Perhaps when it comes to traveling through Argentina, the first things that come to mind are the Iguazu Falls and the Perito Moreno Glacier. Definitely, you cannot visit Argentina without seeing both of these places. And yes, if someone had told me before that I would travel from snowy Russia just to look at ice, I would never have believed them—but it is absolutely worth it.
Navigation:
What Kind of Beast is Perito Moreno?
Let’s start from the beginning: what is this glacier and why is it so famous?
Perito Moreno is one of the 48 glaciers located in the Andes, on the border of Argentina and Chile. However, it is only the 3rd largest glacier in the region. It is so famous because it is easily accessible to tourists.
Glacier area: 250 km²
Width of the Perito Moreno tongue: 5 km
Average height of Perito Moreno: 60 m above the water surface
Average depth of Perito Moreno: 170 m, maximum: 700 m
Every day, the glacier grows by about 2 meters, but its daily losses in the last few years have increased, so the glacier has begun to retreat slightly.
It is very spectacular when ice breaks off from the huge icy mass and falls into the lake. First, you hear a sound like thunder, and a split second later—*splash*—and waves rise on the lake. We calculated that ice calves approximately every 30 minutes.
However, in the first half of the day, ice breaks off and falls more frequently than in the afternoon.
The ultimate thrill is seeing the “arch” fall. But this happens very rarely, roughly once every 4-5 years. The arch grows during that entire time between the shore and the glacier, causing the water level in the lake to rise. At some point, the collapse occurs. The arch looks something like this (this photo isn’t ours; when we visited, there wasn’t even an arch).
Excursions to the Glacier
To get to the glacier, you can book a tour (I honestly don’t see why?) or simply buy bus tickets at the bus station and head to the glacier on your own.
The buses here aren’t standard public transit; they are geared toward tours. The town is very touristy and survives almost exclusively thanks to the glacier.
The ticket immediately includes a round-trip fare. This bus will wait for you at the exit and take you back. The travel time is 1.5 hours for a 78-kilometer journey. Buses depart every 30 minutes, and stay there for 2 to 5 hours, depending on which tour you choose. Definitely don’t take a slot shorter than 3 hours; we stayed for 4 hours and it still felt slightly rushed.
You don’t need to book the bus in advance; there are always enough seats. Make sure to bring your passport.
Bus cost: AR$ 40,000 / $28, plus a boarding fee at the station of AR$ 4,000 / $2.80. A taxi for 3 people costs about the same as three bus tickets.
You can pay by card or cash. There is a currency exchange at the ticket office, but the rate is highway robbery.
Park entrance fee: AR$ 45,000 / $31.50. Payment is in cash (pesos) or credit card; debit cards are not accepted.
How it’s Organized
To enjoy the glacier and see it from all sides, many different excursions have been created for tourists—if you’re willing to pay.
Since we already paid the entrance fee, we can walk along the walkways built at different levels and enjoy the glacier from various angles. Some paths are marked with “Medium” or “High” difficulty levels, but in reality, we didn’t feel much of a difference—just a few more steps.
There is also a boat excursion lasting 1 hour, and even a 3-day boat tour where you visit neighboring glaciers as well.
Tickets for the boat can be purchased at the box office near the entrance to the walkways.
Adult ticket price: AR$ 72,000 / $50
Child ticket price: AR$ 57,600 / $40
Ages 0 to 5: Free
There is a 10% discount when paying in cash. Debit cards do not work, only credit cards, because there is no signal or internet in the park.
There are 4 boat trips a day: at 10:30, 11:45, 13:00, and 14:30.
There is also a kayak tour. This is the most expensive excursion. You can book directly with the provider; only these guys are authorized to organize kayak tours here, everyone else is a reseller.
You can also walk *on* the glacier; this is called the Blue Safari, and at the end of the tour, everyone is served whiskey with ice from the glacier. All tours should be booked in advance as they sell out like hotcakes.
There is a common opinion that most water excursions at Perito Moreno are a bit of a cash grab and are designed more for thrill-seekers than for nature lovers.
We brought coffee and sandwiches to eat outdoors in a secluded spot with a view of the glacier. But just in case, there is a cafe here.
How to Get There
The glacier is located 78 km from the town of El Calafate. This is the closest and, in fact, the only town near the glacier.
So, to visit the glacier, you need to get to the town of El Calafate first.
