Guide · Choosing

Best Perito Moreno glacier tour: how to choose yours

Walkways, boats, ice treks and long cruises all lead to the same glacier. Here is how they compare on price, ratings and value, and how to match the trip to the traveler you are.

Check availabilityfrom $69 · free cancellation

Editorial team, perito-moreno-glacier-tours.comUpdated October 16, 2026Read time: 7 min8 sources

The tour for this guide El Calafate: Perito Moreno glacier day trip with optional boat 4.7 (2,735 reviews) 8 hoursBilingual guideOptional boat ride from$69per person Check availabilityFree to cancel until one day before

Quick answer

01Classic day: This site's day trip: walkways, guide, optional boat, from $69.
02Value score: A guided park tour scores 4.6 for value, from $60.
03On the ice: The Minitrekking day starts from $450.
04Longest trek: Big Ice limits groups to 10, from $588.
05Worth it?: Yes, for the scale alone: the front is more than 60 meters high.¹

There is no single best tour, only the right one

Searching for the best Perito Moreno glacier tour quickly shows dozens of options that look similar on the surface. In reality they fall into a handful of types: day trips to the walkways, day trips with a boat ride, short boat safaris, combinations of boat and ice walk, the Minitrekking, the long Big Ice trek and full-day cruises on Lago Argentino. Each type serves a different traveler, and the best choice depends on your fitness, budget, time and curiosity.

Ratings help, but only within a type. The tour sold on this site, a day trip with an optional boat ride, is rated 4.74 from 2,735 reviews. The Big Ice trek is rated 4.89 from 53 reviews. Both are excellent at what they do, but they do very different things. Comparing a relaxed walkway day with a long trek on the ice by star score alone would tell you little about which one you would enjoy more.

A better approach is to decide what you want from the day first. Do you want to see the glacier comfortably and well? Do you want the view from the water? Do you want ice under your boots, and how much? Once you know that, the choice narrows to a few listings, and then the details such as group size, guide languages and cancellation terms help you pick the right one. Use the comparisons on this page as a map, not a ranking.

How to choose

Find your tour step by step

Step

Know your fitness

Treks need stamina; walkways suit everyone.²
Step

Set your budget

Tours start from $60, park ticket extra.
Step

Pick your view

Walkways, water or ice.
Step

Check the details

Group size, languages and cancellation.
Step

Buy the park ticket

It is not included in any excursion.³

The classic day: walkways and an optional boat

For a first visit, the classic day trip is hard to beat. Hotel pickup in El Calafate, a guide who explains the landscape, generous time on the walkways facing the ice and the option of a boat ride make a complete and relaxed day. The tour sold on this site follows that pattern over 8 hours, with a bilingual guide and the boat ride only if you choose it, from $69. It also leaves you free in the evening to explore El Calafate, enjoy a good dinner and rest before your next adventure in the park.

Its reviewers rate the guide 4.8, the transport 4.7 and the value for money 4.4. Similar day trips score well too. A guided national park tour with an optional cruise starts from $60, is rated 4.73 from 725 reviews and scores 4.6 for value. A guided full-day tour starts from $65, is marked wheelchair accessible and also scores 4.6 for value. Those value scores show that a modest price does not mean a lesser day, and they are worth reading alongside the headline rating.

The walkways themselves are a big part of the appeal. The ice is seen from several balconies, and there is an area designed for accessibility.² That makes the classic day suitable for almost everyone, from young children to older travelers. If you are unsure which tour to pick, a classic day trip with the boat option is a safe and satisfying choice. Young children and older travelers can enjoy the balconies at their own pace, while the more energetic explore the longer paths through the forest.

Value

Value-for-money scores from reviewers

points

Reviewers' value-for-money sub-scores out of 5 on GetYourGuide.

Compared

Perito Moreno tours by type

Tour	Type	Rating	Price from
This site's day trip	Walkways, boat optional	4.74	from $69
National park tour	Walkways, cruise optional	4.73	from $60
Boat safari day	Small group, boat	4.82	from $145
Trek and cruise	Boat and ice	4.81	from $399
Minitrekking	On the ice	4.70	from $450
Big Ice	Long ice trek	4.89	from $588

From-prices per person and GetYourGuide ratings out of 5; the park ticket is extra.

Our picks

Pick by the day you want

El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier & Optional Boat Cruise

First visit

Classic day

Walkways, boat optional

Duration: 8 hours
Guide: Spanish, English
Pickup: Included

See the tour

El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier Trekking Tour and Cruise

Adventure

Trek and cruise

Boat plus ice

Duration: 5 to 11 hours
Group: Small group available
Guide: English, Spanish

See the tour

Experienced hikers

Big Ice

Deep on the glacier

Duration: 12 hours
Group: Up to 10
Leader: Instructor

See the tour

Decision helper

Which tour is best for you?

Find the line that sounds like you.

Classic day trip

Pickup, guide, walkways and an optional boat.

National park tour

From $60, value scored 4.6.

Minitrekking

A 9 to 10 hour day on and around the glacier.

Big Ice

A 12-hour trek in a group of up to 10.

Boat safari day

Limited to 15 participants.

