Perito Moreno & Famous Glaciers in Argentina

Argentina Travel Posted on 09/16/2016

Glaciers in Argentina can be easily found in Patagonia! Now is the perfect time to travel to Patagonia and explore the incredible national parks in the south-western tip of the country. We tell you which and where you can visit.



1. Glaciers in Argentina inside National Parks

This country is home to over 300 glacier parks and is the perfect place for Patagonia trekking if mountain climbing and stunning glacial views tickle your fancy. Los Glaciares National Park, located near El Calafate, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to ice fields that cover about 40% of the park’s surface. 

Within the park, you will find two lakes and 47 major Argentina glaciers. Thirteen of these glaciers reach toward the Atlantic, while the glaciers Perito Moreno, Mayo, Spegazzini, Upsala, Agassiz, Onelli, Ameghino feed the lakes in the park. Now we are talking about water coverage or what!


2. Which glaciers you can visit


Not all glaciers in Argentina can be visited, at least not from close. Some can be hiked, others just are admired from a viewpoint or by taking a boat trip. Read about the most famous glaciers, where to find them and the kind of activity you can enjoy.


Perito Moreno Glacier


The Perito Moreno Glacier is a particularly special glacier because it is actually growing in size! It is one of only three glaciers in the world that is growing and not melting-thankfully. It measures over 3 miles in width and covers a width of around 97 square miles! Now that is a lot of ice in what is certainly one of the most impressive glaciers in Argentina!


To visit this glacier
  • Travel to El Calafate in Patagonia.
  • Drive to Los Glaciares National Park. You can go by yourself or pay a shuttle.
  • Once there, visit the catwalks. This will take 1 hour and you will see the glacier from close.
  • You can also take a boat trip to sail in front of the giant ice wall! Perito Moreno raises over Agrentino Lake. 
  • The top activity to enjoy in Perito Moreno is hiking on top of the glacier. This is an out-of-the-world experience. However, there are age restrictions you may need to take into account.


We have already arranged the logistics for you to live the whole experience without having to book additional services. Check out our El Calafate and the glaciers travel experience. It can be tailored to your travel needs!

glaciers in argentina


El Chaltén 


Many travelers will also make a trip to the location of another of the favorite Argentina Glaciers spot, El Chalten, an entire village inside Los Glaciares National Park.

This area includes a wide variety of shrubs, rivers, lakes, and forests that meet the Andean steep. The flora and fauna are so unique in this part of the world due to the humidity on the other side of the steep Andes that gives for unique warmth creating luscious life.


To visit glaciers in El Chaltén
  • You can take a shuttle or rent a card to travel form El Calafate to El Chaltén.
  • El Chaltén characterizes by the most beutiful self-guided hike trail in the world, along which you will see glaciers too!
  • The most impressive hike is Laguna Torre. You will see Cerro Torre and surrounding glaciers.
  • The second favorite is Laguna de los Tres, where you can see Mount Fitz Roy too. 


If you feel like traveling to both destinations, this is our tailored experience for you: El Calafate and El Chaltén Hikes



Torres del Paine 


Although this national park is not in Argentina, you can easily cross borders from Patagonia to Chile. Especially because it is one of the top-rated hiking destinations in the world, and, a fabulous glacier hub.


To visit glaciers in Torres del Paine
  • From El Calafate you can visit Torres del Paine in one day. However, it is a long journey and you won’t have much time to enjoy hiking. But if you are staying in El Calafate and you only have one day to visit Torres del Paine, you can do it!
  • You can travel to Torres del Paine and lodge inside the park. Try to spend at least five days to enjoy hikes and discover glaciers at your own pace.
  • The most spectacular experience may be the Valle del Francés, a long hike to the core of the park. In this day hike you will see Cuernos del Paine surrounded by glaciers.


We have done it so we 100% recommend it! If you can stay for 5 days in Torres del Paine, go for the W Circuit, and walk the most famous trail during a week.

Torres del Paine National Park


Ushuaia 


Coming back to Argentina, this is the last province to the south. The end of the world as it is popularly known has been for decades a land of explorers. Why? Because is far, it’s inhospitable, boasts amazing wildlife, and, certainly, boasts glaciers too.


To visit glaciers in Ushuaia
  • You can travel to Esmeralda Lagoon, particularly stunning during winter when water freezes.
  • While hiking you will discover the natural habits of beaver, an introduced spece that became ubicuous to the area.
  • From the lagoon you can reach Albino Glacier. It is call the “eye of Albino glacier” because  it’s in an isolated area, surrounded by a morraine and features a lagoon full of floating iceberg.


Eye of Albino is one of the most beautiful glaciers in Argentina, but we do not recommend doing this hike without a local guide. Tell us when and for how many days and we can take you to Ushuaia!

3. All glaciers in one trip  


Now that you learned which glaciers you can visit in Argentina and in other parts of Patagonia, you should know that there is no need to choose! You can visit all glaciers destinations in Argentina and Chile in one trip.

Here you have some ideas. Remember, you can book any of these trips (departures can be scheduled all year round, although the sooner the better for tours and lodge reservations), but you can also choose one and change it if you like! One day, one tour, or even a destination. Just name it and leave the rest to us.

These are our itineraries to visit different glaciers in Argentina and Chile:

Start planning your trip today! Talk with any of our travel agents or visit our Patagonia cornerstone page


Ice hiking Perito Moreno Glacier


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