Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers

The day boat from Puerto Natales runs up the Ultima Esperanza fjord past cormorant colonies and sea lions to two glaciers of the Bernardo O'Higgins national park. Balmaceda comes down the flank of Monte Balmaceda and, within living memory, reached the water and calved into it; it has retreated up the slope and now ends well above the fjord, which the boat crews point out directly. Serrano is reached by a short walk from a landing, ending at a small lagoon with the ice at its head. The trip usually includes a stop at an estancia for lamb cooked on a cross over an open fire.

The landscape

• Two glaciers up one fjord - Balmaceda and Serrano.
• A glacier that left the water - Balmaceda no longer reaches the fjord.
• A short walk to Serrano - from a landing to a lagoon below the ice.
• Cormorants and sea lions - on the way up the fjord.

When to go

October to April; boats run only in the season. A full day.

Before you go

Trips are cancelled by wind regularly. The fjord is cold and wet in any month. The glacier retreat is the honest headline of the trip, not a detail. The estancia lunch is usually charged separately.

Nearby

Puerto Natales is down the fjord; Torres del Paine is inland.