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Step from a boat onto the blue iron of Perito Moreno and walk with guides across crevassed ridges and frozen lagoons. This six-hour minitrek from El Calafate pairs a boat approach and a 90-minute guided ice walk — crampons included.
Step from a boat onto the blue iron of Perito Moreno and walk with guides across crevassed ridges and frozen lagoons. This six-hour minitrek from El Calafate pairs a boat approach and a 90-minute guided ice walk — crampons included.
A cold wind pushes across the turquoise face of Lago Argentino and the glacier answers with a distant crack — an ancient hinge shifting under its own weight. You step off the boat at Bajo de las Sombras, strap on crampons beside your guide and place your first tread into blue ice that has been pressing south for centuries. The sound of serrated metal on glacier echoes while seracs and moulins stitch the horizon.
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by CALAIO VIAJES Y TURISMO · El Calafate, Santa Cruz
A cold wind pushes across the turquoise face of Lago Argentino and the glacier answers with a distant crack — an ancient hinge shifting under its own weight. You step off the boat at Bajo de las Sombras, strap on crampons beside your guide and place your first tread into blue ice that has been pressing south for centuries. The sound of serrated metal on glacier echoes while seracs and moulins stitch the horizon.
Perito Moreno sits inside Los Glaciares National Park and drains a portion of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Unlike many retreating ice tongues, this glacier periodically advances and calves spectacularly into the lake; those collapses are part geology and part theater. The region is Tehuelche country historically, and El Calafate grew as a gateway town to these towering ice walls.
The minitrekking program combines a scenic boat approach, a coastal walk, and about 90 minutes on the ice where guides lead you through crevassed ridges, frozen lagoons and compacted blue ice corridors. Expect rough, uneven footing rather than long climbs — the exercise is technical balance more than elevation gain.
Practical notes: this is a six-hour outing from El Calafate (roughly 80 km by road), crampons and helmets are provided, and guides brief you on safe movement and photography zones. Dress in windproof layers, bring sturdy boots, sunglasses and water. If you have heart or back problems or are pregnant, this tour is not recommended. For photographers and hikers alike, the glacier’s scale and immediacy reward those who prepare for cold, sun and sudden changes in weather.
moderate.
6 hours (including transfers; ~1.5-hour ice walk).
Requires moderate fitness: comfortable with 1–2 hours of walking on uneven, icy terrain and short uphill stretches.
No technical climbing experience is required; guides teach basic crampon technique and the route is guided for safety.
Approximately 90 minutes of guided walking on the ice; total excursion time is about six hours including transfers and boat segments.
Yes — crampons, helmets and a safety briefing are included as part of the excursion.
Participants should have moderate fitness; the tour is not recommended for pregnant travelers or those with serious heart or spinal conditions.
Perito Moreno is part of Los Glaciares National Park and drains the Southern Patagonian Ice Field; the glacier’s cyclical advances and calving have long drawn scientific and public interest.
Visitors are required to stay within guided zones and park walkways to protect fragile moraine and to minimize human impact on the glacier forefield and local wildlife.
CALAIO VIAJES Y TURISMO operates guided outdoor trips and adventures with an emphasis on safety, stewardship, and memorable experiences.
A cold wind pushes across the turquoise face of Lago Argentino and the glacier answers with a distant crack — an ancient hinge shifting under its own weight. You step off the boat at Bajo de las Sombras, strap on crampons beside your guide and place your first tread into blue ice that has been pressing south for centuries. The sound of serrated metal on glacier echoes while seracs and moulins stitch the horizon.
A cold wind pushes across the turquoise face of Lago Argentino and the glacier answers with a distant crack — an ancient hinge shifting under its own weight. You step off the boat at Bajo de las Sombras, strap on crampons beside your guide and place your first tread into blue ice that has been pressing south for centuries. The sound of serrated metal on glacier echoes while seracs and moulins stitch the horizon.
Perito Moreno sits inside Los Glaciares National Park and drains a portion of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Unlike many retreating ice tongues, this glacier periodically advances and calves spectacularly into the lake; those collapses are part geology and part theater. The region is Tehuelche country historically, and El Calafate grew as a gateway town to these towering ice walls.
The minitrekking program combines a scenic boat approach, a coastal walk, and about 90 minutes on the ice where guides lead you through crevassed ridges, frozen lagoons and compacted blue ice corridors. Expect rough, uneven footing rather than long climbs — the exercise is technical balance more than elevation gain.
Practical notes: this is a six-hour outing from El Calafate (roughly 80 km by road), crampons and helmets are provided, and guides brief you on safe movement and photography zones. Dress in windproof layers, bring sturdy boots, sunglasses and water. If you have heart or back problems or are pregnant, this tour is not recommended. For photographers and hikers alike, the glacier’s scale and immediacy reward those who prepare for cold, sun and sudden changes in weather.