Minitrekking On Perito Moreno Glacier: Everything You Need To Know
Mini ice trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier offers a unique and fascinating experience to witness its stunning features, such as deep cracks, blue moulins, huge seracs, and turquoise ponds. Along with hiking on the glacier, the mini trek includes a boat ride in front of the southern-facing wall of the Perito Moreno Glacier, a visit to the walkways and an expert guide to talk to you about glaciology. If you are in El Calafate, you do not want to miss the opportunity to trek on one of the world’s most beautiful glaciers.
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: around 3 km
Suggested Duration: Full day (pick up around 7:30/8:30 AM with 5:30/6:30 PM drop off)
Signage: No signs, but trekking guides provided
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Key Features Of Trekking On Perito Moreno Glacier
- Guided trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier
- Designed for visitors seeking a closer glacier experience
- Three-hour hike along the shore of the lake, on the glacier and through the woods
- 20-minute boat ride to the glacier
- Provides crampons for safe walking on the glacier’s ice
- Led by knowledgeable guides who ensure safety and education
- Opportunity to explore ice formations, crevasses, and blue ice caves
- Spectacular views of the glacier’s unique features
- Allows for an exciting, hands-on encounter with the glaciers
- Requires advance booking due to limited availability
- Optional hike on the Perito Moreno Glacier Walkways afterwards
Facilities And Services
- Transfer to and from the hotel to the glacier
- Boat ride to and from Perito Moreno Glacier
- Bus to the walkways
- Experience and knowledgeable trekking guides
- Crampons and helmets are provided
Before You Start Trekking On Perito Moreno Glacier
Before embarking on the trek to Perito Moreno Glacier, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Firstly, it is not possible to trek on the glacier without a guided tour. These tours are necessary to ensure the safety of visitors and to maintain the integrity of the glacier. Currently, only one company, Hielo & Aventura, is authorized to guide treks on the glacier. Although it is possible to make a reservation through third-party sites and travel agents, just note that they all use the services of the same company.
Hielo & Aventura have a few different excursion options. However, we are going to focus on the Mini Ice Trek in this article.
When you book the Mini Trek, you will have two options to choose from- with transfers or without. If you opt for the transfer, you will have to pay an additional amount of $60 CAD (44.58 USD) per person. The transfer will include a bus ride from your hotel to the glacier and back, along with a visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier walkways.
If you already have a rental car to get around El Calafate, you might choose to opt out of the transfer option. In that case, you will need to meet up with the tour at Bajo de las Sombras port, which is the designated meeting point, unless a different one is provided by Hielo & Aventura after your booking. At the port, everyone will board a ship to cross Lago Rico. During the 20-minute boat ride, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the south face of Perito Moreno Glacier.
It’s worth noting that the trekking guides are fluent in both Spanish and English. They make an effort to limit the group size to 20 people or less, assigning one guide to every ten people. Before embarking on the glacier trek, your guide will assist you in putting on crampons and a helmet, which is provided by Hielo & Aventura. The entire trek is only three hours long. This includes walking on the lake coast, glacier and through the woods. You will only be trekking on the glacier for around an hour. For those looking for a longer hike on the glacier, we highly encourage you to try the Big Ice trek!
To fully enjoy the hiking tour, hikers are advised to carry their own lunch, warm clothing, waterproof boots, gloves, hats, and sufficient water for the day. We personally use gore-tex boots, which are waterproof hiking boots. By no means do you need gore-tex, though they did help to keep our feet dry and warm. You should have a comfortable waterproof shoe for this trek. I use the Vasque St Elias, and Arthur uses La Sportiva Trango. Fun fact: one of our trekking guides had the same pair of boots!
The entire tour lasts approximately 10 hours, which includes transfers and a one-hour visit to the walkways of the Perito Moreno Glacier. During the walkway tour, hikers can either explore the walking trails or spend time inside the canteen and buy souvenirs.
You will need to bring money for the entrance fee to Los Glaciares National Park. This is not included in the guided trek price. You can pay in Argentine pesos or by credit card. The cost as of October 2023 was $10,000 ARS ($39 CAD / 28.58 USD). We suggest bringing extra pesos or USD for tipping your trekking guides.
