Walkways first
Glacier and boat
Walkways, sailing optional
- Length8 hours
- At the glacier3 hours
- Boat1 hour extra
Price for your party
How to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier by boat, on foot and on ice
The short version
Visit the Perito Moreno Glacier from the water, from the walkways and on the ice: sail first, walk the next day at half the park fee, and keep a spare day for wind.
Planning essentials
Side-by-side: 4 options
Price your glacier days for the group
Set the group size and add up the days you want to combine.
- Lake cruise8 - 12.5 hours · per person starting at $225
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View - Walkways day8 hours · per person starting at $90
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View - Trek and cruise5 - 11 hours · per person starting at $399
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View - Safari Azul9 hours · per person starting at $197
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View
These from-prices come from GetYourGuide and are converted using the ECB reference rate; the exact price shows at checkout.
There are several answers to how to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier: from the water, from the walkways and on the ice. Here is how to fit them into your days.
Editorial team, elcalafateglaciercruise.com · Updated November 9, 2026 · Read in 7 min
Quick look
- By boatThe full lake day ends at the north face, from $225.
- On footWalkways of more than 4.5 km lead to the ice front.1
- On the iceGuided walks with crampons, matched to your fitness.2
- Second dayThe park fee drops 50% for a return within 72 hours.3
- Spare daySummer winds are strong; keep a day free for them.4
The ways to meet the glacier, and what each one gives
The national park puts it simply: the Perito Moreno can be watched from land and from water, and it can also be walked on.2 Those views are different trips with different days, prices and fitness demands, and working out how to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier is mostly a matter of choosing which of them you want and in which order.
From land, the walkways lead through forest to viewpoints in front of the ice, more than 4.5 km of them, with steps and options for people with reduced mobility.1 From the water, short boats leave the walkway sector for the south and north faces, while the full lake day from Punta Bandera reaches the north face last, after the other glaciers of the North Arm.5,6
On the ice, guided walks use crampons and specialised guides, with different options to suit your fitness.2 The park lists Hielo y Aventura as the operator of its ice treks, Minitrekking and Big Ice, and of the Safari Azul, a guided trek that stays off the ice.7 Each of these starts with a short boat across the lake to the glacier side.
Side by side
Boat, walkways and ice compared
| Way | From | Length | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walkways day | $90 | 8 hours | Wheelchair accessible |
| Glacier, boat optional | $69 | 8 hours | Sailing costs extra |
| Safari Azul | $197 | 9 hours | No crampons7 |
| Lake cruise | $225 | 8 - 12.5 hours | Many glaciers |
| Trek and cruise | $399 | 5 - 11 hours | Crampons on the ice2 |
| Big Ice | $588 | 12 hours | Up to 10 people |
Opening prices from GetYourGuide; each day also needs its own park ticket.14
The walkways: a land day at the ice front
Driving out to the ice front means 80 km of road from town, through a park gate where the fee is collected.10 The park says the corridor is reached by car, by regular bus, by remis taxi or on an organised tour, and that its access gate sits at Seccional Rio Mitre.11 Our page on getting to the cruise port covers the other road, to Punta Bandera.
Only this corridor has fixed hours. Between 1 September and 30 April you may enter from 8:00 to 18:00 and linger until 20:00, while in the cold months, 1 May to 31 August, the gate opens 9:00 to 16:00 and the site clears by 18:00.12 A whole day at the walkways is easy to fill, and the longer summer stay gives you time to wait for the ice to fall.
The park offers an accessible ramped path and a wheelchair for the walkway circuit, with a companion, and audio guides in Spanish, English and Portuguese through QR codes.13 A walkways day by bus from El Calafate starts from $90 and lasts 8 hours. It is the most flexible way to meet the glacier, and it does not depend on a boat being able to sail.
Length of each day
Glacier days from El Calafate by hours
- Walkways day8
- Glacier, boat optional8
- Safari Azul9
- Ice trekking day10
- Big Ice12
- Gourmet + footbridges12
Total length from El Calafate as each GetYourGuide listing states it.
