El Calafate: Glacier Boat Tour, 5 Glaciers & Gourmet Lunch

Summary

Sailing Lake Argentino’s wild blue to Upsala Spegazzini Perito Moreno

You’ll board a catamaran in El Calafate and sail across Lake Argentino past five glaciers—including Upsala and Spegazzini—with a local guide sharing stories along the way. Walk through historic ranch land at Puesto de Las Vacas before enjoying a Patagonian lunch onboard. End your day up close with Perito Moreno’s shifting ice walls—an experience that lingers long after you’ve left Patagonia behind.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Full-day boat tour of glaciers

• Pick up from accommodation or self-transfer
• Arrive at Puerto Privado La Soledad port
• Purchase entrance ticket to Los Glaciares National Park
• Board catamaran at 8:30 a.m.
• Sail across Lake Argentino to Upsala Glacier
• View Heim and Seco hanging glaciers
• Walk at El Puesto de Las Vacas island
• Enjoy lunch onboard near Spegazzini Glacier
• Cruise toward Perito Moreno Glacier
• Option 1: Disembark and explore Perito Moreno trails
• Option 2: Remain onboard and return to port
• Return shuttle to El Calafate if transfers included

Top questions

How long does the El Calafate glacier boat tour last?

The full tour lasts about 9-11 hours depending on your chosen option and whether you disembark at Perito Moreno.

Which glaciers do you see on this boat tour?

You’ll see Upsala, Spegazzini, Perito Moreno, Heim, and Seco glaciers during the day trip from El Calafate.

Is hotel pickup included in this glacier boat tour?

Yes, hotel pickup from El Calafate is included if selected during booking; otherwise you meet at Puerto La Soledad.

Do I need to buy my own entrance ticket for Los Glaciares?

Yes, entrance fees for Los Glaciares are not included; your guide will help purchase them at the port before boarding.

What kind of lunch is served during the tour?

A Patagonian lamb sandwich with baked vegetables is included; premium bookings get a four-course meal with drinks.

Can I walk on Perito Moreno Glacier during this tour?

No glacier trekking is included; however, you can explore Perito Moreno’s walkways if you select that option when booking.

Is this El Calafate glacier boat tour suitable for all fitness levels?

Yes, it’s suitable for all fitness levels as activities are relaxed and mostly onboard or easy walks.

What languages do guides speak on this boat tour?

The professional guides speak both Spanish and English throughout all activities on the tour.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from El Calafate if booked with transfers, guided sailing past five glaciers with commentary in Spanish and English, a forest walk at Puesto de Las Vacas led by local experts, plus a gourmet Patagonian lunchbox with drinks and dessert served onboard before returning by shuttle or independently depending on your selected option.

What’s the experience like?

We’d barely wiped the sleep from our eyes when the van pulled up outside our place in El Calafate—still dark, but you could hear the wind already. By the time we reached Puerto La Soledad, there was this sharp smell of lake water and something metallic in the air. Our guide, Lucía, had this way of telling stories that made even buying tickets at the port feel like part of the adventure (she joked about her “glacier luck”—which apparently means good weather). Everyone shuffled onto the catamaran, clutching coffee and cameras, not sure where to stand first.

I didn’t expect how small I’d feel out on Lake Argentino. The boat glided past these floating slabs of blue ice—some almost neon under the morning clouds—and then suddenly Upsala Glacier just appeared, way off but still massive. Lucía explained we couldn’t get closer than ten kilometers because of calving ice; you could actually hear distant cracks echoing across the water. It was cold enough that my hands went numb holding onto the rail, but nobody wanted to go inside yet. Someone tried to guess what color “glacier blue” really is—no one agreed.

Later we stopped at Puesto de Las Vacas for a walk through old ranch land. There were horses grazing and these creaky wooden buildings half-swallowed by grass. The air smelled like wet earth and woodsmoke from somewhere unseen. Our guide pointed out rusted tools left by early settlers—I liked imagining their lives out here with nothing but wind and sky for company (though I’m not sure I’d last a week). Lunch back on board was surprisingly good—Patagonian lamb sandwich with roasted veggies—and I probably ate too fast because my fingers were still thawing out.

The Spegazzini Glacier is taller than you expect; it sort of leans over you like it might fall into the lake at any second (it won’t). After that came Perito Moreno—the big one—where we drifted close enough to see chunks break off and crash into turquoise water below. The sound is weirdly delayed, like thunder after lightning. If you choose to get off at Perito Moreno’s walkways, you get two hours wandering those trails with views that honestly don’t look real in photos or memory. We rode back to El Calafate tired and quiet, everyone staring out windows trying to hold onto whatever they’d just seen—I still think about that view sometimes when things feel noisy.