Walking on the Perito Moreno Glacier is an experience like no other! Situated in the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina, the Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the largest glaciers in the region of Patagonia. There are many ways you can visit and experience this glacier. In this post, I cover what to expect on a mini trekking tour of the Perito Moreno glacier.
You can see the Perito Moreno Glacier by trekking on it, by boat, by kayak or by walking the many balconies and platforms in front of the glacier. No matter how you see the glacier, it is sure to leave you awe-struck! Out of all the ways to see the glacier, perhaps trekking on it is the most unique way.
There are two options for trekking Perito Moreno. I go over these options in detail in my previous post.
- Big Ice – 3 hours of trekking on the ice and 4 hours outside the ice
- Mini Trekking – 1 hour of trekking on the ice and 2 hours outside the ice
Out of these 2 options, Mini Trekking on Perito Moreno is the most popular as it is more affordable and less strenuous than the Big Ice option. Both of these are full day tours from El Calafate, which is located about 80 minutes from the Perito Moreno Glacier.
How to Book a Tour
The best way to book a tour is to go directly to the tour operator; Hielo y Aventura. There are many other tour companies that offer ice trekking but they are all agents for Hielo y Aventura. The good news is that the tour is charged in Argentinian Pesos, so you can take advantage of the MEP rate if you pay by a credit card (Visa converts the rate immediately). You do not want to book a tour that charges in dollars as you would lose money this way.
Hielo y Aventura offers an option to add a transfer from the town of El Calafate. I highly recommend that you book the trek well in-advance if you are traveling during peak summer season. Especially if you are thinking about doing the Mini Trek as this sells out faster than the Big Ice option.
My Experience Mini Trekking on Perito Moreno
Getting to Perito Moreno
I chose the transfer option from my accommodation in El Calafate and was picked up at the time given. I was then transferred to a bigger bus. After picking up a few more passengers, we were on our way to the glacier. Our guide did an excellent job providing information about the area and the glacier. I really enjoyed hearing about how glaciers are formed and all the unique and special things about the Perito Moreno Glacier.
After some time, we came to the entrance of the Los Glaciares National Park where we had to buy an entry ticket. I had purchased my ticket online and therefore had to get off the bus and make my way to the ticket office to exchange my home printed paper copy for an actual ticket. Those who didn’t buy a ticket online, remained on the bus as agents came inside the bus to sell tickets.
If you are going on the Todo Glaciares tour the day before, when you can present that ticket for a 50% discount on the ticket this day. If you are planning on during the Todo Glaciares tour the next day, then hold on to the ticket you purchase for Perito Moreno, as you can get a discount on your ticket tomorrow. I had bought both my tickets online separately and totally missed my opportunity for a discount. My recommendation would be to wait to buy the ticket in-person. They don’t run out!
The bus made a 5 minute stop at a view point where we saw the glacier from very far away. The glacier was impressive, even from a distance.
Boat Ride
The bus stopped at the Bajo de las Sombras port, about 7 kilometers from the glacier. Here, we got on a boat and crossed Lago Rico toward the south face of the glacier. The boat ride took about 20 minutes. During this time, we were allowed to go outside into the decks to take pictures of the glacier. The wind was fierce this day (but that’s Patagonia for you!)
Refugio
The boat docked close to the south face of the glacier and we all go off and walked towards a refugio. A refugio is like a shelter. This one had a dining hall, bathrooms and a nice fire place. It also had shelves where we were asked to leave all of our belongings. We were also asked to wear gloves for our protection. They had extra gloves for those who did not bring any. Once we were ready to move, we were divided into small groups and were now ready to get to the exciting parts!
Trekking to the Ice
The first part of the trek is through a forest and then through an open, sandy/rocky area with the glacier in front of us. I just couldn’t stop taking pictures of the incredible sight in front of me. Once we were at a beachy area, the guide stopped to give us an overview of Perito Moreno. After this, we proceeded to climb a little uphill (nothing too crazy). At one point, we heard a huge sound and saw a whole chunk of ice fall off the glacier. The ice fell into the water and almost caused a mini tsunami! Relatively big waves formed in the otherwise calm waters and all the icebergs started to disperse. It was so fascinating to watch!
Gearing Up
After a minute or two, we came to a few little huts that held our trekking gear. Here, we were given helmets and strapped on with crampons. It takes a couple of minutes to get used to walking with crampons. The main thing is to keep your feet as far away from each other as possible (trust me, I learned my lesson in Iceland!)
On to the Ice
I really enjoyed the ice trek. Even though this was the “Mini Trek”, I still felt like we went far into the glacier and climbed quite a bit too. Climbing up was a good leg workout and I loved it! The best part was going to the “bar” on the glacier! Our guides served us whiskey with ice taken directly from the glacier. We also got a chance to drink water directly from the mini water streams that flowed throughout the glacier. Overall, we were on the ice for about an hour or so.
Lunch
Once we got back to the gear hut, we took off our gear and walked back to the refugio the same way we came, first through the beach and then the forest. It was raining a little now but luckily the forest provided some shelter. We had some free time to have lunch once at the refugio and they had the fire place going which was a lovely touch! After lunch, we went outside for a bit to take more pictures of the glacier while we waited for our boat to pick us back up.
Note that you cannot buy lunch at the refugio and therefore have to pack your own lunch!
Catwalks
Once back on the boat, we sailed to the other side and hopped on a bus. Our next destination were the catwalks or viewing planforms in front of the glacier. After driving about 7 kilometers, we got to the platforms and were given 1 hour here to explore on our own. There were many paths that you could take and we were advised to take the yellow path. These catwalks offer a panoramic view of the glacier. From here, you can see the glacier stretching for miles and miles. Some catwalks bring you closer to the glacier than others. Honestly, I could have just stared out and watched the glacier for hours! It is truly breathtaking!
Back to El Calafate
Once we were done with the catwalks, we hopped back on the bus and were driven to El Calafate.
Overall Thoughts
I really enjoyed this tour and was glad I did it! I chose the Mini Trekking option over the Big Ice option as the Mini Trekking option was cheaper and I had done ice trekking in Iceland prior. However, I have heard really great things about Big Ice. If you have the budget and meet the physical requirements (it’s a lot more physically demanding than Mini Trekking), definitely go for the Big Ice option.
My only complaint about the tour was the amount of time we got on the catwalks. But having actually been on the ice, it really wasn’t a huge deal breaker for me!
If mini-trekking is not for you, check out my Perito Moreno guide HERE for more options!
What to Pack
- Layers – the weather changes at a snap of a finger in Patagonia
- Walking or hiking shoes – or a shoe with a solid bottom. This is important for the crampons
- Gloves
- Lunch and water
- Camera
- Polarized sunglasses
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