Mini Trekking - Perito Moreno Glacier - El Calafate - TravBuddy

Mini Trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier is a must do activity in El Calafate. It is a full day trip. You are collected from your hotel at about 7:30 and taken by bus for about 2 hours to the Perito Moreno National Park. From there you take a short (15 min) boat trip across the Rico arm of Lago Argentino to the foot of the Perito Moreno Glacier. There is a short talk by the guides (available in both Spanish and English) about the formation of glaciers, which is very informative. From there it is a short walk to the edge of the glacier where crampons are fitted to your shoes. It is recommended to wear hiking style shoes although there were people there with leather shoes too and they managed fine too. Then on to the ice. It takes a bit of getting used to trusting the spikes on the crampons, but after 5 minutes on ice it is not a problem. The views are spectacular. The walk should not be a problem for anyone with a basic level of fitness. It finishes with a little ice bar serving whisky on freshly shopped ice from the glacier �" a nice little touch. You need to take your own packed lunch which is left in a cabin when the boat lands �" most of the hotels will provide packed lunches in a cool bag for you. Tip �" Smokers should make sure they have a smoke prior to going on the boat as smoking is not allowed on the glacier side of the lake. After the walk and lunch you are taken to the viewpoint for the glacier on the other side of the lake. There are multiple viewpoints allowing different views of the sides of the glacier. The glacier itself is an incredible colour of blue �" unbelievably beautiful. You arrive back in El Calafate at around 7pm. A spectacular day trip. The cost is approximately AR$250 (about £50).