Wander & Path Along Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier: Begin your journey amidst awe-inspiring ice formations, trekking through pristine landscapes and marveling at the natural wonders of this majestic glacier, an adventure sure to leave lasting memories.
Wander & Path Along Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier
Big, blue, gorgeous ice makes up Wander & Path Along Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier. Actually, the surface area of this magnificent glacier is more than that of the entire city of Buenos Aires.
A metal boardwalk spanning the lake’s edge provides views of this Wander & Path Along Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier, and local guides may arrange you glacier trekking tours where you can hike on top of the ice!
It goes without saying that hiking and viewing this Wander & Path Along Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier are incredible experiences, and many visitors to Los Glaciares National Park come here. Additionally, it’s surprisingly simple to complete as a day excursion from El Calafate, which is located in southern Patagonia, Argentina.
This travel guide will outline how to hike on the Perito Moreno glacier and how to get there from El Calafate, both with and without a tour. I’ll next go over some fascinating information about the glacier itself!
Where Is Perito Moreno Glacier?
In Argentina’s well-known Patagonia region, the Perito Moreno glacier sits on Lake Argentino, near the town of El Calafate.
El Calafate is a terrific base from which to see the Perito Moreno glacier and other wonders in Patagonia because it’s a tourist-friendly town with dozens of cozy hotels and excellent eateries.
How To Get To Perito Moreno Glacier
The modest international airport in El Calafate (FTE), which offers direct flights from Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Ushuaia, and other locations, is the nearest airport to the Perito Moreno glacier.
Many airlines offer affordable flights from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, which takes approximately three hours to complete. Flying into Buenos Aires, you can use either of the two airports (EZE or AEP).
Skyscanner allows you to search for flights to Argentina.
You can reach the Perito Moreno glacier by car in 60–90 minutes, depending on your speed, after arriving in El Calafate. Near the finish, the road becomes curving, although it’s completely paved and in good shape.
If you’re driving, the location is marked on the map here. However, since parking is restricted, they normally advise you to park early and take a free shuttle to reach the glacier.
Perito Moreno is reachable via bus, private taxi, or rental automobile. Numerous companies provide the bus service, and it departs from the El Calafate bus terminal on a regular basis.
For added convenience, El Calafate offers day trips to the Perito Moreno glacier that take care of all the transportation (more on that below).
Best Perito Moreno Glacier Tours
A day trip from El Calafate is among the simplest methods to see the Perito Moreno glacier.
Club TravelScape offers excellent day tours that include a boat excursion as an optional feature to explore the Perito Moreno glacier from a different perspective. These tours include hotel pickup and drop-off from El Calafate with a bilingual tour guide. They offer both personalized and shared group tours, typically.
They have two options if your primary goal is to go ice trekking: the “Big Ice” trek, which takes you farther and allows you to see more of the Perito Moreno glacier, and a glacier “mini-trekking” excursion, which I personally took advantage of.
If you don’t think you’re fit enough to hike on the ice, you can join a tour called “Safari Azul” that takes you to a beach in front of the glacier. There, you can get up close and personal with the ice without having to hike on it. Not to mention, they provide boat excursions and kayaking experiences at the Perito Moreno glacier.
We’ve used Club TravelScape for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great. Highly recommended!
Perito Moreno Glacier Walkway: What To Expect
The metal walkway that crosses the edge of Lake Argentino and its turquoise waters is the most well-liked spot to see the Perito Moreno glacier. The sights are breathtaking and easily accessible! Here, a vast network of platforms depicts the various aspects of the glacier, and the walkways divides into circuits denoted by colors. In my opinion, the nicest vistas are found on the red and yellow circuits. There’s hardly much to see on the black
and green tracks, but on occasion you can get up close and personal with some floating icebergs on the blue circuit. The path offers amazing views and a surreal sense of proximity to the glacier. Images do not convey the full story. You could practically reach out and touch the glacier! You can use your own phone or camera to take as many pictures as you like,
or there are national park photographers available for a nominal price to capture your picture. Occasionally, enormous condors may be seen soaring overhead. At the Perito Moreno glacier, large chunks of ice periodically break off
the edge and smash into the lake during the summer. This phenomenon is known as “calving.” It’s quite amazing to watch and hear, and occasionally you can capture it on camera if you’re fast. If you want to see a lot of this action, the middle of the day is the ideal time to visit!
