Perito Moreno Tours: Minitrekking vs Big Ice

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You are planning your trip to Argentina and you want to walk on the ice of Perito Moreno to know it from the inside and enjoy its immensity but you don’t know which tour to do. Surely you have heard about several options to take tours in Perito Moreno, so keep reading because we are going to tell you the differences between the Minitrekking and the Big Ice Perito Moreno tours so you can decide the one that best suits your taste. There is also a bonus, we are going to tell you about a new tour to walk on the Perito Moreno.

Perito Moreno is the most iconic glacier in Patagonia. It is located within Los Glaciares National Park, which is easily accessible from El Calafate. It is 5 kilometers wide, 74 meters high and has an ice layer 170 meters deep. It may seem that its fame is due to its size, but the reality is different: it is the most accessible glacier. Simply put, it is an incredible glacier like others that can be found within the park, but the fact that it extends over the lake bed until it practically touches the ground makes it perfect to be visited and seen from the walkways that have been installed as a viewpoint.

Minitrekking vs Big Ice

Let’s start with what the minitrekking and Big Ice have in common, which is a lot. Both Perito Moreno tours are offered with the option of pick up in El Calafate and visit to the footbridges or you can go directly to Puerto Bajo las Sombras in your own vehicle (and obviously then go to see the footbridges, which is something you should not miss).

Both tours involve a boat ride to access the starting point of the route and return to port, and both involve walking on the ice in a small group accompanied by 2 guides. So, what is the difference? I’ll explain it below:

The Minitrekking Perito Moreno has a moderate level of difficulty, you walk just a few minutes along the beach to access the glacier, that is, to start stepping on the ice of the glacier. Once on the ice, you walk for an hour and a half on the glacier. Being a tour with moderate difficulty, it can be done by people between 12 and 65 years old. This is the most popular option, since it adapts to more types of travelers and its price is lower.

The Big Ice Perito Moreno on the other hand is a more demanding route, in which the first 3 hours is a hiking route along the moraine of the glacier to go into its margin to finally access the glacier. You walk on the ice for 3 hours and have lunch on the glacier itself. It is a demanding tour not suitable for everyone, in fact it has an age limit between 18 and 50 years and it is necessary to be in good shape to be able to perform the activity.

In addition, in 2023 a new tour started operating that you can also book at Howlanders, the “minitrekking 2”, which can be described as an intermediate tour between the Big Ice and the Minitrekking. You walk 5 km on the ice of the glacier (instead of 3 km as in the minitrekking), at the end of the walk on the ice there is a small hiking trail to visit a waterfall. The price is the same as the minitrekking and the age restriction only allows travelers from 18 to 55 years old.

So, what is the best ice hike in Perito Moreno?

Sorry we can not give you an answer, as you have already seen they are different and it is a decision that depends entirely on you. Think about it and be realistic with your experience and capacity. If you still need more information to know the differences between Minitrekking and Big Icete we recommend you to read the posts about my review about the minitrekking and my experience in the big ice, so you can know first hand my experience doing both tours.

Remember that the idea is to enjoy the experience, get to know the glacier “from the inside”, release adrenaline and remember the Perito Moreno Glacier with a smile from ear to ear. Whatever your decision is, remember to bring a hat, scarf, gloves, earmuffs and everything you need to keep warm. Are you up for it or what?