Perito Moreno Glacier Tours: Boat, Ice Trek, Kayak or Walkways? (What We Chose)
We booked Patagonia so late that by the time we landed in El Calafate, a lot of the glacier tours online were booked out. We had exactly one day for Perito Moreno and a bus to El Chaltén at 4:30 that afternoon, and some of the tours that were still left were actually too long to fit into that one day. So on the day we arrived, we walked into a tour office in town, just trying to work out the best option for us.
There are four main ways to see the glacier: the walkways, the boat, a trek on the ice and kayaking. We did the walkways with a private driver, we skipped the boat on purpose, and we didn't have time for the ice trek, which I really regret! This page is our decision, made on the spot, and what I'd choose with more time, so you can make yours before you book.
Perito Moreno Glacier Tours, My Quick Answer
Short answer is if you only have one day, do what we did: a private driver to the 9am opening and the walkways, with no boat. If you can give El Calafate a second day, add the mini trek on the ice. That's what I'd book next time.
Scroll to see the full table →
| Option | What it is | Did we do it? | My take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walkways | Wooden paths and viewpoints facing the glacier, free with park entry | Yes, with a private driver | The one I'd tell everyone to do |
| Boat | A boat out on the lake in front of the face | No, on purpose | They don't go as close as you'd think |
| Mini trek | A guided walk on the ice itself | No, we didn't have time | The one I'd add with an extra day |
| Kayak | Paddling on the lake near the glacier | No, we only saw people doing it | Looked better to me than the boat |
If you want to compare the bookable versions of all of these for your dates, you can browse Perito Moreno glacier tours here. We booked our driver in person in town, so I'm not vouching for any particular one, and remember that park entry is usually extra.
My bigger plan for the region is planning a trip to Patagonia without camping, and our full glacier day, hour by hour, is in my Perito Moreno Glacier guide.
The Perito Moreno Walkways With a Private Driver (What We Chose)
The walkways are included in your park entry, so the only real decision is how you get there. We were offered a private car for only $10 more than the shared shuttle, which came to A$90 each there and back. For us, it was a no-brainer!
Here's why it worked so well. We could leave El Calafate early and be there just after the 9am opening, and when we arrived about twenty minutes later there was literally no one around. Our luggage stayed in the car all day, because we were going straight on to a bus, which saved us going back to the Airbnb to collect suitcases or finding somewhere to leave them. And when we'd had enough, we called the driver and said, in my words on camera, "Come and get us, please." No waiting for a group, and no sitting out the four hours a tour gives you, when we were done in about two and a half.
The walkways themselves wind through the forest to viewpoints at different levels, from right down near the water to high up looking across the whole ice field, and you could spend some serious time just walking the trails. You get that vast look at it, and I said at the time it's "kind of better getting that vast look at it" than being down on the water. We also watched pieces of the glacier crash into the lake from up there, and it's so loud!
Who it suits: honestly, everyone, and especially anyone on one day, a budget, or a bus out that afternoon like us!
The Perito Moreno Boat Tour (Why We Skipped It)
The boats go out on the lake in front of the glacier face. What nobody told us is that you pass the boat dock on the drive in, before you reach the walkways, so if you're deciding last minute like we were, you have to decide on the boat before you've even seen the glacier. We'd assumed we could look first and decide after, and that's not how it works!
We skipped it, and we don't regret it one bit! On the day, I said "the boats don't go as close as you would think that they do," and in my TikTok afterwards I added that they were super packed. From the walkways we could see a boat out on the water (it's in the photo above), and it looks tiny against the ice.
I've had a proper think about whether I'd do the boat next time, and honestly, no. If I had the extra time, I'd put it into the ice trek instead.
Who it might suit: anyone who really wants to be down on the water. If that's you, decide before you leave El Calafate and book it in advance.
The Perito Moreno Ice Trek (What I'd Add With Another Day)
This is the one we missed, and I want to be really clear that we didn't walk on the glacier! In the vlog I said: "If we had had the time, we would have done the mini trek. We would have gone on the ice, but we didn't have the time." That's the honest cost of squeezing Perito Moreno into one day before a bus.
The mini trek is a walk on the ice itself, and the reason it didn't fit is simple: some of the tours were too long for one day when we had a 4:30pm bus to catch. That's why the second tip in my six Perito Moreno tips is to add a day or two in El Calafate.
Who it suits: anyone with a second day in El Calafate who wants to actually stand on the glacier. I can't tell you what it's like, but it's the one I'd book first if we went back!