All ages can use the Perito Moreno glacier observation platforms. The best sites are accessed by stairs, although some of the vistas are also wheelchair accessible.
The walking to the glacier is straightforward, with easy access from the parking area. The lowest platforms require climbing. Most visitors can spend a couple of hours, with free restrooms, a gift shop, and a cafe nearby.
Glacier Mini-Trekking Tour
Hiking on the glacier itself is one of the top activities to do in Perito Moreno!
This requires a tour reservation, and you’ll be traveling with a small group of ten to twenty other people. After receiving a set of pointed metal crampons to put on the bottom of your shoes, you can stroll on the ice with an experienced guide while snapping photos. These trips are offered every day,
but it’s a good idea to book well in advance because they’re highly sought-after and frequently sell out, particularly during the summer. The glacier mini-trekking excursion is appropriate for people 8 to 65 years old, according to the business. Although obesity and a few other health issues are listed as potential disqualifiers,
hiking on the glacier doesn’t need extreme physical fitness. These tours are led by hiking experts from Hielo y Aventura, a firm that has been doing glacier expeditions for over 30 years with no significant safety concerns. The guides speak Spanish and English fluently because they are bilingual. Since the tour involves traveling to the national park, taking a boat across the lake,
attending a brief safety briefing, fitting crampons and safety helmets, hiking on the glacier, and other activities, it can last up to 10 hours. After the tour, participants return to El Calafate. Before we left the glacier at the end of the tour, they offered us free whiskey tumblers to fill with glacier ice. Enjoyable! Overall, you shouldn’t miss the Perito Moreno glacier trip because it’s an incredible experience!
Glacier ‘Big Ice’ Trek
There is a “Big Ice” journey that is longer and farther than the typical walk if you wish to hike on the glacier even more.
The “Big Ice” journey offers twice as much time on the glacier as the mini-trekking tour, allowing you to explore more of the unusual scenery and have more time for photo ops. If you don’t want to hike with a large group of people, the tour groups are also more intimate and smaller. Because the Big Ice trek is more difficult,
it should only be undertaken by fit individuals between the ages of 18 and 50. It costs extra as well. Although I was content with my choice to complete the standard trip, I will undoubtedly return to Perito Moreno at some point and will undoubtedly undertake the Big Ice trek!
What To Bring For Glacier Hikes
- Outerwear: You should definitely pack a heavy winter beanie cap and a jacket because it can get rather windy at the glacier.
- Gloves: Wear fingerless gloves for glacier trekking tours, as sharp ice can harm bare hands. Guests can borrow gloves upon arrival, allowing camera operation.
- Shoes: Hiking boots or any other type of shoe will do. Crampons, which fit any shoe size, are supplied by the tour for your on-the-glacier walk.
- Backpack: You can use this to store any snacks, beverages, and other goods you plan to bring on your Perito Moreno glacier trekking excursion.
- Camera: The glacier is quite picturesque. Although a lens with a small amount of zoom is excellent, almost any camera setup will work well in this situation.
Entrance Fee: Los Glaciares National Park
There is a cost to access Perito Moreno because it is a component of Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina. This is true whether you’re using the boardwalk or engaging in other park activities like kayaking, boat rides, or glacier trekking.
The website of Argentina’s national parks has information about the current park charge. Nevertheless, the second day’s fee is lowered by 50% if you visit twice in a succession. Just make sure you save your ticket so you can present it to them. When you arrive at the Los Glaciares National Park entry,
you can pay the park fee using cash (pesos) or a credit card. This fee is paid separately from the cost of your bus tickets or tour. It worked out well for me to pay with a foreign credit card. The Argentina national parks website also offers
the option to purchase park tickets in advance, although it is rather glitchy and only available in Spanish. I could never make it function. Fortunately, unlike the tours, park tickets are always available and have no maximum restriction. Apart from the park admission charge, there is no cost to visit the walkway;
reservations for national parks do not need to be made in advance. If you intend to engage in any specific activities, such as glacier trekking, you merely need to make reservations in advance.
Fun Facts About Perito Moreno Glacier
- How big is it?
The glacier, 30 kilometers long and covering 250 square kilometers, is larger than Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, and stands 75 meters above Lake Argentino.
- Why is it blue?
Pure glacier ice, dense and compacted, reflects blue hues in the light spectrum due to forced air bubbles and compacted ice, unlike frozen water.
- What is the source?
The glacier is a component of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, one of the largest freshwater reserves in the world and the second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field in the world.