The boat: a short sailing or the whole lake
A Perito Moreno Glacier with an optional boat cruise from El Calafate is the simplest combined day. The listing with 2,735 reviews starts from $69 for 8 hours, spends 3 hours at the glacier between guiding and roaming, and sells its hour on the water as an extra. You see the face from the walkways and from the water in a single trip.
The full lake day is a different trip. Its morning is spent among the northern glaciers, its middle on shore at Puesto de Las Vacas and in sight of Upsala, and its close in front of the Perito Moreno from the water.6 The listing we book starts from $225, and one of its options drops you on the footbridges at the end.
That option is the neatest way to combine boat and walkways in one long day. On the operator’s list that landing, with transport back to town, is ARS 105,000, and GetYourGuide sells a 12-hour gourmet-and-footbridges package that opens at $251.15 Expect a long day, and a very full one: bring snacks for the platforms, comfortable boots for long standing and an extra fleece for the drive into town.
Build your plan
Which glacier day comes next
Find your situation in the list and the day worth adding shows next to it.
If I have one day and want the Moreno
Glacier day, boat optional
Walkways and a 1-hour sailing, from $69.
If I have one day and want many glaciers
The lake cruise
Get off at the footbridges at the end of the day.
If I want to walk on the ice
Trek and cruise
From $399, crampons and a guide included in the trek.2
If I want the ice close but no crampons
Safari Azul
A guided walk of 3 hours near the glacier and the walkways.
If I am travelling with a wheelchair user
A walkways day
Listed as wheelchair accessible, with a ramped path at the glacier.13
Combined days
Walkways, ice or the whole lake
On the ice
Trek and cruise
Crampons on the ice
- Length5 - 11 hours
- Boat30 minutes
- Score4.8
Full day
Cruise and footbridges
The lake, then the walkways
- Length12 hours
- On the water8 hours
- LandingPuesto Las Vacas
On the ice: treks with crampons
A Perito Moreno Glacier trekking tour and cruise from El Calafate is the trip for people who want to stand on the ice. One of these on GetYourGuide starts from $399, rated 4.8 over 852 reviews, and lasts 5 - 11 hours depending on the option. Its itinerary has 1.5 hours by van each way, a 30-minute sailing from Bajo de las Sombras and the walk on the glacier.
Longer treks cost more and ask more. A Big Ice day starts from $588 for 12 hours in a group limited to 10 participants. A minitrekking day starts from $450 and lasts 9 - 10 hours, and another ice trekking day from $520 lasts 10 hours. The park says the ice walks come in options matched to physical fitness, so compare them before you book.2
If the ice itself is not essential, the Safari Azul offers the approach without crampons. Its listing starts from $197, with a 30-minute sailing, a guided walk of 3 hours near the glacier and then 2 hours of free time on the walkways. It combines all of these views in one day, at about half the price of a trek.
A plan that works
Glacier days in the right order
First day
The lake cruise
The North Arm to the Moreno, from $225.6
Second day
The walkways
Park fee 50% off within 72 hours.3
Third day
Ice trek or rest
A trek-and-boat day starts from $399.
Any spare day
Kayak at the face
A 2-hour paddle, no experience needed.8
If wind stops a boat
Move it, do not lose it
Solo Patagonia, for one, refunds a sailing weather stops.9
Which order over several days
Put the full lake day first. Wind decides it more than anything, and the park counts summer as the gusty season.4 If the boat cannot sail, Solo Patagonia, for one, refunds the fare, and you still have the following days to try again.9 A cruise left for your last day has nowhere to move if the weather turns, and a flight home does not wait for the wind to drop.
Make the second day the walkways. A return to any fee-charging park within 72 hours of first entering it costs 50% less, so keep the ticket from the cruise and use it at the corridor gate the next morning.3 Arrive early for the soft morning light on the ice and a calm hour on the viewpoints. Under the tariff in force from 1 June 2026, a day in the general category costs ARS 50,000.18,19
Use a third day for the ice trek, or keep it free. A spare day is the most useful thing in a glacier plan: it absorbs a cancelled sailing, a closed trail or plain tiredness after long days in the wind. If everything runs to plan, spend it on a kayak in front of the glacier, which the park offers for 2 hours with no experience needed.8
Video
Walking the Perito Moreno Glacier on a long ice trek
The Open Step on YouTube · The video waits until you tap play to load.
