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Our verdict, with reasons

Which Perito Moreno boat tour is the best?

The trips differ in port, ice face and who may come along. Here is our pick, the exceptions and the facts behind them.

The short answer

For most visitors the best Perito Moreno boat trip is the Safari Náutico with Hielo y Aventura: an hour in front of the south face, sailing all year and in rain, with no age limit, which leaves the rest of the day for the walkways.

If you want to walk on the glacier, take the Minitrekking with Hielo y Aventura, ages 8 to 65, with about an hour on the ice. For several glaciers in one day, Glaciares Gourmet adds the Spegazzini and the Upsala channel to the north face. On a day you already spend at the walkways, the north face boat from Puerto Moreno needs no extra transfer.

See which trips on the lake still have places on your dates

Where to start on the lake

An hour on the water

Safari Náutico, one hour in front of the south face

One hour in front of the south face with Hielo y Aventura, from its pier at Bajo de las Sombras. The boat sails in rain, and the transfer to the park is not included.

  • Ice face or route: South face
  • Age limit: All ages
  • Duration: 60 min
from $67 ★ 4.6 (13)
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Walking on the ice

Minitrekking on the Perito Moreno with crampons

Hielo y Aventura runs the Minitrekking itself: about three hours of walking, one of them on the ice with crampons, after the boat from Bajo de las Sombras. Ages 8 to 65, hotel pickup as an option.

  • Ice face or route: On the ice
  • Age limit: 8 to 65
  • Duration: 4.5–10 h
from $330 ★ 4.8 (46)
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A full day of glaciers

Glaciares Gourmet full-day cruise

Cruceros Marpatag from Puerto La Soledad: Spegazzini, the Upsala channel and the north face of the Perito Moreno in a day on deck, without a hike. The park fee is not included.

  • Ice face or route: Spegazzini, Upsala channel, north face
  • Age limit: All ages
  • Duration: 8–12.5 h
from $235 ★ 4.8 (383)
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Lowest price

Boat trip along the north face of the Perito Moreno

An hour along the north face from Puerto Moreno near the walkways. The listing includes no transfer, so it suits a day when you reach the park by car or on a walkway tour.

  • Ice face or route: North face
  • Age limit: All ages
  • Duration: 60 min
from $50 ★ 4.7 (27)
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Which trip on Lago Argentino fits you?

Two questions, then a trip that matches what you want from the day and the age limits of your group.

Question 1 of 2

What do you want from your day at the glacier?

Question 2 of 2

Who is coming along?
Your match

The boats on Lago Argentino leave from different ports, reach different sides of the Perito Moreno or skip it, and not everyone is allowed on board. Our verdict rests on those facts, which you can check on the listings.

Which side of the glacier you see

Safari Náutico crosses the Brazo Rico to the south face from Hielo y Aventura’s pier at Bajo de las Sombras, about 7 km before the glacier. The north face boat starts at Puerto Moreno below the walkways and runs along the other side. Todo Glaciares from Punta Bandera does not go to the Perito Moreno at all. Safari Náutico in detail.

From the deck or on the ice

The one-hour boats show the ice from the deck. The Blue Safari adds a 1.5 km shore path to the south face without crampons. On the Minitrekking you spend about an hour on the ice with crampons, on Big Ice about three hours and 12 km. Minitrekking or Big Ice.

Age limits

The one-hour boats and most full-day cruises state no age limit. The Blue Safari takes ages 6 to 70, the Minitrekking 8 to 65 and Big Ice 18 to 50, and the operators apply these limits strictly. That is why the Safari Náutico works for almost any group, while an ice trek depends on the youngest and the oldest person with you.

Season

Safari Náutico sails all year. Big Ice runs from September to April and Mayo Spirit from October to April, and Todo Glaciares sails every second day from May to August. Weather and season.

Several glaciers in one day

Glaciares Gourmet from Puerto La Soledad is the full-day cruise that combines the Spegazzini and the Upsala channel with the north face of the Perito Moreno, without a hike. Upsala is seen from a distance. The Glaciares Gourmet cruise.

Getting to the pier and the park fee

Bajo de las Sombras is roughly 1.5 hours from El Calafate, and the Safari Náutico listing includes no transfer, so plan the drive or a land tour to the park. None of the trips includes the national park entrance; you buy the pass yourself. The national park fee.

FAQ

What is the best Perito Moreno boat trip?

For most visitors the Safari Náutico with Hielo y Aventura: about an hour in front of the south face from Bajo de las Sombras, all year, with no age limit. It leaves time for the walkways on the same day.

What is the best way to walk on the Perito Moreno?

The Minitrekking with Hielo y Aventura, the company that runs it: about an hour on the ice with crampons, for ages 8 to 65. Fit adults aged 18 to 50 can choose Big Ice instead, with about three hours and 12 km on the glacier from September to April.

Which trip is best with young children?

The Safari Náutico or the north face boat, which state no age limit. From age 6 the Blue Safari adds a shore path to the ice without crampons; the Minitrekking starts at 8.

Is Todo Glaciares or Glaciares Gourmet the better full-day cruise?

If you want the Perito Moreno on the same day, Glaciares Gourmet: it combines the Spegazzini and the Upsala channel with the north face. Todo Glaciares from Punta Bandera lands at the Spegazzini and goes to Upsala, but not to the Perito Moreno.

Related on this site

Every boat trip compared

Port, ice face and age limit in one table.

Minitrekking or Big Ice

Age window and time on the ice for each trek.

North face boat

An hour along the north face from Puerto Moreno.

Compare every trip on the lake

Ice face, duration and age limit for each trip.

Open the comparison