Laguna San Rafael National Park

The San Rafael glacier comes off the Northern Patagonian Ice Field and reaches a tidal lagoon at essentially sea level, which at this latitude is unusual - it is among the lowest-latitude tidewater glaciers in the world. The face is around fifty metres high and calves regularly, filling the lagoon with ice that drifts out through a narrow channel to the sea. It has retreated a long way: the glacier filled much of the lagoon in the early twentieth century and now ends well back from it, and comparison photographs are a standard part of the visit. The park covers the ice field and was made a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1979.

History

Non-Indigenous explorers first reached the lagoon in 1675, when the San Rafael Glacier ended on land; it probably reached the lagoon again between 1741 and 1766 and has met the water ever since. The national park was created in 1959 and covers 17,420 km², including the Northern Patagonian Ice Field, and in 1979 UNESCO made it a biosphere reserve (Wikipedia, Laguna San Rafael National Park).

What's there

• A tidewater glacier at sea level - among the lowest-latitude anywhere.
• A calving face about fifty metres high - filling the lagoon with ice.
• Long documented retreat - the glacier once filled much of the lagoon.
• A biosphere reserve since 1979 - covering the ice field.

When to go

December to March. A full day, or several by ship.

Before you go

Access is only by boat or plane and both are expensive and weather-dependent. Trips are cancelled often. Rain is close to constant on this coast. Zodiacs approach the face at a distance for safety reasons.

Nearby

Exploradores glacier is reached from Rio Tranquilo; the marble caves are on the lake.

Key facts