30% offFree cancellation
Big Ice: The Epic Adventure on the Perito Moreno Glacier
- 12 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 2 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
The Big Ice is a full-day excursion that begins with passenger pick-up in El Calafate (if you select the option with transfers). Once at the "Bajo de las Sombras" port, you will board a boat to cross Lake Rico, reaching the opposite shore after approximately 20 minutes of sailing in front of the imposing southern face of the Perito Moreno Glacier. Upon arrival at the refuge, the group will be met by expert mountain guides, who will divide you into subgroups and accompany you throughout the trek. The trek begins with an approximately 2-hour hike along the moraine, where you can enjoy various panoramic views of the glacier and the surrounding forest. For approximately three hours, you will explore the hidden corners of the world's most special glacier. During the tour, the mountain guides will help you learn more about the ice and its surroundings, allowing you to appreciate the glacier's magnitude and enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains.
Inclusions
What's included
- 3:30 hours of walking on the ice
- Visit to the footbridges of Perito Moreno (only if you choose the option that includes transfers)
- Crampons for walking on ice
- Bilingual guide in Spanish and English
- Navigation in front of the Glacier
- 4 hours of walking in the Patagonian Andean forest (round trip)
- Round-trip transfers from El Calafate (only if you choose the option that includes transfers)
What's not
- Food and drink. Bring your own lunch.
- Entrance fee to Los Glaciares National Park (no Mastercard; pay by cash or Visa in ARS)
- Clothing required for the activity.
Itinerary
Perito Moreno
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.5
- 525
- 41
- 31
- 20
- 13
Ratings come from 30 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Remarkable experience!!
Definitely a must go place if you are in planning to go Argentina. Overall it was a bit challenging for me, I choose the long trail that took around 7 hours. First there are some hiking in the beginning, once you arrived to the big ice you will have to walk with the cramps on. Ngl it actually make the walk even difficult but was a fun experience overall.
1DO NOT BOOK WITH GRAY LINE - THEY CANCEL THE RESERVATION LAST MINUTE !!!
We had a terrible experience with Gray Line Argentina. We booked and paid for the mini trekking experience over one and a half months before the event. We contacted Gray Line at that time to verify that the reservation was OK and filled in all requested information. On our tripadvisor page the booking was shown as confirmed. With just a few days of notice before the event, Gray Line contacted us saying that there were no availabilities for the selected date and did not reply any further when we asked for explanations nor apologized in any way. As we had paid in argentinian pesos, given the volatility of the currency, for us getting the money back 2 months later resulted in big losses due to the very high changes in exchange rate during the period. Our experience unfortunately shows that Grayline Argentina is untrustworthy and disorganized. Not only did they cause complications with our trip to Perito Moreno making us look for a plan B with little notice, but they also made us lose lots of money due to their lack of transparency and organization. Unfortunately, looking at other reviews, we see that we are not the first victims of this untrustworty company...
5A once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget.
This was one of the best experiences of our lives - you will not regret booking this trip. We booked directly via Hielo y Aventura (there may be many third party companies you can book through but Hielo y Aventura are the actual company that run the excursion). We were picked up from our hotel promptly at 7am. The journey to the National Park was about 1hr. Even though we had purchased entrance to the park online, we had to exchange our e-voucher for a real ticket. We arrived at the balconies at around 9am and had them pretty much to ourselves before the coach loads arrived. Stunning views of the glacier, but quite cold and windy! The coach took us to the port where we boarded a catamaran for a 15min journey across the lake. Here, we were divided into English-speaking and Spanish-speaking groups and informed about the trip. We were then split into smaller groups and began a short walk to some huts where we were equipped with helmets and harnesses. I had read other reviews warning that the hike to the glacier was very difficult - but it was actually just a short uphill hike (about 1hr), not difficult at all. There were a few stops along the way to adjust layers as you quickly get warm. There was a short section of scree to get down to the crampon station which I found difficult only because I am a massive wimp when it comes to going downhill! But the guides helped me and even taught me some tricks for downhill. We were then fitted with crampons. It took a bit of time to get used to walking in them but the guides taught us skills and helped us over crevasses. Again, I am a massive wimp but soon felt confident on the ice. It is very safe. We had about 3hr on the glacier and the time flew by. We had lunch in a sheltered section just before a short snow storm rolled in. This was so atmospheric. We saw ice caves, waterfalls and ice pools; we couldn't stop smiling for the entire trip. Who knew there were so many shades of blue?! After removing crampons we hiked back the way we came and took the catamaran in front of the glacier for a final view. I won't spoil the extra surprises! We returned back to El Calafate by around 6.30/7pm. I'll also share a few other bits of information that I wanted to know before starting the trip: What to wear We wore baselayer bottoms underneath waterproof pants. On top we were mostly in our baselayers when hiking, and had to regularly take on or off soft/hard shells. You get warm while walking, but it quickly becomes cold especially when the wind hits. Toilets! There were proper toilets at the balconies and the huts before starting the hike. There are also pit toilets near the crampon station. The trip was very well organised, all the guides were full of interesting facts, useful tips and tricks and were so supportive to everyone. We cannot recommend this enough, it was worth every penny and we will treasure this experience for the rest of our lives. Thanks Hielo Aventura for an amazing day.