Lastly, please be sure to read the current restrictions located on the Hielo & Aventura website before buying a ticket. The trek continues in all weather, and some health factors may limit your ability to trek on the glacier.
Our Experience Trekking On Perito Moreno Glacier
Trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier was the main purpose of our trip to El Calafate, and we’re thrilled that we were able to take the time to visit this charming city. It’s filled with great food (you must try the Asado if you’re in Argentina – it’s amazing), hikers, and it’s in close proximity to the glacier!
When we ordered our tickets, we were told our pick-up was around 8:30 AM. We did have someone from the company reach out via email the night before confirming this and a list of everything we needed to bring with us for the day (e.g. lunch, warm clothing, etc).
It took us approximately an hour and a half from the time we were picked up to reach the port, which included a few additional pick-ups along the way. Upon our arrival, we spotted the Heilo & Aventura boat that would be taking us for a brief ride along the glacier. We waited for a few minutes to ensure that we had everyone who was driving themselves to the port.
The boat ride only lasts 20 minutes, but it offers an incredible view of the glacier, which is a sight to behold! Even though my husband and I usually experience motion sickness on boats, we were pleasantly surprised and able to enjoy the fantastic views without any problems.
After crossing Lago Rico, we disembarked and were sorted into groups based on our preferred language for the trekking guide. Each subgroup can have up to 20 people and is assigned one guide for every ten people.
We set out on our trek, starting along the glacier on the lakeshore. This segment is relatively easy and serves as a great warm-up for the glacier trek. Our guide pointed out a few lookout spots along the way and provided some insights into the glacier’s history and how it constantly changes. Here are a few photos from this section.
As we got closer to the glacier, tour guides pointed out a small ice cave that we could go into before putting on our crampons. It was an exciting part of the trek, as we got a chance to see the stunning interior of the formations up close. If you are claustrophobic, this part might not be for you! During our time in the cave, we had to crouch down for the most part, except for one section where the ceiling was tall enough to allow us to stand up straight. Of course, we took advantage of this opportunity to snap a photo!
After this, we had our crampons fitted and tightened by our trekking guides, grabbed our helmets and set out on our trek. Since you are hiking in a glacier, the terrain is always melting and shifting. Things we saw on our adventure, you may not get to see a week, month or year from now. However, this unpredictability was also what made the experience exciting and fun, as everyone gets to see and experience the glacier differently.
Here are a few photos from our trek:
During our trek, we had the opportunity to taste the fresh glacier water. It was an unbelievable experience! A few of us took advantage of this and refilled our bottles for the journey ahead.
Toward the end of our trek on the glacier, the guides celebrated with us by giving each of us a glass of whiskey with some glacier ice. We toasted to the beauty of the glacier and enjoyed the moment together!
As we made our way off the glacier, we took off our crampons and helmets and started the woods section of the hike. The majority of the path is along a boardwalk and a series of stairs, which makes for a serene walk amidst nature. Additionally, you can catch a glimpse of the glacier while strolling along the boardwalk.
After completing the hike, we took a 40-minute lunch break, during which we enjoyed the beautiful views of the glacier. Afterwards, we returned to the boat for a 20-minute ride back to the port. At the port, we boarded the bus to go to our next destination, the walkways. Those who did not opt for the transfer option continued their own adventures in their cars. To read about our experience exploring the Perito Moreno Glacier Walkways, click here!
Checklist And Recommended Gear
The following is our recommended gear for the mini trek on Perito Moreno Glacier.
- Water-resistant shoes/boots (Julia’s / Arthur’s)
- Water bottle
- Lunch
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Gloves
- Water-resistant jacket
- Water-resistant pants
- Warm clothing
- Warm hat and a sun hat
- Neck gaiter
- Cash for entrance fees and gratuities
Related Hikes
HIKES NEAR EL CALAFATE
- Perito Moreno Glacier Walkways
- Perito Moreno Glacier Big Ice Trek
- Reserva Laguna Nimez
- Cerro de los Cristales
- Cascada De Los Perros
