La Ruta Natural | Los Glaciares National Park and the Perito Moreno Glacier

Los Glaciares National Park and the Perito Moreno Glacier

Santa Cruz

Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the natural wonders of the world, offers a magnificent landscape that will simply leave you speechless.

It is the superstar in Los Glaciares National Park—a World Heritage site—, which protects a significantly large area of Hielo Patagónico Field and the Southern Forests.

You can visit the park all year round. Some excursions are only available from October to April. An entrance fee will be charged.

What to see

Perito Moreno Glacier

The most famous glacier in the park, known for its continuous forward and backward movement. Observing the collapse of giant blocks of ice at a short distance and staring at the wall of ice 60 metres high just in front of you is an experience you will never forget. In this wonderful setting, you may also watch condors flying over the glacier or Magellanic woodpeckers among the lengas. With the arrival of autumn, the forest gets coloured in lovely tones.

In the park, there is a 4 km tour of walkways and viewpoints that overlook the majestic glacier and the Ice Floes Channel. Although these are long-distance walkways, they are accessible with assistance. You will find an elevator connecting the walkways at different levels. This attraction presents great infrastructure and services.

Trekking on the glacier

An exceptional experience. With ice crampons, walks of different durations are combined with a short navigation along the Rico Branch.

Sailings

Departing from the ports near the peninsula, this excursion will allow you to explore the north and south of Perito Moreno Glacier. You may also go on boat trips to visit other corners of the park. Some include a boat safari through the Rico Branch of Lake Argentino, sailing along the North Branch to visit the Upsala Glacier—the largest in South America—or sailing along Onelli Bay, from where you can see glaciers such as Agassiz, Onelli, Bolados and Spegazzini, with walls 135 metres high.

Roca Lake

Towards the southwest of the park, visitors can get to Roca Lake, where they will come across a ranger station, campsites, and picnic areas.

Visitors can follow a trail to observe cave paintings, and go hiking to Mount Los Cristales, which overlooks the Rico and South Branches, and Perito Moreno Glacier.

Estancias

Near the area, you can visit 2 estancias (ranches) where you can go on horse rides, trekkings and 4WD rides, and embark on a sailing adventure around the Upsala Glacier and to the South and Rico Branches of Lake Argentino, stopping at the walkways in front of Perito Moreno Glacier.

Discovering its surroundings

In the surroundings of Lake Argentino, outside the park, you can have a great time with activities of all kinds, such as visits to estancias, 4WD adventures, horse rides and excursions to Nimez Lagoon Natural Reserve for birdwatching.

How to get there and move around

The Perito Moreno Glacier, located in Magallanes Peninsula, is 80 km from El Calafate, following paved Provincial Route 11. You may visit this area by car, bus—which runs on a daily schedule—or on an excursion.

Roca Lake is 50 km from El Calafate, through gravel Provincial Route 15. You may also reach this site by car, taxi or take an excursion. During summer, there are bus lines that travel frequently to the lake campsite.

In El Calafate, the closest city to Los Glaciares National Park, you will find an airport, rental car companies and a bus station to connect overland with the most touristic places in Patagonia.