Booked here
The full lake day
Many glaciers by boat
- Length8 - 12.5 hours
- LandingPuesto Las Vacas
- Score4.7
Choosing helper
Is a Perito Moreno glacier boat tour worth it for a whole day
Gourmet full-day glacier cruise on Lago Argentino
★ 4.8 · Rated by 342 guests
The short version
Yes, if you want more than one glacier: the full day reaches Spegazzini, the Upsala Canal and the Moreno, while a walkways day suits travelers who only want the Perito Moreno.
Verdict essentials
Two questions, one verdict
Is the full lake day for you?
Tell us how many glaciers you want and how you feel about a long boat day, and we show the trip that fits.
Best choice for you
The full lake day
from $225
Spegazzini, the Upsala Canal and the Perito Moreno from the water, with a walk ashore.
Best choice for you
A walkways day
from $90
8 hours by bus to the Perito Moreno walkways, wheelchair accessible.
Best choice for you
Ice trek and boat
from $399
A 30-minute sailing and a walk on the glacier with crampons.
Best choice for you
Glacier day, boat optional
from $69
8 hours at the Perito Moreno with an hour on the water as an extra.
Is a Perito Moreno glacier boat tour worth it for a full day? That depends on one thing: do you want one glacier, or the whole ice field that feeds the lake.
Editorial team, elcalafateglaciercruise.com · Updated November 9, 2026 · Read in 7 min
Quick look
- Worth it ifYou want Upsala and Spegazzini as well as the Perito Moreno, from $225.
- Skip it ifOnly the Perito Moreno matters: a walkways day starts from $90.
- Only by waterPuesto Las Vacas is a corner of the park reached only by boat.1
- The weatherSummer is the windy season, by the park’s own account.2
- Guest scores4.7 over 342 reviews; value for money scores 4.4.
The short answer: worth it when you want more than one glacier
Behind the question of whether a day on the lake pays off sits a simpler one: how many glaciers do you want to see? The full day we book sails past the Seco, Heim and Spegazzini, looks up the Upsala Canal and finishes beneath the Perito Moreno’s northern face, with a walk ashore along the way. No road reaches most of that route.
If the Perito Moreno is the only name on your list, you do not need a full day on the lake. Its walkways run more than 4.5 km through forest to viewpoints facing the ice, with options for people with reduced mobility, and a short boat at the face costs a fraction of a lake day.3 That is the honest split, and it decides the answer before price or weather do.
So is the Perito Moreno Glacier worth it on its own? Yes: the park calls it its most famous glacier, for its easy access and its spectacular rupture.4 But the glacier is the end of a much larger system: Los Glaciares guards a slice of what the park ranks as the planet’s third biggest continental ice field, and the boat is how you meet the rest of it.5
Side by side
A lake day against a walkways day
| Point | Gourmet cruise | Walkways day |
|---|---|---|
| From | $225 | $90 |
| Length | 8 - 12.5 hours | 8 hours |
| Glaciers | Spegazzini, Upsala, Perito Moreno | Perito Moreno |
| On foot | Short walk at Puesto Las Vacas | Walkways of more than 4.5 km3 |
| Access | Ask about reduced mobility11 | Wheelchair accessible |
Starting fares and terms from each listing; the park fee is extra on both days.12
What only the water shows you
In the park’s own words, certain sailings on Lago Argentino are the one route into the core of Los Glaciares.8 The Upsala, which the park's boat list calls the largest of its glaciers, and the Spegazzini, which it calls the tallest, sit at the far end of arms that no road follows.7 The park leaflet, for its part, names the Viedma as the largest glacier in Argentina.9 From El Calafate the cruise is the practical way to see either.
Puesto Las Vacas, where the full day lands for a short walk, sits in a far corner of the park with no road in, according to the operator; you arrive by boat or not at all.1 The listing also names a Condor Nesting Wall on the route, and the park counts the Andean condor among its birds, so keep binoculars close on the way out.10 A condor riding the updraft above a cliff is a sight you will not get from a viewing platform.
