A day trip to the Perito Merino Glacier
The Perito Moreno glacier is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, which spans 250 km2 (Buenos Aires is 200 km2). It’s about 80km (1.5 hours) from El Calafate.
We took a day trip to the glacier with transport organised through America del Sur hostel. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the Perito Moreno Glacier?
Perito Moreno is in Los Glaciares National Park and is well known for its dramatic ice calving, where huge chunks of the front of the glacier crumble into the water. This happens most during the afternoons as the sun warms the ice.
Despite how this sounds, the Perito Moreno glacier is one of two in the world that is actually at an equilibrium and periodically advances forward, causing ice calving. Ice calving is a totally natural phenomenon in glaciers and is considered a sign of good health.
The glacier is about 5km wide along its front side, and measures up to 78m above the water level which is very impressive and imposing to see up front.
What happens on a day trip to Perito Moreno Glacier
We stayed at America del Sur hostel in El Calafate, which also acts as a travel agency organising over 40 trips for guests and other visitors to the town.
We booked transport to the Perito Moreno glacier through the hostel, but booked our own passes to the National Park and for the boat trip.
We were collected a little after 12pm from the hostel and dropped at the entrance to the boat ports. The ride cost $50 USD (about £37) per person for a return trip and took about 1.5 hours each way including a stop at a viewpoint on the way there.
Our boat ride was from 14:30 to 15:30 so we had about 30 minutes to pick up snacks and wander a part of the boardwalks before boarding. We booked this online, but you can also book the same day at the park, and it costs about £35 per person.
The boat ride takes an hour and sails along the front of the glacier twice. Up close it's even more vast and impressive and the trip feels like a perfect amount of time. I thought that an hour sounded short for a boat trip, but it’s enough time to see some of the ice calving and get some great photos of the glacier.
After this we had about 2.5 hours to walk along the board walks around the shore opposite the glacier. There are viewpoints that give you great views of the glacier so if you choose not to take the boat trip you can still see it very clearly from the board walks.
We brought a bottle of Malbec with us and sat at some of the miradors drinking Argentinian wine. Lots of others had had the same idea!
We then met our driver at 6pm at the cafe and collection point at the other side of the boardwalks, and were home before 7:30pm.
Perito Moreno Glacier day trip itinerary
This was the itinerary for our day trip, though guided tours may look a little different:
12pm: collection from hostel
1:30pm: stop at glacier viewpoint on the way into the park
2pm: arrive at the drop-off point (buy tickets for the boat here if needed)
2:30pm: boat trip begins
3:30pm: boat trip ends at the same place, start exploring boardwalks
6pm: collection from Nativos de la Patagonia cafe
7:15-7:30pm: arrive back at the hostel
How to get to Perito Moreno
Our transport was organised for us through America del Sur Hostel but you can book full tours like this one that cover everything for you, so you don’t need to worry about organising your own boat trip. They often come with a guide but they work out a bit more expensive.
We found it straight-forward to book the boat trip and then choose the relevant times for transport to fit around that.
You could also drive yourself if you were hiring a car and organise the full trip yourself simply by booking your own park pass and boat ticket.
Do I need a pass to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier?
Yes, you need a pass to visit Los Glaciares National Park. You can pay as you arrive at the park, which costs 45,000 pesos (about £24) or you can buy a pass in advance.
Because we were heading to El Chalten from El Calafate and would need this same pass to enter some of the hikes there, we bought a multi-day pass in advance. The flexi pass for three days of entry to the park cost 90,000 pesos per person (about £48 per person).
You will also need a boat ticket if you’ve not had this organised through your tour or guide.
Two people in our car had not yet bought their park passes or boat tickets and were easily able to do this on arrival at the park.
How long do you need at Perito Moreno Glacier?
We arrived 30 minutes before our boat trip, then had 2.5 hours to walk around the boardwalks and this was plenty of time.
The signs around the board walks have suggested times for how long it takes to walk each stretch. We covered an area that said 20 hours in about 20 minutes so if you’re able-bodied adults you will be able to see most of the boardwalks in 2.5 hours easily, including stops at viewpoints.
I thought a 12pm pick-up for a day trip seemed like a late start but actually it worked well, because the ice calving is more common in the afternoons. Arriving at the park at 1:30/2pm and leaving at 6pm was plenty of time there, and we were back at the hostel before 7:30pm giving us lots of time to head into town and get dinner afterwards.
How much does it cost to go to Perito Moreno?
This is a breakdown of our costs for a day trip to Perito Moreno glacier:
Transport to and from the glacier: $50 USD / £37
Entry to the park: 45,000 pesos / £24 for a day pass. Multi-day passes available.
Boat trip: 72,000 pesos / £35
Total: ~£86 per person
Is a trip to the Perito Moreno Glacier worth it?
Yes. You can choose whether or not you want to go on a boat trip or just walk around the boardwalks. But if you’re in the area of El Calafate then a trip to this glacier is definitely worth it.
It’s by far the most impressive glacier I’ve seen (including those in Banff and Torres del Paine) and to see ice calving in action is dramatic and spectacular
Find out more about how we spent three days in El Calafate here.