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
| 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 |
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 |
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 |
The number worth staring at. The cheapest tour gives about four
hours on the walkways. The eleven-hour cruise at three times the price gives thirty minutes at the Perito
Moreno front, because it spends the day at other glaciers. Price and glacier time are close to unrelated
here.
Pick by hours at the ice, not by price
Every tour on this site 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.