The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the most iconic landmarks in Argentine Patagonia and one of the most visited ice fields anywhere on Earth. Part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field — the third-largest reserve of fresh water on the planet — Perito Moreno is unusual in two important ways. It is genuinely active: enormous blocks of ice break free from its 60-metre-high front and tumble into the water of Lago Argentino with sounds like cannon fire. And, against the global trend, it remains roughly stable, with its leading edge advancing as fast as it loses ice. Standing on the boardwalks opposite the glacier as the sun shifts the colour of the ice from white to deep blue is one of the great natural experiences of any South America trip.
The glacier
Perito Moreno is around 30 kilometres long and covers approximately 250 square kilometres — larger than the city of Buenos Aires. The front that visitors see, where the glacier meets Lago Argentino, is around five kilometres wide and reaches 60 metres above the lake surface at its highest points. Below the waterline, the ice continues for another 100 metres or so. Ice calves continuously throughout the day, and on a busy summer afternoon you can expect to see several large blocks drop into the lake within an hour. Every few years, the glacier advances far enough across the lake to dam an arm of it; pressure eventually breaks through the ice wall in a spectacular natural rupture event.
The boardwalks at Los Glaciares National Park
The glacier is approached from the visitor area in Los Glaciares National Park, where a network of well-engineered steel and timber boardwalks runs along the cliff opposite the ice front. The boardwalks have several viewing levels, allowing you to take in the glacier from a range of perspectives and elevations. There is no strenuous walking — most of the route is gentle and accessible — and the full circuit can be completed comfortably in two to three hours, with plenty of stops to watch and listen. The viewing platforms are placed close enough that the calving ice is genuinely loud, but at a safe distance from the water itself.
El Calafate: the base for the glacier
The Patagonian town of El Calafate is the gateway to Perito Moreno and serves as the base for visits. It sits 80 kilometres east of the park, on the shores of Lago Argentino, with a small airport (FTE) connected to Buenos Aires by daily flights. Originally a wool-trading town, El Calafate today is dedicated to glacier tourism and has a relaxed main street of restaurants, bars, and outfitters. The town also serves as the southern base for visits to the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre area near El Chaltén, which sits within the same national park to the north.
Visiting with Undiscovered Destinations
The Perito Moreno Glacier is the centrepiece of Day 8 of our 16-day Argentina and Chile Glaciers and Peaks of Patagonia tour, which is priced from £5,690 per person with guaranteed departures from just two travellers. The tour bases two nights in El Calafate to allow plenty of time at the glacier and combines the visit with three days at El Chaltén below Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, a crossing of the Strait of Magellan, and time at the very edge of South America in Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. Groups are capped at 12 travellers and the route also dips into Chile to take in Torres del Paine. See our Argentina destination page for all available tours.
