Perito Moreno Glacier Key Facts
How big, how far, how much, how long. Every figure below is dated, and the ones that sources disagree on are shown as ranges rather than false precision.
The glacier
The measurements below are the ones travellers ask for. The glacier sits inside Los Glaciares National Park and ends in Lago Argentino, which is why the walkways face water rather than moraine.
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Location | Los Glaciares National Park, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina |
| Length | about 30 km |
| Width at the terminus | about 5 km |
| Surface area | about 250 km² |
| Ice wall above the lake | about 60–74 m, depending on source and point measured |
| Depth below the lake surface | about 170 m |
| Terminus | Lago Argentino, between Brazo Rico and the Canal de los Témpanos |
| Source | Southern Patagonian Ice Field, about 13,000 km² |
| Named after | Francisco Pascasio Moreno, boundary-commission expert |
| Frontal lowering, 2000–2019 | 0.34 m per year |
| Frontal lowering, 2019–2024 | 5.5 m per year |
| Frontal retreat, 2021–2023 | about 700 m per year, northern margin |
The thinning figures come from Koch, Skvarca and Ruiz, published in Communications Earth & Environment in August 2025. What they mean is explained on the geography page.
The park
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Park | Parque Nacional Los Glaciares |
| Area | 726,927 hectares |
| Created | 1937 |
| UNESCO World Heritage | Inscribed 1981 |
| Zones | Zona Sur (Perito Moreno) and Zona Norte (El Chaltén) |
| Other glaciers | Upsala, Spegazzini, Viedma, Onelli, Seco |
| Entry — general, from 1 June 2026 | ARS 50,000 |
| Entry — Argentine resident | ARS 25,000 |
| Entry — Santa Cruz resident | ARS 8,000 |
| Second entry within 72 hours | 50% discount |
| Summer hours — 1 Sep to 30 Apr | 08:00–18:00, stay until 20:00 |
| Winter hours — 1 May to 31 Aug | 09:00–16:00, stay until 18:00 |
The rupture cycle
This is the event that made the glacier famous, and the mechanism is worth following: the ice front advances until it touches the peninsula and dams Brazo Rico, the water behind the dam rises, and eventually the ice bridge collapses.
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| What happens | The ice front advances across Brazo Rico and dams it against the Magallanes Peninsula |
| Effect while dammed | Brazo Rico ponds metres above the level of the Canal de los Témpanos |
| Maximum recorded difference | about 30 m |
| How it ends | Water tunnels through the ice, the tunnel widens, and the roof collapses as an arch |
| Frequency | Irregular — intervals from under two years to more than a decade |
| Predictable? | No. The dam forms and breaks on its own schedule, and no tour can promise one |
This is the event the glacier is famous for and the one nobody can sell you a ticket to. The full sequence, and why the dam forms at all, is on the geography page.
Where the numbers disagree
| Figure | Published range | Why sources differ |
|---|---|---|
| Ice wall height | 60–74 m above the lake | The wall is not level and every calving changes it |
| Surface area | about 250 km² | Measured at different dates, and the margins move |
| Park fee in tour listings | ARS 45,000 or US$40–45 | Listings still print the rate set in January 2025 |
| Time at the walkways | 2–4 hours | Set by each operator’s itinerary, not by the park |
| Retreat rate | Varies by margin | The northern margin is retreating far faster than the southern |
Anywhere one of these appears here it appears as a range. A single confident number would read better and would be wrong.
Distances
| From El Calafate to | Distance | Road |
|---|---|---|
| Glacier walkways, Portal Río Mitre | 80 km | RP 11, paved |
| Puerto Bandera (cruise port) | 47 km | RP 11 and RP 8 |
| Puerto Bajo de las Sombras (ice treks) | about 70 km | RP 11 |
| El Calafate airport (FTE) | about 20 km | RP 11 |
| El Chaltén | 220 km | RP 11, RN 40, RP 23, paved |
Opening hours and the gate
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Park access | Daily, year-round |
| Entry | Portal Río Mitre, on RP 11 about 30 km short of the walkways |
| Payment at the gate | Cash in pesos or Visa; Mastercard is not reliably accepted |
| Buying ahead | Online through the national parks portal, which removes the card question |
| Non-resident fee | ARS 50,000 per adult from 1 June 2026 |
| Argentine residents | ARS 25,000 |
| Santa Cruz residents | ARS 8,000 |
The fee is charged per person per entry and is not included in any tour price here.