- How did it get its name?
Francisco Moreno, an important Argentine explorer in the Patagonia region in the 19th century, is the name of the Perito Moreno glacier. In Spanish, “perito” is a title of honor denoting “expert” or “specialist.”
- Is there more than one Perito Moreno in Argentina?
Argentina’s Perito Moreno national park, located over 700 kilometers from the Perito Moreno glacier, is a distinct location from the town, glacier, and national park. It’s unclear how to locate the glacier on a map.
- Is the glacier melting or shrinking?
Perito Moreno, a unique glacier, is advancing at up to 2 meters per day, despite ice loss from calving and ruptures, maintaining balance in its mass.
- What is the rupture?
The Perito Moreno glacier, which advances, occasionally creates a dam at Lake Argentino, raising water levels and straining the glacier. This event, occurring once every three to five years, is rare.
- What is calving?
Calving is the crashing sound of ice from Perito Moreno glacier breaking off and falling into the lake, occurring once every thirty minutes on a good day.
Best Time To Visit Patagonia
The spring, summer, or fall are the ideal seasons to explore the Perito Moreno glacier. The summer months, which span from December to February, offer some of the longest days and ideal conditions for hiking, but they’re also more crowded and costly. Even if the weather may be a little bit colder, the shoulder months of March, April,
and November may still be fantastic. This trip guide’s photographs were all taken in mid-March, which felt about ideal. Although you can still visit the glacier in the winter, your options will be more restricted because many tours,
such as glacier hiking and kayaking, aren’t operating during that time. The glacier remains breathtaking, and you can still take boat trips to experience its beauty. One benefit of going in the winter is that it’s less expensive and the park is less crowded. The greatest time of day to visit the glacier is truly never the same. It is great for any time of day. Though the greatest light for pictures is usually in the late morning or early afternoon, you might be able to avoid some of
the crowds in the morning or late afternoon. It’s not ideal to take pictures of the glacier in the evening because it can get backlit by the sun. The greatest time to see the calving action, which is when large chunks of ice fall into the lake with a boom, is close to midday when the temperature is at its warmest. It’s ideal to do that in the afternoon at any time.
Other Patagonia Glacier Tours
Check out the Upsala and Spegazzini glaciers if you’d want to view additional glaciers in El Calafate and the Patagonia region! Only a boat cruise will get you to these.
The highest glacier in the national park, the Spegazzini glacier, is noteworthy. At 135 meters (440 feet), its ice towering over the lake’s surface! The glaciers of Dry, Heim Sur, and Peineta are also visible in the same region.
Other Tips For El Calafate Town
- Hotels: El Calafate town has a good number of cozy hotels and hostels. For those on a tight budget, consider Kau Yatun Boutique; for those on a mid-range or higher budget, consider Xelena Hotel.
- Restaurants: There are several excellent restaurants in the town. Pietro’s Cafe is a good choice for breakfast, and Isabel Cocina al Disco or La Tablita are good options for dinner.
- Credit Cards: While credit cards are accepted at most establishments in town, some may only accept cash. Take extra cash with you just in case. The town’s ATMs aren’t very trustworthy.
- Money Changers: El Calafate has money changers (also known as “cambio”) with competitive rates. I went to the Arte Indio gift shop near the town center and exchanged US dollars for Argentine pesos.
- WiFi: Fast, dependable WiFi is typically available in El Calafate’s restaurants and hotels. I was able to travel all over town and find excellent WiFi.
- Cell Service: I experienced excellent mobile coverage and phone reception from Claro in El Calafate town while using T-Mobile roaming. It’s really easy to stay in touch with home from here.
- Supplies: El Calafate offers supermarkets, convenience stores, and rental/purchase options for camping and trekking supplies. Carry your own equipment if possible for cost-effective travel.
- Safety: Overall, Argentina is a fairly safe country, with the Patagonia region being particularly safe. In El Calafate, you usually don’t have to worry about crime. Simply take the usual safety measures. Never leave valuables in your car or cash in your accommodation.
More Patagonia Travel Tips
I appreciate you looking! This travel guide for the Perito Moreno glacier walking and trekking tours in Patagonia, Argentina, is hopefully enjoyable for you.
Remember to read my blog entry on the incredible climb up Mount Fitz Roy and Laguna De Los Tres, which is located in the nearby town of El Chalten. I also created a different guide for Argentina’s Iguazu Falls.
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