One can take in the majesty that strikes the traveler's eyes from different balconies, and there is also an accessibility area.

Secretaría de Turismo de El Calafaterendered from Spanish · Source 2

Perito Moreno glacier tour prices compared

Perito Moreno glacier tour prices vary widely with what is included. The lowest-priced day trips start from $60 for a guided park tour. A short boat ride of 1 hour starts from $62. A small-group day with a boat safari starts from $145. Ice treks start from $399 for a trek combined with a cruise. The Big Ice trek starts from $588. Between those points lie the full-day cruises and the gentler boat and ice combinations, each with its own price and character, and each worth a look before you decide.

These are from-prices per person, and the real amount depends on the date, the season and the seats left. Amounts follow the currency selector in the page header. For every option, add the national park ticket: no excursion includes it, and the daily pass is 50,000 Argentine pesos at the general rate.³ ⁴ The ticket is a fixed cost and weighs more heavily on the cheaper day trips.

Value is about more than the lowest number. A cheaper day trip without a boat may leave you wishing you had seen the front from the water, while an expensive trek may be wasted on someone who dislikes long walks. Think about the experience you will remember, then find the listing that delivers it at a fair price. The value-for-money scores in the reviews are a helpful guide here.

Before you book

Check these details

In the listing

Group size and guide languages
Cancellation window
Pickup included or only available

Outside the listing

National park ticket, bought separately
Warm clothes for the balconies
Food and water for the day

Calculator

Compare tour costs for your group

Choose a tour type, set your group size and read off the combined from-price.

Classic day trip8 hoursfrom $69 Boat safari dayUp to 15 peoplefrom $145 Minitrekking9 to 10 hoursfrom $450 Big Ice12 hoursfrom $588

People 2

Total from$138

per guest from $69

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Glacier tour prices start from what GetYourGuide lists; for other currencies we apply the ECB reference rate, and checkout confirms the final sum.

Video

The Most Surreal Patagonia Experience We Had! | Perito Moreno Glacier

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For the adventurous: on the ice

If your idea of the best tour involves crampons, look at the treks. The Minitrekking day runs 9 to 10 hours from pickup to return and starts from $450. Its reviewers score the guide 5, the transport 4.8 and the value 4.5. It suits fit travelers who want to walk on the glacier without the length and difficulty of the big trek. Its high guide score reflects how much the briefing and the pace on the ice matter for a first trek.

Big Ice goes much further into the glacier. One listing runs 12 hours, limits the group to 10 participants and is led by an instructor in English and Spanish, starting from $588. For experienced hikers it can be the highlight of a trip to Patagonia. For a gentler taste of the ice, the Blue Safari combines a boat trip with a short ice walk and starts from $117. Each step up in effort brings you a little deeper into the glacier and a little further from the crowds.

Before you book a trek, check the age and fitness limits listed on each offer and be honest with yourself about them. The treks are full days with early starts, and the long ones demand stamina. If you are traveling with children or anyone with limited mobility, the classic day with a boat ride gives a far better experience for the whole group than splitting up. Trekkers and walkway visitors can always meet up again in town.

A private Perito Moreno glacier tour, or a small group

If you prefer not to share your day with a large coach, look for small groups or a private Perito Moreno glacier tour arranged through an agency in El Calafate. Among the listings compared here, a sightseeing day with a boat safari limits the group to 15 participants and starts from $145. A guided expedition offers a small-group option and starts from $63. Ask about group size when you compare, as listings describe it in different ways.

The guided expedition is rated 4.84 from 146 reviews and offers guides in Spanish, English and Portuguese. The trekking tour with a cruise also offers a small-group option, rated 4.81 from 852 reviews. Smaller groups mean quicker boarding, more time to ask questions and a calmer atmosphere at the walkways, which can matter as much as the view itself. It also gives shy travelers an easier chance to talk with the guide.

A fully private tour gives you complete control over timing and pace, at a higher price. It suits families, photographers and travelers with special needs who want the guide's full attention. Ask agencies in El Calafate for private options, compare what each includes, and remember that the park ticket is still separate from the price of any tour, private or not. Booking ahead matters most for private tours in the busy season.

Is the Perito Moreno glacier worth it?

In a word, yes. Is the Perito Moreno glacier worth it? Its sheer scale answers that on arrival. The front runs more than 4 km and rises more than 60 meters above the lake.¹ The glacier covers around 250 square kilometers.⁵ Standing on the balconies while blocks of ice break away and crash into the water is an experience that stays with travelers for years. The walkways put you remarkably close to the ice with very little effort.

It is also unusually easy to see. The glacier lies 80 km from El Calafate on paved road.⁶ The walkways put the ice within reach of almost everyone, and services at the glacier include a restaurant, a snack bar, toilets and first aid.⁷ The choice of boats and treks then lets every visitor shape the day to their taste. Families, older travelers and people with limited mobility can all enjoy it.

There are honest caveats. The trip costs money once you add the park ticket, the weather can hide the ice, and the walkways are busy in high season. Research also shows the glacier thinning and retreating since 2019, so the classic picture of an unchanging glacier no longer applies.⁸ None of that changes the verdict: seeing the Perito Moreno is a highlight of any trip to Patagonia.

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