Perito Moreno Glacier Tour: Full Day with Boat Safari in El Calafate

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/16

Duration8h–9h

GroupUp to 24

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Walk the viewing platforms above a glacier the size of a city, then sail past its calving ice face.

This full-day tour from El Calafate takes you by vehicle through the Patagonian steppe to Los Glaciares National Park, where you walk multiple viewing balconies overlooking Perito Moreno Glacier and learn how its ice bridge forms. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included; a bilingual guide leads the day. You can add a 1-hour boat ride through Rico Branch of Lago Argentino to drift past floating icebergs and watch ice detach from the glacier wall — the boat option depends on your choice at checkout. The park entrance fee is separate. You'll return to El Calafate around 5 p.m.

8h–9h

Step-by-step itinerary

Perito Moreno Glacier full-day tour

Pick up at hotel in El Calafate
Scenic drive to Los Glaciares National Park
Stop at Curve of Sighs for photos
Purchase entrance tickets at National Park
Guide explains park walkways and viewing balconies
Visit main balcony and walk freely on walkways
Optional 1-hour boat safari on Lago Argentino
Return drive to El Calafate, tour ends

The Experience

After hotel pickup in El Calafate, you drive south through the Patagonian steppe, skirting the shore of Lago Argentino and passing the Curve of Sighs — a viewpoint whose name becomes clear once you see it. Los Glaciares National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, holds nearly 200 glaciers across almost half a million hectares; the Patagonian ice field that covers half the park is the second-largest on Earth outside Antarctica. Your guide will walk you through the park's layout and point you toward the viewing balconies, each one framing Perito Moreno from a different angle. The glacier's spiky walls, deep crevasses and massive ice formations dominate the view. You'll spend time on the main balcony and then move freely along the walkways until the agreed meeting time — the exact duration depends on weather and how the group moves.

If you booked the boat safari option, you'll board a 1-hour ride through Rico Branch of Lago Argentino. The boat takes you close to the glacier wall so you can watch pieces of ice break away and slide into the lake, and you'll drift past icebergs floating in the water. The boat capacity varies by date — it can hold 65, 115 or 160 people depending on which vessel is assigned. If you chose the tour without the boat, you'll have more time to explore the park's walkways or rest before the return drive.

The National Park has a cafeteria where you can buy snacks or a meal, or bring your own lunch. Wear warm layers, a waterproof jacket, gloves and a hat — Patagonian weather changes fast. Comfortable walking shoes are essential; there are a moderate number of stairs on the viewing platforms. The drive back to El Calafate takes the early evening, arriving around 5 to 5:30 p.m.

What’s included

Air-conditioned vehicle with hotel pickup and drop-off.
professional bilingual guide in English and Spanish.
Los Glaciares National Park access and viewing platform walkways.
1-hour boat safari through Lago Argentino with icebergs (if you choose the boat option at checkout).

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Say Hueque Travel

Is this one for you?Book the tour with the boat safari if you want to see the glacier from two angles — the viewing platforms give you the scale and detail, and the boat ride puts you close enough to watch ice calve into the lake. Choose the tour without the boat if you prefer more time to walk the park's balconies at your own pace or if you're traveling with very young children or anyone who finds stairs difficult.