Then there are the icebergs. The return leg runs down the Canal de los Tempanos, the channel of floating ice, on towards the Perito Moreno’s northern face. From the walkways you look at the front of the glacier; from the boat you see the ice that has already broken away and drifted down the lake, blue and sculpted, sometimes close enough to hear it creak.
Guest scores
How guests rate the gourmet full day
- Overall4.7
- Transportation4.8
- Guide4.7
- Value for money4.4
Scores on GetYourGuide across 342 reviews of the listing we book.
A cruise day or a walkways day: the honest comparison
A Moreno Glacier tour from El Calafate by road gives you the walkways and, if you want it, a short boat. A day of this kind with 2,735 reviews starts from $69, lasts 8 hours and gives you 3 hours at the glacier with a guide and on your own, plus an hour afloat if you pay for it. A walkways day by bus starts from $90 and is wheelchair accessible.
The full cruise costs more and gives a different day. It starts from $225 for a day of 8 to 12.5 hours, and most of that time is spent on the water, moving between glaciers. You reach the Perito Moreno too, but from its north face, and those who want the land view as well can leave the boat at the footbridges, an option the listing names.
The walkways have one advantage no boat matches: time standing still in front of the ice, waiting for a piece to fall. Summer gate hours on the glacier road run 8:00 to 18:00 and winter ones 9:00 to 16:00, which leaves you in charge of how long you stay.14 With a spare day, do both: the cruise first, the walkways the next morning.
Ways to judge it
Lake, walkways or ice
Lower fare
The walkways day
One glacier on foot
- Length8 hours
- AccessWheelchair
- Score4.4
On the ice
Ice trek and boat
Crampons on the ice
- Length5 - 11 hours
- Boat30 minutes
- Score4.8
What the fare buys, hour by hour
Measured by the clock, the full day is a long one. The operator’s own figure is 8 hours aboard, from an 8:30 boarding to a 17:00 return.18 Those hours include climate-controlled lounges, open decks, a bar and a children’s playroom on the catamaran, so the time between glaciers is not wasted time.19,15 The open water between the arms is where you eat, warm up and talk to the guide, and where the scale of the lake sinks in.
Measured by the bill, the cruise sits in the middle of the lake market. Rival full days start from $243 and from $280, while an Upsala channel cruise starts from $329. Against those, the fare for our day is competitive for the ground it covers. Remember the park fee comes on top of every one of them.12
What lifts the bill is the extras. The operator prices a 4-course Premium Lounge menu with drinks at ARS 320,000 and a landing at the walkways with return to town at ARS 105,000.20,21 Neither is needed to enjoy the day. If the budget is tight, take the plain seat, bring a good jacket and spend the savings on a second day at the walkways.
Weigh the cost
What each glacier day costs your group
Enter how many of you there are and weigh the lake day against the land days.
Side-by-side: 4 options
What each glacier day costs your group
Enter how many of you there are and weigh the lake day against the land days.
- Full lake day8 - 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 - Glacier day, boat extra8 hours · per person starting at $69
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View - Ice trek and boat5 - 11 hours · per person starting at $399
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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.
Where the value sits
The full day, judged stage by stage
Boarding
Port at La Soledad
Meet the boat at La Soledad Port, 8:30 AM.
North Arm
Seco, Heim, Spegazzini
Glaciers no road reaches, seen from the deck.6
Ashore
Puesto Las Vacas
A stroll ashore in a corner with no road in.1
Upsala Canal
The Upsala, far off
Viewed from the canal; boats keep their distance.7
Last leg
The Moreno north face
Down the iceberg channel to the north wall.6
Wind, weather and the chance of a changed route
The park’s advice is to come between September and April, and it flags strong summer wind.2 On Lago Argentino that wind is the main risk to a cruise, more than rain or cold. One lake operator writes into its terms that the skipper may reroute mid-trip on safety grounds, which can shorten a stop or reshuffle the glaciers.22
A sailing the weather calls off is refunded by at least one lake operator: Solo Patagonia returns the amount paid when weather or force majeure stops a trip.23 Through GetYourGuide our cruise stays refundable until 24 hours before it sails, time enough to react to a bad forecast and shift the day. Check the wind outlook the evening before, not the week before.
