Perito Moreno Glacier Safety and Ice-Trek Requirements

More Perito Moreno bookings fail on age and health rules than on price. They are enforced at the port, they are not negotiable, and refunds vary. Read this before you pay.

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

Age limits on the ice

Both crampon treks carry hard age bands. Operators describe them as insurance and government requirements, and enforce them against passports.

There is no discretion here. A traveller who turns 66 the week before departure will not board. Children between 8 and 15 need identification and, on several listings, proof of relationship to the accompanying adult. If someone in your group falls outside the band, book the walkways and the boat instead — the view from the balconies is the reason most people come.

Health exclusions

The ice treks exclude, across every listing on this site:

• Pregnancy.
• Back or spinal problems, and recent surgery.
• Heart conditions and other serious medical conditions.
• Knee injuries and mobility limitations.

Guides require moderate fitness. The surface is irregular but firm; the difficulty is the duration and the crampons, not the gradient. If you can walk briskly for two hours you can do the minitrekking.

Cancellation is not uniform

Most tours here allow a full refund up to 24 hours before departure. Two do not behave that way, and both exceptions cost money:

• One full-day tour is non-refundable outright — no changes, no refund, for any reason.
• One operator applies free cancellation as normal but states that departures between 24 December and 2 January are final sale.

Check the terms attached to the specific option you are buying, not the headline on the listing.

On the walkways

The boardwalks exist because the shoreline in front of a calving glacier is lethal. Ice blocks the size of buildings fall without warning, and the wave they push can reach the bank. Stay on the structure and behind the railings; the viewpoints are placed where they are for a reason.

Practical risks are duller and more likely. The steps are steep and numerous, they are wet in rain and can ice over in winter, and the wind on exposed balconies is strong enough to unbalance you. Flat, grippy footwear does more for your safety here than anything else you pack.

Weather and exposure

Conditions at the ice front run several degrees colder than El Calafate and change within the hour. Sun, rain, sleet and hard wind in one afternoon is a normal Patagonian day. Dress in layers with a windproof shell, and carry gloves even in January.

Glare is the underestimated hazard. Light reflects off ice and water from below, so sunglasses and sunscreen matter on overcast days too. On the ice, guides will not start without gloves — the surface is sharp and hands go down often.

If the weather cancels your trip

Boat safaris and ice treks are weather-dependent. Operators generally offer an alternative date or a full refund when they cancel, and several reviewers confirm prompt refunds for scrapped boat legs. Build a spare day into an El Calafate itinerary if the ice trek matters to you; in peak season there may be no seats left to move to. Booking lead times on these products run from thirty to eighty days.