Perito Moreno glacier trek prices, and the extras you pay on the day
Walking on Perito Moreno Glacier costs from ~$370 to ~$459 per person, and the price climbs with the hours you spend on the ice. The Blue Safari reaches the ice wall for ~$117, without crampons. The table compares all four trips, and the sections after it cover the park fee and the lunch that come on top.
Four ways onto the ice, priced side by side
Every fare below is the regular "from" price per person on GetYourGuide. The figure on the booking page can move a little with the date and the option you choose, so read it as a starting point rather than a quote.
| Tour | From | Whole day | On the ice | Group | Ages | The listing includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patagonia Dreams, Minitrekking (our pick) | ~$424 | 5–11 h | About 1 h | Up to 15 or 20 | 8–65 | Hotel pickup by option, boat, glacier walk, bilingual guide |
| Hielo y Aventura, Big Ice | ~$459 | 7.5–12 h | About 3 h | Up to 20 | 18–50 | Boat, crampons, helmet, harness, walkways visit |
| Howlanders, longer glacier hike | ~$370 | 5–10 h | About 2 h | Up to 10 | 17–55 | Boat, crampons, walkways only with the transfer option |
| Hielo y Aventura, Blue Safari | ~$117 | 3–9 h | None, you touch the wall | Up to 40 | 6–70 | Boat, 1.5 km trail, liqueur toast, walkways visit |
All four cancel free up to 24 hours before the start. On GetYourGuide the Minitrekking and the Howlanders hike also let you reserve now and pay later, which helps when your El Calafate dates are still loose.
One hour on the ice inside a long day
Patagonia Dreams' Minitrekking at ~$424 is our pick and by far the most reviewed trek, 4.8 from 800+ reviews on GetYourGuide. The fare pays for the van from your hotel (by option), the boat across Brazo Rico and about an hour walking on the glacier.
That hour sits inside a day of 5 to 11 hours, depending on whether you take the transfer. The rest is boat time, a walk back through the forest to the refuge, a sail along the ice wall and about 40 minutes of free time at the walkways.
The listing offers a small-group option of up to 15 people and a standard one of up to 20. Check which option the price on screen belongs to before you pay, since the two can differ.
The Viator twin of this tour starts lower, with 4.7 from 100+ reviews. It is the same trip shape, so compare both partners for your date. What happens step by step on the ice is in our guide to walking in crampons.
The classic hour on the glacier
Patagonia Dreams' Minitrekking with the boat across Brazo Rico, crampons fitted by mountain guides and time at the walkways afterward. Ages 8–65, moderate fitness.
Big Ice costs most and asks most
Hielo y Aventura's Big Ice at ~$459 is the top fare on this site. It buys about three hours deep inside the glacier, after a two-hour approach over the moraine and through the forest.
The day runs about 12 hours with transport, or 7.5 hours if you drive yourself to the port. The fare includes crampons plus a helmet and harness, and groups stay at 20 people or fewer.
On GetYourGuide it scores 4.8 from 34 reviews. The Viator twin starts higher and holds 4.5 from 30 reviews. Whether the extra hours suit your legs is the subject of our Minitrekking or Big Ice comparison.
The longer hike sits between the two
Howlanders' longer glacier hike at ~$370, sold as Minitrekking 2, starts below the classic Minitrekking. It gives about two hours on the glacier and roughly 5 km (3 miles) of walking on the ice in crampons.
Groups stay small, with one guide per 10 hikers. It holds 5.0, though from only 10 reviews, and there is no Viator version to compare against.
Two details shape the value. The walkways visit comes only with the transfer option, and the departure time is confirmed only after you book, so a tight evening plan can clash with it.
The Blue Safari costs a fraction
Hielo y Aventura's Blue Safari at ~$117 costs a fraction of any trek. You walk an easy 1.5 km (about 1 mile) trail to the south wall and put your hand on the ice, but you never walk on top of the glacier.
The fare covers the boat and the trail, plus a toast with Calafate liqueur over glacier ice and about two hours at the walkways. It scores 4.8 from 100+ reviews on GetYourGuide, while the Viator twin starts higher at 4.4 from 14 reviews.
Groups reach 40 people, the largest of the four. For anyone outside the trek age limits it is the cheaper way to get close, and our Blue Safari guide explains what you give up.
The park fee is not in the fare
Plan on paying the national park entry yourself. Patagonia Dreams' listing says you buy it on arrival in Argentine pesos or online in advance on the official national parks website.
The Viator Minitrekking listing also lists the fee as payable on the day, and the Howlanders hike leaves it out too. For the two Hielo y Aventura trips, read the listing before you go so the gate holds no surprise.
We don't print the amount, because the peso figure changes often. Buying online the evening before saves you from counting cash in a queue at the gate, and our day plan from El Calafate shows where the gate falls in the morning.
Lunch and tips on top
The Minitrekking fare includes no lunch. Lunch is whatever you packed, eaten at the refuge once you are back from the ice. Shop for it in El Calafate the evening before.
One reviewer called the trip "quite expensive" once food and the park ticket were added. Big Ice also asks you to carry your own food and drinks for a 30-minute lunch break on the ice, and the Howlanders hike leaves food out as well.
The whisky with glacier ice at the end of the Minitrekking comes with the trip, so that glass costs nothing extra. Reviewers mention chocolates alongside it.
The listings say nothing about tips. Guides on the ice work long days in the cold, so a small tip at the end is a kind gesture if the day went well, not a rule.
Where the money goes furthest
Divide the fare by the hours on the ice and Big Ice comes out cheapest per hour, with the longer hike next. The Minitrekking costs the most per minute on the glacier.
Price per hour is not the whole story, though. The Minitrekking takes the widest range of people, ages 8 to 65 at moderate fitness, and for a first time in crampons an hour is plenty for most visitors.
If your budget is fixed and your dates are not, our guide to the best time to book helps you pick a day with spare room around it. Pack with our list of what to wear so you don't end up buying gloves at the port.