By Plane
There are several flights a day from Buenos Aires to El Calafate. Minimum prices start at $30 (USD) and can go up significantly (during New Year holidays, prices reached $350 per ticket just days before departure). The flight takes 3 hours. However, keep in mind that flights can easily be rescheduled, sometimes by several hours—which isn’t critical—but ours was moved by several days, which ruined our entire itinerary for Argentina.
The airport is 20 km from the town. Minibuses operated by VES Patagonia run regularly between the town and the airport.
Minibus ticket: AR$ 13,000 / $9
Taxi from the airport: AR$ 42,000 / $30
You don’t need to book the transfer in advance; everything is available on-site. Uber does not work here.
By Bus
If plane tickets are unavailable or if a flight is canceled last minute, you can buy bus tickets and spend almost two days on the road. Notably, buses in Argentina are comfortable with plenty of legroom, but the bus ticket price is more expensive than flying, and you’ll have to spend a lot of time traveling.
To get from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, you will need to transfer in either San Carlos de Bariloche or Puerto Madryn.
Bus tickets can be purchased at busbud.com. Accordingly, you need to choose two segments: from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn, and then from Puerto Madryn to El Calafate.
Bus to El Chaltén
Usually, a visit to El Calafate is combined with trekking in El Chaltén. Moving between the towns is easy. Several buses run daily; the last one is at 6:00 PM, though on some days there is a bus at 8:00 PM.
Bus ticket price El Calafate – El Chaltén: AR$ 50,000 / $35, plus don’t forget the station fee in El Calafate of AR$ 4,000 / $2.80.
Bus to Puerto Natales
You can easily take a bus from El Calafate to Puerto Natales (Chile) to hike in the Torres del Paine Park. The travel time is stated as 6 hours, but in reality, it took us 11 hours. At the border, Chilean customs officers meticulously check everything (absolutely all bags, packages, suitcases) for prohibited items. It is forbidden to bring in meat, fish, seeds, fruit, vegetables, cheese, or milk. Basically, the list is quite long, and they check everything, so it’s better not to bring anything or eat it along the way. Buy tickets at busbud.com.
About the Town: Where to Stay, Where to Eat, What Else to See
The town of El Calafate was founded in 1927 so that Argentina could stake its claim to these lands, as Chile also laid claim to them. In 1945, the national park administration was established here, and the town grew slightly.
The town of El Calafate is quite small; I would even say it’s a village.Но it is very cute, clean, cozy, and well-maintained. It’s the kind of village where you want to live and paint oil landscapes. Internet sources claimed the population was 7,000 in 2000, while by 2015 it reached nearly 30,000. Hmm, that’s a bit hard to believe, but it’s obvious that during the high winter season (December, January, February), the flow of tourists increases the town’s population many times over. Everything here is 100% made for the tourist: a huge number of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and shops.
In El Calafate, the exchange rate for dollars to local pesos is very unfavorable. The difference is about 15%. So it’s better to arrive with pesos already.
People usually come to El Calafate for just one day to visit the glacier. But if you have a bit more time, tourists often visit the nature reserve, which is home to dozens of birds, including flamingos.
Reserve Address: Reserva Laguna Nimez
It is only a 30-minute walk from the center of El Calafate. Entrance costs $9.
Where to Stay
Definitely, the best place to book a hotel in El Calafate is near the bus station. The bus station is the central point of the town. Tourists arrive here from the airport, and buses to the glacier depart from here.
We were in El Calafate during the New Year holidays when hotel prices are at their peak. We stayed at one of the cheapest hostels and were absolutely delighted. Private room with great pillows and starched bed linen, breakfast in the morning, and in the evening, they light a fire in the yard and there is a grill.
Our hotel: Folk Hostel. Book on trip.com, it’s not on booking.com.
Restaurants
There is also a decent selection of restaurants and cafes in El Calafate. As a local dish, it is customary to eat lamb here. It is served in all restaurants in the city center. Our favorite, however, is the Patagonia chain. This brewery chain is in almost all cities in Argentina, but the menu is slightly different in each city. We liked the one in El Calafate best.
Our dinner in January 2026, consisting of two burgers, 3 beers, and a glass of orange juice, cost AR$ 100,000 / $70.
Something unusual: there is a restaurant in a cave. It’s not quite a classic cave restaurant, but an excursion through the surrounding area, caves, and rock paintings, ending with a dinner or lunch inside the cave.
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