Your Perito Moreno Big Ice trek begins bright and early with hotel transfers from El Calafate (only if ticket selected). You can also drive yourself to the Puerto Bajo de las Sombras dock inside Los Glaciares National Park. The 80-kilometer journey is a treat in itself, with golden Patagonian steppe stretching endlessly.

Upon arrival, you’ll meet your certified mountain guides, and they’ll handle your registration. You’ll board a small boat and sail across the Brazo Rico arm of Lago Argentino, an unforgettable 20-minute ride that gives you a front-row seat to the glacier’s immensity. Cameras come out, but most travelers eventually lower them. It’s too breathtaking to see through a lens.

Before setting foot on the ice, the Big Ice Perito Moreno trekking tour begins with a two-hour hike through the lush forest. This part of the Perito Moreno Glacier trail winds between ancient lenga and ñire trees, and through the trees, you catch teasing glimpses of the glacier’s blinding white surface ahead.

At the edge of the glacier, you’ll reach a small mountain refuge. Here, you can leave your backpack, use the restroom, and grab a quick bite. It’s recommended to bring your own packed lunch from El Calafate. Your guides will then outfit you with crampons, harnesses, and safety gear, followed by a detailed briefing. They’ll show you how to walk safely on uneven ice, maintain balance, and essential skills for what’s to come.

Now comes the heart of the Perito Moreno Big Ice experience, a 3 to 3.5-hour trek deep into the glacier’s interior. Unlike shorter tours that stay near the surface, the Big Ice trek ventures into areas few ever see: turquoise lagoons, vertical ice walls, deep crevasses, and crystal-clear sinkholes that plunge into the glacier’s depths. It’s physically demanding. You’ll feel your legs burn and your lungs fill with the cleanest air you’ve ever breathed.

Midway through the trek, your group will stop to rest and refuel. You’ll sit on the glacier itself, a surreal picnic spot surrounded by endless shades of blue and white.

After hours of exploration, you’ll retrace your steps to the moraine, remove your crampons, and hike another two hours back through the forest. Once back at the dock, you’ll board the boat again for your return across the lake, this time, sailing right past the southern wall of the glacier.

Before heading back to El Calafate, your guides will take you to the Perito Moreno Glacier walkways, a series of panoramic platforms offering breathtaking views of the ice field from above. From this vantage point, you’ll truly grasp the enormity of what you’ve just conquered. The perfect ending to your Big Ice Perito Moreno trekking tour.