Low cloud is the other risk. On a grey day the glaciers still glow blue at the waterline while the peaks above them vanish. Autumn, which the park describes as a mix of yellow, green, ochre and red in the vegetation, can be calmer and quieter than high summer, and the operator keeps sailing daily until 30 April.2,24
Video
Is the Perito Moreno Glacier really worth the trip
2 Styles of Travel on YouTube · The video waits until you tap play to load.
It opens a door to imagining what the ice age was, in what is today the third largest continental ice field on the planet.
Make it count
Worth it if, think twice if, and how to win
Worth it if3
Think twice if3
- You have a single day in El Calafate
- You are prone to seasickness on a long sailing
- Someone needs step-free access: ask the operator first11
Who should skip the full day
People who dislike long days on a boat should think hard. A full day aboard is a long stretch for small children, for anyone prone to seasickness and for travelers who prefer walking to watching. If that is you, pick a short boat at the face and the walkways, or the ice trek, and keep your energy for land.
Travelers who want to touch ice, not just see it, will find more in an ice trek. The park describes walks on the Perito Moreno with crampons and specialised guides, with options matched to your fitness.13 A trek-and-boat day starts from $399 and includes a 30-minute sailing to reach the ice. The crampons, the guides and the walk itself are the point of that day, and the boat is just the way in.
And anyone short of time should be honest about it. With one day in El Calafate, the Perito Moreno by road is the safer choice: it runs all year, the corridor has set opening hours, and a missed boat is not a missed glacier.14 The full lake day rewards the traveler with a spare day behind it, in case the wind decides.
How to read the reviews before you book
The cruise we book is rated 4.7 over 342 reviews, and GetYourGuide splits that score into parts: Transportation earns 4.8, the Guide 4.7, and Value for money trails at 4.4. The gap tells a clear story. Guests rate the day and the logistics highly and feel the price, which is the trade this page is about. A high score with a lower value line usually means a good day at a full price, not a poor day.
Compare like with like. A rival all-glaciers day scores 4.5 across 319 reviews, with value for money at 4. A channel cruise to the Upsala has a high score but only 19 reviews behind it. A short review history proves nothing bad, yet it leaves you guessing, and a weather-bound trip deserves a longer record.
When you read the newest reviews, look for the details that apply to your date: the language mix of the commentary, whether lunch was part of the option booked, and whether the group got off at the footbridges. Those are the things that turn a good day into the day you expected, and they are settled when you choose the option, not on the boat.
FAQ
Fast answers to common questions.
Is the full-day glacier cruise worth the money?
Yes, for more than one glacier.
It reaches Spegazzini, the Upsala Canal and the Perito Moreno from $225; a walkways day costs less.
Can I see Upsala and Spegazzini without a boat?
No.
Per the park, some sailings are the only access to the inner park.8
Is a walkways day enough to see the Perito Moreno?
For that glacier, yes.
The walkways run more than 4.5 km to viewpoints facing the ice.3
How long is the boat day?
8 hours aboard.
Aboard from 8:30, ashore again at 17:00, as the operator times it.18
What if the weather is bad?
What do guests think of the value?
Scored 4.4 of 5.
Value for money scores 4.4, below Guide at 4.7 and Transportation at 4.8.
Is it better to do an ice trek instead?
If you want to walk on ice.
Trek-and-boat days start from $399 with a short sailing to the glacier.
Sources
- 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) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Actividades ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Panorámica ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares ↩
- 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: Actividades ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (Argentina) · Los Glaciares National Park, general information leaflet (English, 2024 PDF) ↩
- Administración de Parques Nacionales (argentina.gob.ar) · Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: Ficha del área protegida ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Gourmet Glaciers ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Gourmet Glaciers ↩
- 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 ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · About Us ↩
- 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 ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Gourmet Glaciers ↩
- 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 · Tarifas ↩
- Solo Patagonia (solopatagonia.com), glacier cruise operator at Punta Bandera · Cancellation policy ↩
- Solo Patagonia (solopatagonia.com), glacier cruise operator at Punta Bandera · Cancellation policy ↩
- Cruceros Marpatag (crucerosmarpatag.com), operator of the Glaciares Gourmet cruise · Gourmet Glaciers ↩