Minitrekking or Big Ice: one hour or three on Perito Moreno Glacier
Both treks cross Brazo Rico by boat from Puerto Bajo de las Sombras and put you on the glacier's south side in crampons. What separates them is the time on the ice, the effort needed to reach it and who may book. Most visitors fit the Minitrekking, while Big Ice is for fit adults aged 18 to 50.
The two treks next to each other
Hielo y Aventura runs the walks on this glacier, and both classics come from its program. Patagonia Dreams sells the Minitrekking with its own transfers, while Big Ice is booked straight from Hielo y Aventura.
| Minitrekking | Big Ice | |
|---|---|---|
| Time on the ice | About 1 h | About 3 h |
| Walking | About 3 h in total | 14–15 km by reviewers' count |
| Whole day with transfers | About 10 h | About 12 h |
| Fitness | Moderate | High, plus a medical form |
| Ages | 8–65 | 18–50 |
| Gear | Crampons (helmet on the Hielo y Aventura version) | Crampons, helmet, harness |
| From | ~$424 | ~$459 |
| GetYourGuide score | 4.8 from 800+ reviews | 4.8 from 34 reviews |
The ages and the fitness level decide for many travelers before taste does. A 52-year-old cannot book Big Ice whatever their form, and the only trek open to a 10-year-old is the Minitrekking.
What the Minitrekking gives you
On the Minitrekking from ~$424, the boat lands you at the refuge and a short walk along the lake shore leads to the edge of the ice. Mountain guides fit crampons there, and you spend about an hour on firm, uneven ice.
The route crosses ridges and passes crevasses and sinkholes, with small deep-blue lagoons in the hollows. Guides pick a fresh line each day because the glacier keeps moving, so no two groups walk quite the same path.
The walk ends with whisky poured over glacier ice, and then you return through the forest to the refuge for lunch. Our guide to what the walk on the ice is like goes through it step by step.
The weak spot is the ratio. You give a long day, about 10 hours with transfers, for an hour in crampons, and the operation runs many groups at once, so some waiting is part of it.
What Big Ice adds
Big Ice from ~$459 starts with about two hours of approach over the moraine and through the forest, with views over the glacier on the way. Helmet and harness go on with the crampons before you step onto the ice.
Then come about three hours deep in the glacier, well beyond the ground an hour can cover. The listing describes blue lagoons and deep cracks next to big sinkholes, plus ice caves if conditions allow.
Lunch is a 30-minute break on the ice with food you carry yourself. You return by the same path, take the boat close to the south wall, then spend about an hour at the walkways.
Reviewers call it physically demanding, count about 15 km of walking and mention how heavy the crampons feel by the afternoon. Our full Big Ice day follows it from the 6:45 am pickup onward.
Three hours deep in the glacier
Hielo y Aventura's Big Ice for fit adults aged 18 to 50. It adds the moraine approach and lunch on the ice, with caves if conditions allow, across a 12-hour day.
A middle step with two hours on the ice
Howlanders' longer hike from ~$370 fills the gap. The hike lasts about 4 hours, half of it on the glacier, and passes the lateral moraine and a small meltwater waterfall.
The listing calls it more challenging than the classic Minitrekking and less than Big Ice. Ages run from 17 to 55, so it opens the longer walk to people in their early fifties.
Its weak side is thin evidence, 5.0 from only 10 reviews, and no Viator version. The departure time arrives only after booking, and pickup works only from places with a reception desk.
Who should pick which
Choose the Minitrekking if any of these fit you:
- It is your first time in crampons
- You travel with children aged 8 or over, or with someone older than 50
- You want an unhurried walk plus time at the walkways
- Your fitness is moderate rather than high
Choose Big Ice if you are between 18 and 50, hike long days at home, and want hours on the glacier rather than a taste. The medical form and the early start are part of the deal.
Pick the longer hike if you are up to 55 and want more than an hour, or if Big Ice is closed to you by age. Our page on age limits and fitness lists every exclusion from the four listings.
What each hour on the ice costs
Big Ice has the higher fare, yet per hour on the glacier it works out cheaper than the Minitrekking. The longer hike sits between them on both counts.
Lunch and the park fee come on top of all three, as our price comparison shows. Bring enough food for a full day either way, since you eat it on the ice on Big Ice and at the refuge on the Minitrekking.
Weather and gear are the same story
Hielo y Aventura does not cancel either trek for rain, and the activity runs whenever safety conditions allow. Our guide to when the weather turns covers what changes on a wet or windy day.
Layers and waterproofs matter more on Big Ice, which keeps you out longer. The packing list for the ice works for both treks.
Wind is the other constant on the south side of the glacier. On the Minitrekking you are back in the forest within the hour, while on Big Ice you eat lunch out in it. Pack a warm hat and gloves in the daypack.
Whichever trek you pick, book it early in your stay in El Calafate. A spare day leaves room to move the trip if the operator changes the start time or the crossing is suspended.