have done with a few less people, but it never felt overwhelming like it has in other places in Europe.

This was until I made it out to Jokulsarlon, a lagoon in the southeast portion of the island that is fed by a connecting glacier. It is a four to five hour drive from Reykavik, and also a central part of the Ring Road. Because of both of these conditions, and the unique nature of the way to experience this lagoon, it is a common destination for anybody that makes it out to Iceland. This is the reason that I felt in the midst of tourist season for the first time since I have been out here.

That is not to say that it is not worth the visit. Here is this really cool geological feature that includes a huge glacier, icebergs, and seals. There is a lot to see out here, and there are many different ways to experience it. You can book a duck boat that will load up a large group of people at the parking lot and then drive them out on to the lagoon. If you are looking for a smaller crowd, and a little more excitement, you can book a Zodiac boat that can get you a little closer to the icebergs and wildlife even though you are still only out on the water for an hour at a time. There are also kayak tours if you wish to add a little bit of a workout to your adventure, and also get away from the crowds a little bit more. There is also a trail that you can hike around the lagoon if you wish to make the experience an independent one.

Basically, there is a way for everybody to enjoy the nature that is out here. Whether you are more adventuresome and want to hike the lagoon or kayak it, or you would rather take a more leisurely way to explore the icebergs by taking a duck or zodiac boat, there is a way for them to get you out there. The bonus for this is that it is accessible to anybody but because of that everybody wants to come down here to check it. Don’t let that deter you though because it is still worth the trip out there, and you will see a lot no matter how you chose to enjoy it.