Perito Moreno Glacier With Kids and Limited Mobility

Hours, prices and access verified by the Perito Moreno Glacier Tours team — last checked August 10, 2026.

Start with what the park itself provides

The Perito Moreno walkways were built for a wide range of visitors, and the accessible provision is better than most people expect from a glacier at the end of a Patagonian road.

• An accessible route with ramps and a lift down to the first viewpoint, avoiding stairs entirely.
• Wheelchairs available in the main circulation area for visitors who need them.
• Adapted toilets at the visitor centre.
• Braille information and audio at some points on the circuit.
• An upper car park reserved for vehicles carrying visitors with reduced mobility.
• A free shuttle between the parking area and the walkway entrances.

What it does not provide is a step-free route to every balcony. Beyond the first viewpoint the network becomes a long sequence of stairs across several levels, and reviewers who arrived expecting a flat boardwalk say so repeatedly.

Which tours are wheelchair accessible

A small number of tours on this site state wheelchair accessibility outright.

Travelling with children

The walkways: no age limit

Children of any age can visit the pasarelas. The practical constraints are the stairs, the wind on exposed balconies, and the length of the day — ninety minutes each way plus several hours at the glacier is a long outing for a small child. The cafeteria and heated shelter at the visitor centre make a real difference.

Infants and car seats

Most operators require infants to travel on an adult’s lap. One tour on this site states that infant seats are available, and one offers child seats for ages three to five if requested in advance. If you are travelling with a baby, that narrows the field to a single listing and it needs arranging at booking, not on the day.

The ice: hard age walls

Minitrekking accepts ages 8 to 65. Big Ice accepts 18 to 50 and nothing either side. Operators describe these as insurance and government requirements and enforce them against identification. Children between 8 and 15 need a passport copy and, on several listings, proof of relationship to the accompanying adult.

A family with a seven-year-old cannot split the difference. The realistic plan is the walkways plus the boat safari, which takes everyone and is the part most children remember anyway. The full requirements are on the safety page.

Older travellers

Nothing on the walkways excludes anyone by age, and the accessible route removes the stairs question entirely. The ice is different: 65 is the ceiling for minitrekking and 50 for Big Ice. One reviewer over 65 described booking a walkway-and-boat day precisely because the trek was closed to them, and rated it an excellent alternative.

If mobility rather than age is the constraint, the same logic applies. A day tour with a boat safari gives you the ice wall from the water and from the upper viewpoint without a single flight of stairs.

Practical planning for mixed groups

• Book the accessible tour for the whole group rather than splitting — the walkways suit everyone.
• Ask for the upper car park if you are self-driving with a reduced-mobility passenger.
• Allow longer than the schedule suggests; the shuttle and the lift both queue in peak season.
• Pack more warm layers for children than for adults. Standing still in wind is colder than walking.
• Confirm infant seats and child seats at booking, in writing.

Opening hours, the park fee and what to bring are set out on the visitor information page, and what each circuit looks like on the gallery page.

Building the day around the group, not the itinerary

The mistake mixed groups make is booking for the most adventurous member and hoping everyone else keeps up. At Perito Moreno that is unnecessary, because the walkways carry the whole spectacle. Nobody who spends four hours on the balconies has seen a lesser glacier than the person on crampons; they have seen a different part of it.

A realistic timetable with children

• Pickup 9:00am — the drive is ninety minutes; bring something for it.
• Arrival — toilets and the cafeteria first, before anyone is cold or hungry.
• Upper viewpoint — the full ice front, reachable without stairs.
• Central balconies — where calving is most often seen and heard.
• Warm break — back to the visitor centre before the lower circuit.
• Return 5:00pm — expect a quiet vehicle on the way home.

Standing still in Patagonian wind is far colder than walking in it, and children feel that first. Pack more layers than the forecast suggests, plus gloves even in January. The full packing list and the seasonal opening hours are on the visitor information page.

What to ask before you pay

Operators answer these readily, and a written answer at booking is worth more than a verbal one on the day.

• Is your specific vehicle accessible, or only the walkways?
• Are infant or child seats confirmed for your dates?
• Which car park will the vehicle use?
• Does the boat option have step-free boarding on your departure?

Ratings and traveller comments for each operator, including several from visitors travelling with family, are collected on the reviews page, and every tour’s age band and group cap is tabulated on the key facts page. Our trek comparison covers the ice options in detail.