PERITO MORENO
GLACIER Traditional Walkways
The walkways of the Perito Moreno Glacier are the most comfortable way to see the glacier head-on: panoramic paths and balconies, with a guide and transfer included from El Calafate.
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Perito Moreno Glacier
Walkways
This guided tour is ideal for visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier walkways from El Calafate. It includes plenty of free time to explore the balconies calmly and at your own pace.
The tour begins when we pick you up by bus at your hotel in El Calafate to travel 78 km to the glacier.
Once inside Los Glaciares National Park, the walk along the walkways begins. They stretch 5.5 km and are spread across different levels.
Optionally, you can add a 1-hour boat ride in front of the glacier or the Safari Azul – Touch the Glacier experience.
The day's itinerary
Times, order and activities may vary depending on the day's organization.
What does the tour include?
- Round-trip transfers from your accommodation in El Calafate
- Bilingual guide (Spanish / English) throughout the tour
- Walk along the glacier's panoramic walkways
- Free time on the balconies facing the glacier
- Ongoing coordination
- Los Glaciares National Park entrance fee
- Meals and drinks
- Boat ride in front of the glacier (optional, paid separately)
- Touch the Glacier with Boat ride (optional, paid separately)
Everything you need to know
Which Perito Moreno Glacier tour is best for you?
All tours depart from El Calafate and visit the Perito Moreno Glacier, but each one offers a different experience. Compare price, duration, difficulty and experience — and tap each tour to see its page.
Which one suits you?
If you want to see the glacier without walking on it → choose the Walkways. Panoramic balconies facing the glacier wall, suitable for all ages and with no physical effort. The classic, must-do visit.
If it is your first time on the ice or you are traveling as a family → choose the Minitrekking. It is the most popular Perito Moreno tour: 1h30 walking on the glacier with crampons and a guide, from age 8, medium difficulty. It includes a boat ride and a whisky toast with ancient ice.
If you are after maximum adventure and you are in good shape → choose the Big Ice. Up to 3 hours walking toward the heart of the glacier, exploring crevasses, seracs and ice caves. Requires ages 18 to 50 and good fitness.
If you want to touch the ice without putting on crampons → choose the Safari Azul. You cruise the Rico Arm, walk through the forest and get close enough to touch the glacier's south wall with your hands. Suitable for ages 6 to 70.
If you are short on time or just want the boat ride → choose the Safari Náutico. A 1-hour cruise facing the glacier's south face, aboard a boat with panoramic windows. Suitable for all ages and the most affordable option.
What is the Perito Moreno Glacier? Everything you'll see from the walkways
The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the few glaciers in the world that is still advancing. While most retreat due to climate change, the Perito Moreno grows between 0.5 and 2 meters per day — and that movement is exactly what produces the calving you hear and see from the walkways.
It is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the third-largest freshwater reserve on the planet after Antarctica and Greenland. In 1981, UNESCO declared Los Glaciares National Park a World Heritage Site, and the Perito Moreno is its emblem.
Why doesn't the Perito Moreno melt if the climate is changing?
It is the question we get most on the walkways. The short answer: the glacier advances so fast that it offsets the melting. The ice that calves into the lake is replaced by new ice descending from the ice field. That balance is what keeps it stable — and makes it a scientific rarity worldwide.
The water you see at the foot of the glacier when a block falls is not "melting" in the usual sense — it is the result of the impact and buoyancy. The ice below the surface can be more than 700 years old. The same ice that will end up calving before your eyes took centuries to get there.
When does the calving happen?
There is no set time — it happens at any moment and without warning. What does have an influence is temperature: sunny days produce more calving because the surface ice expands and fractures more often.
The sound arrives before the sight: first you hear a dull crack that can be mistaken for thunder, then you see the block fall into the lake, throwing up a wave and a cloud of spray. The largest blocks can weigh thousands of tons.
💡 Practical tip: do not stay only at the balcony closest to the parking lot. The walkways have three levels, and the north front — the one at the far end, across the wooden bridge — has the most head-on view of the ice wall and is where the most spectacular calving happens. Set aside time to walk it all.
Is it different to visit in summer or winter?
The glacier can be visited 365 days a year — and it has something different depending on the season.
In summer (October–March) the days have up to 17 hours of daylight, the green of the vegetation contrasts with the white of the ice, and calving is more frequent. It is the busiest season.
In winter (May–September) the park has fewer tourists, the ice looks bluer in the cold light, and the mountains in the background are snow-capped. Tour prices are lower and the experience is calmer.
Tour details
General information
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Other tours in El Calafate
Everything about the Perito Moreno Glacier
Before booking, read our guides to choose the best tour and make the most of your visit.
