Perito Moreno Minitrekking from El Calafate: Glacier ice walk

Walk on the glacier's ice, surrounded by cracks, seracs and turquoise ponds

A full-day minitrekking tour from El Calafate to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares combines a ship crossing of Lago Rico, a three-hour guided walk on Glaciar Perito Moreno's ice with crampons, and a return hike through Patagonian forest. The tour runs about ten hours with hotel pickup and park walkways included, or five hours without transfers. Groups stay under twenty per guide, with one guide per up to ten passengers.

Step-by-step itinerary

Perito Moreno Glacier full day tour

• Pick up from El Calafate
• Bus ride with tour information
• Board ship at Bajo de las Sombras port
• Cross Lago Rico by ship
• Disembark at Perito Moreno Glacier south face
• Receive crampons and helmets
• Walk along lake shore with glaciology talk
• Ice trekking on glacier for 1.5 hours
• Return through Bosque Andino Patagónico
• Visit walkways for panoramic glacier views

The experience

The day starts with pickup from your El Calafate hotel and a drive to Bajo de las Sombras port, where you board a ship for a twenty-minute crossing of Lago Rico. The crossing faces the glacier's southern wall, and your guide begins talking about glaciology before you even step on the ice. Once ashore, you're fitted with crampons and a helmet, then led onto the glacier itself for roughly ninety minutes of walking across its surface. The ice is irregular but firm, and the guides point out the formations as you move: deep cracks, blue moulins, seracs and small turquoise ponds that sit on top of the frozen landscape.

After the ice walk, you return along the moraine and through Bosque Andino Patagónico, a Patagonian forest that completes the three-hour route from lake coast to glacier and back to the shelter. There you get hot drinks and a souvenir before reboarding the ship to return to port. If you chose the transfer option, the day includes a one-hour guided visit to the park's walkways seven kilometers from the port, where you can walk self-guided paths and see the glacier from above. The whole experience, including the drive from El Calafate, runs about ten hours.

Groups are kept small: subgroups of up to twenty on the ice, with one guide assigned to every ten passengers. Audio guides in Spanish, English and Portuguese play during the bus ride to the park. The tour is moderately demanding (the ice surface is uneven and you're walking at altitude), but it's designed for anyone eight to sixty-five years old with a reasonable level of fitness. If you skip the transfer and drive yourself to the port, the minitrekking portion alone takes about five hours.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in El Calafate.
• comfortable bus transfer to Bajo de las Sombras port.
• ship crossing of Lago Rico.
• expert mountain guide for the glacier walk.
• crampons and helmet.
• one-hour guided visit to the park's walkways (with transfer option).
• hot drinks and souvenir at the shelter.
• audio guide in Spanish, English or Portuguese during the drive.

Options for this experience

2 options

Minitrekking without transfersGuide in English, Spanish or Portuguese · 07:00Transfers are not part of this service if you pick this option. Meeting point: Puerto Bajo las Sombras.

Minitrekking with transferGuide in English, Spanish or Portuguese · 07:00Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (8 to 65 years) · Under 8: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48h

Paid on siteUS$ 30

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Moderate physical levelWheelchair accessibleNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Azul Latina Travel

Is this one for you?Choose the option with transfer if you want the full experience: the park walkways add a different perspective of the glacier from above, and the hotel pickup means you don't navigate the drive yourself. Pick the without-transfer option if you're already in the park or prefer a shorter day focused only on the ice walk.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

What's the actual time spent walking on the glacier's ice?

About ninety minutes on the ice itself, with an additional two hours of walking along the lake coast, moraine and forest before and after, making the full trek roughly three hours from start to finish at the glacier.

Do I need to bring my own crampons and safety gear?

No. Crampons and helmets are provided and fitted by the guides before you step onto the ice. The company supplies all the equipment you need.

What time does the tour start from El Calafate?

Pickup happens at either 8 AM or 1 PM depending on availability in high season. The exact time is written on your minitrekking voucher, which you'll receive five days before the tour.

Can I do the minitrekking without the hotel transfer?

Yes. If you drive yourself to Bajo de las Sombras port, you skip the transfer and the park walkways visit, cutting the total time to about five hours. You'll meet the guides at the port at a time confirmed when you book.

What makes the ice safe to walk on if it's cracked and uneven?

The surface is irregular but firm, and the guides give safety instructions and stay with small subgroups. The glacier is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the walk is rated moderate difficulty, designed for regular fitness levels.

Is there food or water provided during the trek?

Hot drinks and a souvenir are given at the shelter after the ice walk. You can bring a lunch box to eat in the woods by the lake if you want a meal during the day.