Kayaking at the Perito Moreno Glacier

Most people see Perito Moreno from above, from the boardwalks. From a kayak the scale shifts: the ice wall sits right in front of you and rises, on average, about 74 metres above the waters of Lago Argentino, along a front roughly 5 kilometres wide.

The outing starts in El Calafate, with transfer included to Los Glaciares National Park, some 80 kilometres away. Created in 1937 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, the park protects part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the third-largest continental ice field on the planet. Perito Moreno is one of its tongues: about 250 km² of ice moving forward close to 700 metres a year.

The paddle is guided and motor-free, so what you hear is the glacier itself: creaks, sharp cracks and, now and then, a block crashing into the water. Icebergs broken off the front drift around you, glowing blue as if lit from within, on a pale-blue lake that covers 1,415 km² and reaches 500 metres deep in places.

Out on the water it is easier to grasp how the glacier works. As it advances, the ice splits the lake in two, with Brazo Rico on one side and the Canal de los Témpanos on the other. When it reaches the shore of the Magallanes Peninsula, Brazo Rico is dammed and its level can rise up to 30 metres above the rest of the lake, until the water carves a tunnel under the ice and the bridge eventually collapses.

You paddle slowly and always at a distance from the front, because calving comes without warning. This is a trip to take unhurried, resting the paddle on your knees for a good while with the glacier straight ahead.

• Tour type: Guided, contemplative kayaking
• Difficulty level: Easy to moderate (gentle paddling, but cold and windy)
• Tip: Dress in layers and bring gloves, a hat and sunglasses; outings depend on the wind and lake conditions, and the National Park charges its own entrance fee.