The Blue Safari: touching Perito Moreno Glacier without a trek

What the Blue Safari is

The Blue Safari (Safari Azul in Spanish) is Hielo y Aventura's easy way to reach Perito Moreno's south wall. You do not walk on the glacier, you walk up to it, then lay a hand on the ice.

The Blue Safari at ~$117 costs a fraction of any ice trek and scores 4.8 from 100+ reviews on GetYourGuide. There is no harness and no crampons, and the listing rates the effort as easy.

That makes it the trip for the people the treks turn away, from young kids to grandparents. Our age and fitness guide shows where each tour draws its line.

A 9:00 am pickup and the boat across Brazo Rico

Pickup from El Calafate hotels starts from 9:00 am, a kinder hour than the 6:45 am of the Big Ice day. The van heads west into the national park toward the port at Puerto Bajo de las Sombras.

From the port a boat crosses Brazo Rico, the arm of Lago Argentino south of the glacier. It is the same crossing the trekkers make, facing the same wall of ice.

The walkways come before or after the boat depending on the day. Either way you get about 2 hours there, more than any of the trek days leave for them.

A 1.5 km trail to the foot of the wall

On the far shore, an easy trail of about 1.5 km (1 mile) leads to the glacier. It starts on a beach where small icebergs sit stranded on the stones. From there it runs through woodland and on over sand and rocks.

The listing calls the walk easy, though the ground is uneven in places. Shoes with some grip make the wet rocks near the water more comfortable.

At the end you reach the south wall and can touch the glacier. For most visitors this is the photo of the trip, a hand flat against the blue ice.

A toast, then the boat along the face

Back from the wall, the guides pour a toast of Calafate liqueur over glacier ice. The calafate is the berry bush that gave El Calafate its name, so the drink is a local joke as much as a treat.

The boat then sails close to the south face. Calving, when chunks break off the front into the lake, is possible here but never promised.

What the Blue Safari leaves out

You stand at the ice, but you never walk on its surface. The crevasses and meltwater lagoons that trekkers see up close stay out of reach, and so does the crunch of crampons underfoot.

Groups are bigger too, with up to 40 people against up to 20 on Big Ice and the standard Minitrekking. A busy beach at the wall feels less wild than a line of ten hikers on the ice.

If you can manage the walking, the Minitrekking at ~$424 gives about an hour on the glacier for ages 8 to 65. Our Minitrekking or Big Ice comparison covers the trek side, and the price guide shows the gap in fares.

Why not the walkways alone?

From the Magallanes Peninsula, the boardwalk balconies look across at the front from several heights. They give the wide view, but they keep you above the water and well back from the ice.

The Blue Safari adds the south side, which you reach only by boat, and puts you on the shore at the foot of the wall. Seeing the front from both angles in one outing is what the fare pays for.

Ice walks start from the same south shore, so the Blue Safari shows you the setting of the treks without the gear. If your kids grow into the age window, the Minitrekking leaves from the same port.

Who it suits

Families with a child of 6 or 7 fit here, since the Minitrekking starts at 8. So do travelers up to 70, where the Minitrekking stops at 65 and Big Ice at 50.

It also suits anyone with one free day in El Calafate who wants the boat and the walkways in the same easy outing. For a couple where only one partner wants crampons, it can be the other half's day out.

Our pick stays the Minitrekking for those who can do it, because walking on the glacier is a different experience from standing beside it. The Blue Safari is the right call when age or fitness rules the trek out.

Timing and weather, plus the Viator twin

The listing gives 3–9 hours depending on the option you book. Check the pickup and return details on the listing before you plan the evening.

Hielo y Aventura does not cancel for rain, and free cancellation runs to 24 hours before. Our page on when the weather turns explains what changes on a wet day, and what to wear on the ice applies here too, minus the crampons.

Viator sells a twin that scores 4.4 from 14 reviews and starts higher than the GetYourGuide price. For timing, see the right time to visit the glacier.