The walkway circuits
| Circuit | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Central balconies | The face-on view of the ice front, and the shortest walk from the car park |
| Upper circuit | The wide view of the whole terminus, reachable with the fewest steps |
| Lower circuit | The closest approach from land, and the most stairs |
| Forest path | The quietest route, running through lénga woodland |
| Accessible route | Ramps and a lift serve the first viewpoint |
Two to four hours covers all of them at an unhurried pace. Which ones a tour gives you time for is set by its own itinerary rather than by the park.
What to bring
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Windproof outer layer | The wind off the ice is colder than the car park, in every season |
| Waterproof jacket | Patagonian weather turns inside an hour |
| Sunglasses and sunscreen | Reflected glare off ice and water is strong even under cloud |
| Cash in pesos | For the gate, and for the pier if you add a boat on the day |
| Packed lunch | Only one cafeteria operates inside the park |
| Binoculars | Essential on the cruises, useful at the balconies |
The tours
Prices are the lowest published adult rate in US dollars, read from each live listing, and exclude the park fee. “At the glacier” is the operator’s own itinerary time, which is the number that actually decides which tour suits you.
| Tour | From | Duration | At the glacier | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perito Moreno Glacier Full Day Tour with Optional Boat Safari | From $76 | 8 to 9 hours | about 4 hours on the walkways | All |
| Perito Moreno Glacier Day Trip with Optional Boat Ride | From $83 | 8 hours | about 3 hours on the walkways | All |
| Perito Moreno Glacier Full Day Tour with optional Navigation | From $85 | 8 hours | about 3 hours at the glacier plus 2 hours on the walkways | All |
| Unesco Jewels: The Famous Perito Moreno Glacier | From $86 | 8 hours | not stated | All |
| Perito Moreno Glacier with Navigation from El Calafate | From $134 | 8 hours | about 2 hours on the walkways | All |
| Glaciares Gourmet Navigation: Spegazzini, Upsala & Perito Moreno | From $225 | 11 hours | 30 minutes at the Perito Moreno front | All |
| Minitrekking Perito Moreno: Ice hiking tour (optional transfers) | From $358 | 5 to 11 hours | 2 hours at the glacier | 8–65 |
| Perito Moreno Full Day Minitrekking with Transfer and Walkways | From $440 | 10 hours | 7 hours at the glacier, about 1 hour of it on the ice, plus a 1-hour guided walkways visit | 8–65 |
| Perito Moreno Ice Trek: Minitrekking with Walkways and Boat Ride | From $447 | 10 hours | 4 hours at the glacier plus 2 hours on the walkways | 8–65 |
| El Calafate Perito Moreno Glacier Minitrekking Adventure Tour | From $475 | 10 hours | 90 minutes on the ice, plus 40 minutes sailing the south face and an hour at the overlook | 8–65 |
| Big Ice Perito Moreno Trek with Walkways and Navigation | From $630 | 12 hours | 9 hours at the glacier, about 4 of them on the ice | 18–50 |
| Perito Moreno Glacier Big Ice Tour from El Calafate | From $800 | 12 hours | 10 hours at the glacier: 3 hours 30 minutes on the ice plus a 4-hour forest approach (round trip) | 18–50 |
Pick by hours at the ice, not by price
Every tour listed here shows what its own itinerary says about time at the glacier.
Compare Perito Moreno Glacier tours Check AvailabilityCompare all of them at Perito Moreno Glacier Tours, or read what travellers said in the reviews and the FAQs.