5A must go journey
A must go activity if you will travel to El Calafate. The view is just spectacular and walking inside a mini ice cave is just so much fun. Staffs are friendly and knowledgeable about the history and conditions of the Big Ice. Highly recommended!!
5Super experience!
Big Ice trek was one of the most amazing glacier experiences I have ever had. The service provided was excellent by the guides on the ice, the bus driver and the guide on the bus and the boat crew and of course Perito Moreno is amazing - if you are the first group (of 6 a day only - 10 people in a group) on the ice in the morning you have the ice field all for yourself. Go for it! You won't regret!
5Amazing
This tour is actually operates by helio y adventura, their page has a much more detailed description of what you’re doing with pictures. the big ice trek is AMAZING. It’s a solid 11 miles total including 1 hour free time at the viewing point, a 1 mile hike to and from the glacier then about 4-5 miles hiking around the glacier. If you’re in shape do this instead of the mini trek for sure. Pickup happens at hotel around 7am and you’ll get back to town around 7pm. In summer wear some layers, not not a parka, and some water resistant hiking boots with ankle support. You’re gonna be going up/down/up/down constantly... in puddles.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- You must arrive at Puerto Bajo Las Sombras at the time we will indicate the day before the activity date.
- Pickup
- Pickup is offered, or you can meet at the starting point.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 50 travellers
- Operated by
- Gray Line Argentina
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Age restrictions: This activity is suitable exclusively for people aged 18 to 50 inclusive, without exception.
- Food: Food is not included and there are no places to purchase it during the excursion. Each passenger must bring their own food from El Calafate.
- Recommended clothing: Thermal shirt and leggings, warm sweater and jacket, windproof and waterproof jacket, trekking pants, waterproof hiking or athletic shoes, thermal socks or two pairs of socks, gloves, warm hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
- To confirm your booking, you must send the following information for all passengers: Full name, Passport or national identity card number, Nationality, Date of birth, Photograph of the passport of minors, Hotel (if you purchased the option with transfers). Your booking will not be confirmed, nor will your place be guaranteed, until we have received all the requested information from each passenger.
How it compares in El Calafate
- Its from-price is 121% above the median of the 104 day trips we list in El Calafate.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 20 of 104.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About El Calafate
El Calafate is a small Patagonian town on the shore of Lago Argentino, the base for the Perito Moreno Glacier and Los Glaciares National Park.
El Calafate lies on the south shore of Lago Argentino, a milky turquoise lake fed by glacial meltwater, with the Andes on the western horizon. The town is named after the calafate, a thorny shrub with dark berries, and a local saying promises that anyone who eats them will return to Patagonia. It was founded in the 1920s to serve the surrounding sheep estancias and now exists chiefly as the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park.
Top-ranked sights in El Calafate: Los Glaciares National Park (Parque Nacional Los Glaciares), Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentino Lake (Lago Argentino).
Special offers in El Calafate
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
10% offFree cancellation