Kayaking at Perito Moreno
We didn't kayak either, but I saw people doing it on the day, and honestly, that looked better to me than the boat! It gets you on the water, like the boat does.
I can't review it, because we didn't do it. But if you want to be down on the water, it's the one I'd look at before the boat.
Shuttle, Private Driver or Full-Day Tour
Whichever option you pick, you still need to get from El Calafate to the glacier, about an hour and a half each way, and you have three ways to do it.
- A shuttle. The cheapest way there, shared with other people.
- A private driver. What we did, for only $10 more than the shuttle. You leave when you want and come back when you're done.
- A tour. Transport and four hours at the glacier in one booking, which is what all the tour buses do.
We booked ours in person at a tour office in town on the day we arrived, because a lot of what we'd seen online was booked out and we wanted to actually speak to someone about the timing. If you'd rather sort it before you land, you can browse everything bookable from El Calafate here.
Park entry is almost always separate. As I said in the vlog, "you pretty much always are going to have to buy your entrance into the park", unless you're paying for the really expensive tours. We bought ours online the night before, showed our passports and walked straight in. There's no phone reception at the glacier, so screenshot your ticket.
The vlog picks up at 3:37, in the tour office where we chose the private driver, and carries on through buying the park tickets and the whole glacier day.
What Our Perito Moreno Day Cost
Per person, January 2026, from our spending tracker and my own breakdown.
Scroll to see the full table →
| What | Per person |
|---|---|
| Private car to and from the glacier | A$90 |
| Park entry, 45,000 pesos for tourists | A$47 |
| Americano at the glacier cafeteria | A$7 |
So our glacier came to A$144 each, everything at the glacier included. I haven't priced the boat, the trek or the kayaking because we didn't book them, and Argentine prices were moving fast while we were there, so check the live price for whatever you choose. What the whole six nights cost us is in is Patagonia expensive.
Where to Stay in El Calafate Before Your Glacier Tour
Every glacier option starts in El Calafate, and if your tour picks up early, or you're catching a bus straight after like we did, where you stay matters. I only recommend places rated above 9.0 with more than 50 reviews on Booking, all checked on 10 October 2026. This is where we'd stay:
Patagonia Queen Hotel Boutique
Rated 9.5 from 470 reviews, about 800 metres from the centre. The highest-rated place on my El Calafate list.
Montano Boutique Suites
Rated 9.3 from 979 reviews, about 480 metres from the terminal, for a glacier day that ends with a bus.
Kau Yatún Hotel Boutique
Rated 9.2 from 325 reviews, on Estancia 25 de Mayo at the edge of town. For when you've got the extra day I keep telling you to take.
There's a full comparison of the areas in where to stay in El Calafate.
Still planning? Here is our complete Patagonia planning guide and our full glacier day.
FAQs About Perito Moreno Glacier Tours
Do you need a tour to visit Perito Moreno Glacier?
No. We used a private driver from El Calafate and walked the walkways on our own. You'd book a tour for the boat, the ice trek or kayaking.
Which Perito Moreno tour is best?
For one day, I'd say the walkways with a private driver at opening, which is what we did. With a second day, add the mini trek on the ice. We skipped the boat on purpose.
Is the Perito Moreno boat tour worth it?
Not for us. The boats don't go as close as you'd think, and they were packed. You pass the boat dock before you see the glacier, so decide before you arrive.
Can you walk on Perito Moreno Glacier?
Yes, on a guided ice trek. We didn't, because we only had one day and a bus that afternoon, and it's the one thing I'd add if we went back.
Is park entry included in Perito Moreno tours?
Usually not. We paid 45,000 pesos each for tourist entry in January 2026, about A$47, and bought it online the night before.
How do you get to Perito Moreno from El Calafate?
By shuttle, private driver or tour, about an hour and a half each way. Our private driver was only $10 more than the shuttle and came to A$90 each return.
Final Thoughts: Which Perito Moreno Glacier Tour Should You Book?
If you've only got one day, don't overthink it: a private driver to the 9am opening and the walkways gave us the glacier almost to ourselves, and it was easily one of the most incredible things we have ever seen! If you've got two days, add the mini trek, because that's exactly what I'd do differently, and it's the only part of Perito Moreno I still feel like we missed out on.
When you're ready to book, you can browse Perito Moreno glacier tours here, and remember to buy your park entry separately.
