patagonia || glacier kayaking in upsala
Hi everyone! It’s been a while since my last post and I believe the last adventure I shared with all of you was the BIG ICE HIKE we did in Perito Moreno. Well, this next one is an ice/water adventure. If you’re a daring traveler, this might just be the perfect activity for you. Below is how our adventure ensued.
The date was March 19, 2016, 6:30 in the morning, just two days after our Big Ice Glacier Hike. We rode a large van with Viva Patagonia and picked up a few more kayakers along the way. When we arrived at the port, we made our way to a boat which would take us to the Upsala Channel. There, we would be kayaking by the glaciers floating through the waters of Lago Argentino. Say what!?!
Just a few minutes after boarding, we settled into our seats and the team members who will help us kayak were introduced to us. There were free coffee and breakfast pastries to munch on which was great since we were going to be on the boat for 3 hours cruising to our destination.
Our main guide, Jorge, gathered us and explained the geography of the glaciers in Patagonia and where we were headed, including several options where the boat could possibly dock. It all depended on the weather and how big the waves were going to be when we get to the Upsala Channel.
Needless to say, when the boat started moving, it started to drizzle and the sky was grey and cloudy. We learned that there was a big possibility that we won’t get to kayak if there were dangerous water conditions. After all, the weather was changing every few minutes. So what could one do right? Cross your fingers and hope for the best situation.
He also explained to us the functions of our dry thermal suits and how to wear them properly. For those of you who are curious, these are the layers:
1st Layer: Basically your underwear (Women: wear a sports bra if possible and fitted training/ cycling shorts.)
2nd Layer: Black Thermal Turtle Neck Inner Suit (provided)
3rd Layer: Blue & Black Waterproof Suit with a Hood (provided)
4th Layer: Red Life Vest (provided)
Others: Waterproof Thermal Boots (Provided but bring your own socks plus another extra pair.)
I want to make one funny girly confession though. That day, I was so thankful that I decided to wear a sports bra and cycling shorts underneath my clothes. Let me tell you why. Well once we started changing to our thermal suits, almost everyone just changed on the main cabin of the boat in front of everyone. Weird right? Of course we had a choice to use the restroom for privacy, but one would have to wait in line since there were only two and there was about 14 of us who had to change plus the crew. So yes, we opted to change in front of the crew and the other kayakers, who by the way also did the same, while trying to cover as much flesh as we could at the same time! Oh well!
After that, our guide asked us to get into the kayaks that they had lined up for us on the lower level of the boat. Jorge taught us how to attach a part of our suits (the cockpit seal/red part) to enclose the opening of the kayak and prevent the water from filling our boats. He also trained us on what to do in case our boat capsizes in the water.
Can you even imagine being turned upside down in ICE COLD water? I didn’t even want to think about it, but reality is, it does happen and we better knew what to do if indeed it happens.
Once we docked, we carried our own kayaks off the main boat and then we were taught basic paddling techniques. Thankfully, the weather improved once we got there. And voila, off we rowed in ice cold water!
At first we were only seeing small glaciers, but as we went farther into deeper water, they became bigger, one after another! At one point we gathered by a huge glacier and we were warned to stay at a safe distance away from them because if they break and fall on us, especially in our heads, it could easily be fatal. Also, those glaciers can easily roll towards us without any warning. True enough, while Jorge was discussing this, a huge part of the glacier in front of us produced a large cracking noise and broke away without warning, creating a huge splash in the water. It happened as if to warn us of the unpredictable dangers of Mother Nature. So sure enough, from then on, we were extra cautious.
There was a good—maybe not so good—thirty minutes, where we were forced to paddle so much harder because the waters started to get rough! It was a frightening moment, at least for me. Continuous paddling was necessary to balance ourselves and prevent our boat from capsizing. But that alarming moment we had to go through made up for the awesome gigantic glaciers we saw later. Overwhelming...that is an understatement!
After 2 hours of paddling, we headed back to the main boat and managed to squeeze in a quick paddling under a small waterfall! The water pressure was so strong I thought we were just going to sink! It was awesome by the way! When we arrived on the shore, we were given a chance to take a dip in the waters of Lago Argentino while wearing our thermal suits. To my amazement, I didn’t feel the temperature of the ice cold water! Our waterproof/thermal outfits were unbelievable! Oh and I got to hug a huge glacier too!
Many thanks to our guide, Jorge, and to the entire team of Viva Patagonia who took care of us and made us feel safe while we were there. Cheers to Gustavo, crew member and an excellent photographer, who took so many priceless photos capturing our incredible experience (see pictures below by him)! This experience is without a doubt one for the books and will always be one of our favorite adventures to date!
P.S.
If you are up for this kind of adventure and you know that you have the tendency to get seasick like me, I suggest you take your medicine before riding the boat. I stayed away from them because I wanted to try these anti-seasickness bands I bought before the trip, but sadly they failed me. What a nightmare! I managed to vomit once on our way to Upsala Glacier and twice on our way back. Sad right? The waters were harsh, rocking the boat sideways for the longest time and I felt so nauseous. Thankfully, I secretly seized barf bags from our plane ride to El Calafate from Buenos Aires and brought them with me. Shhhhhhh! I was totally ready for that horrid and most embarrassing chapter of my life. Oh and bring some mints with you too just in case!
Tip: If you want to bring a camera, do yourself a favor and bring one that's waterproof. Whatever you decide to bring along while kayaking will definitely get wet. All the pics I have above that I took while kayaking were taken with a GoPro in its waterproof case.
Website: http://vivapatagonia.com/
