Perito Moreno Ice hike & walkways from El Calafate - Minitrekking
Description
The Mini Ice Trekking Perito Moreno Glacier day tour is one of the most popular excursions in El Calafate. This tour allows visitors to walk on the ice of the most iconic glacier in Patagonia, the Perito Moreno Glacier. This guided excursion at Los Glaciares National Park, (in addition to walking on the ice) includes transfers from El Calafate and a stop at the Perito Moreno walkways. On the same day, you’ll get to know the glacier from afar, with stunning panoramic views, and up close, stepping on the ice itself.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will be picked up at your accommodations in El Calafate to travel 45 miles (70 kilometers) to Puerto Bajo Las Sombras. During this tour, the guide will provide information about Los Glaciares National Park and Perito Moreno Glacier. The day before the tour begins at 6:00 P.M., you will be informed via WhatsApp of the exact time and location of the pick-up.
The trek will start with a leisurely walk of about ½ mile (1 km) along the shore of the lake. After, your guides will give a short brief on safety and glaciology. Upon reaching the edge of the glacier, subgroups of a maximum of 20 travelers will be organized, each accompanied by two professional guides (creating a ratio of 10 travelers per guide). With their help, you’ll put on your helmet and crampons then begin your ice walk on the Perito Moreno Glacier. For an hour and a half, you’ll get up close and personal with the glacier, walking on the ice and learning about it in depth. You may come to find that its very nature is to change constantly, resulting in a unique itinerary for every tour. Your guide will plan the itinerary on the glacier in a manner that will allow you to see the most formations and have the best experience.
When you’ve finished traversing the ice, your guide will offer you a bonbon and a glass of whiskey with ice from the glacier itself. Next, you’ll return to your starting point on the ice and give back the crampons and the remaining equipment. You’ll continue walking along the moraine until finally leaving it behind to reach a panoramic view of the Perito Moreno Glacier, featuring the mountains and lake. Then, you’ll start the return trip through a path that crosses the Patagonian Andean Forest where you’ll reach the refuge. At the refuge, staff will be waiting for you with a hot drink and a small surprise (a souvenir). After this short break, you’ll embark on the return trip to Puerto Bajo Las Sombras, but first, take a last look at the enormous walls of the glacier from the boat.
The shuttle bus will be waiting for you upon arrival at the port. Before returning to El Calafate, you’ll make one last stop for an hour and a half at the Perito Moreno Glacier walkways. There, you can enjoy the spectacular panoramic views of the glacier and walk along a self-guided trail before returning to your accommodations in El Calafate.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The tour has different departure times, from 7 AM to 11:30 AM. The day before during the afternoon, a guide on behalf of Howlanders will contact you to let you know the exact starting time and pickup location.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- The circuit you will make on the glacier is of medium difficulty, the ice surface is irregular but firm and safe.
- LIMITATION: Only suitable for people from 8 to 65 years old (both included). No exception.
Reviews(5)
Well organized tour and the guides were excellent. Recommended for families. Once in a lifetime experience.
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and that our guides made your experience memorable. It’s fantastic to know you would recommend it for families—truly a once-in-a-lifetime adventure! We hope to see you on another Howlanders adventure soon. Warm regards, Howlanders Team
It was an awesome experience! I was scared at first coz crampons was a bit heavy but eventually I started getting comfortable to it. The view is magnificent. Highly recommend!
Grace, The Howlanders.com team would like to thank you for your kind review. We look forward to seeing you again!
The Perito Moreno glacier hike with our guide Fernando (Chule) from Hielo & Aventura was one of the best hikes we ever did in the recent years. We asked for an english speaking guide while booking and we got one as asked. We started form the EL Calafate city center near their office on time and reached the port and glacier on a smooth bus, and boat ride. We had two guides in the bus explaining what to expect during the bus and boat ride and at the glaciers. They both were very friendly, caring and spoke good english during the bus and boat rides. The guide explained to us about the glacier and its significance. He took us to various view points before starting the hike. He gave us enough time to photograph and enjoy the views. He was very helpful to guide us through our first time experience with crampon on ice. We thoroughly enjoyed the hike with Fernando (Chule).
The Howlanders.com team would like to thank you for your kind review, we hope to see you again!
Impecably organized by Hielo&Aventura, they picked us up from the hotel, took us to the port where we boarded a boat to the base camp of the Perito Moreno. From there we walked the beach to the base of the glacier, put on helmets and “grampones” and expert guides led us in a three hour trekking of the glacier were we learned about the glacier and appreciated the different formations. Amazingly professional and super friendly guides throughout the whole experience.
Hola! The Howlanders.com team would like to thank you for your kind review - we look forward to seeing you again!
I booked the tour through Brasileiros in Ushuaia/Calafate, the operator was Hielo&Aventura. The guides don't speak Portuguese, but you can understand them well. The organization is impeccable, and the tour is simply unmissable! The tour includes a walk along the walkways and then across the glacier, an unforgettable experience. The walk has a medium level of difficulty: moving around with the crampons requires balance and going down the slippery ice is scary. There are handrails in a few short sections, and there are not always steps - often just a very narrow ramp carved into the ice. The support team is very well prepared and provides a lot of security.
A equipe do Howlanders.com gostaria de agradecê-lo por sua gentil avaliação. Tenha uma boa viagem!