The Perito Moreno glacier can be watched not only from land and water. An unforgettable experience is walking on the glacial ice of this frozen giant itself, with crampons and specialised guides.
Day by day
What each glacier day needs
Cruise day3
Walkways day3
Combined days when time is short
With only one day, decide what matters most. If it is the Perito Moreno, the walkways plus a short boat give both views at the lowest cost: the glacier day with an optional 1-hour sailing starts from $69. If it is as many glaciers as possible, take the lake day and get off at the footbridges at the end.
With a day and a half, the Safari Azul is the efficient middle path: boat, guided walk near the ice and the walkways, all inside 9 hours. Pair it with a morning or evening in El Calafate and you have seen the glacier from every angle except the deck of a long cruise. It suits travelers who want variety in a single day and like to keep moving.
Families should plan around stamina, not ambition. The cruise carries children under 5 free and the walkways have accessible options, while ice treks come in options matched to physical fitness.20,1,2 A cruise day followed by an easy morning on the walkways works for a wide range of ages and keeps everyone warm and fed, with time left for an ice cream in town.
Practical links between the days
Every one of these trips sits inside Los Glaciares National Park, and the operators we checked leave the park fee out of their prices.14,21 Carry your passport each day: the ticket window uses it to set your visitor category.22 The operator of our cruise suggests paying the park fee in pesos in cash, so draw money in town before the first of your glacier days.23
The ports differ by day. The lake cruise leaves from La Soledad at Punta Bandera, while the face boats and ice treks leave from Bajo de las Sombras in the walkway sector.24 Pickup times differ too: the cruise operator says its hotel round can take up to 45 minutes.25 Note each day’s meeting point and time the night before, and set an alarm with room to spare.
Dress the same way for all of them. The park advises warm clothes in layers, since the winds are cold and the nights cool even in summer, and a light waterproof windbreaker.26,17 Gloves and sunglasses are on the cruise operator's list for its boat day, along with a hat for the open deck.27
FAQ
Fast answers to common questions.
Should I see the Perito Moreno from the walkways or a boat?
Walkways plus a boat.
The walkways reach the ice front, and a 1-hour boat adds the view from the water.1
Can I do the cruise and the walkways on the same day?
Yes, with the footbridges option.
The listing offers getting off at the footbridges; a combined day starts from $251.
Do I pay the full park fee on a second day?
The second day is 50% off.
A second visit within 72 hours of your first entry pays half the fee.3
What are the walkway opening hours?
8:00 to 18:00 in summer.
From 1 September to 30 April; in winter the corridor opens from 9:00 to 16:00.12
How much is an ice trek on the Perito Moreno?
From $399 with a boat.
Trek-and-cruise days start from $399; Big Ice starts from $588.
Should I do the cruise first or last?
First.
Summer winds are strong, and an early cruise can move to a spare day.4
Are the walkways accessible?
Partly, with a companion.
There is a ramped path and a wheelchair for the circuit, with a companion.13
Sources
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Actividades ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Actividades ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Derechos de acceso a Parques Nacionales ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Panorámica ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Actividades ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Actividades ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Concesionarios ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Actividades ↩
- Solo Patagonia (solopatagonia.com), glacier cruise operator at Punta Bandera · Cancellation policy ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Horarios / Cómo llegar ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Actividades ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Horarios / Cómo llegar ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Servicios ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Gourmet Glaciers ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Tarifas ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Gourmet Glaciers ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Panorámica ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Derechos de acceso a Parques Nacionales ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Derechos de acceso a Parques Nacionales ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Gourmet Glaciers ↩
- Solo Patagonia (solopatagonia.com), glacier cruise operator at Punta Bandera · Cancellation policy ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Derechos de acceso a Parques Nacionales ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Terms and Conditions ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · About Us ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Terms and Conditions ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Panorámica ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Terms and Conditions ↩
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