15 Boat Trips in El Calafate to Build a Day Around

1.Perito Moreno Glacier & Optional Boat Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 2,586 reviews · 8 hours · from $80Our pick

Travel from El Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier with hotel pickup, a bilingual guide, about three hours on the park boardwalks, and an optional one-hour boat cruise. Guides such as Tobias, Noela, and Sebastian have been praised for clear local insight. Bring warm layers, lunch or snacks, and sturdy shoes.

“We had a great tour around the Perito Moreno glacier. The guide was very knowledgeable and explained a lot during the trip there. We got picked up on time and then got transferred to the bus that would take us to the park. The boat ride was fun, but it was super busy and crowded, so much so that it sometimes was hard to find a place outside the boat to view the glacier. You then get some free time to explore the walkways and gawk at the glaciers, which was great.”

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2.Perito Moreno Glacier Trekking Tour and Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 805 reviews · 5 - 11 hours · from $396

Walk for about an hour on Perito Moreno Glacier with crampons, guided by English- or Spanish-speaking mountain staff. The trip also includes a boat crossing, forest trail, glacier viewpoints, and boardwalk time. Guides such as Mariana, Marcelo, Nicolas, and Lucia have been praised for clear safety advice and friendly service. Lunch and park entry cost extra.

“The mini trekking was good. Actually, We wanted to do the Big ice but where Rejected due to age. We do understand that this might be dangerous experience .I would recommend to ask questions in advance and show a medical certificate for instance. we are professional I climbers in Europe an this is Ridiculous to refuse experiences people due to age”

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3.Glaciers Gourmet Experience – Full Day Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 285 reviews · 8 hours - 750 minutes · from $225

Spend a full day aboard a comfortable catamaran from La Soledad Port, sailing past Seco, Heim, Spegazzini, Upsala, and Bertracchi Glaciers. Enjoy a gourmet meal or lunchbox, bilingual guiding, four outdoor decks, and a stop at Puesto Las Vacas. Hotel pickup and Perito Moreno footbridges are optional, depending on your booking.

“It was just perfect. The boat, the staff, the views, the guides, the food. We had the smile in our face all day. Everything was well organized, perfectly orchestrated and it was worth every penny. Beautiful views. All 4 of us didn’t have anything negative to say. I recommend this day trip. We had a blast.”

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4.All Glaciers Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 263 reviews · from $255

Sail from Punta Bandera through Argentino Lake to see Upsala, Spegazzini, Dry, Heim Sur, and Peineta glaciers. Then walk 300 meters through Patagonian forest to Spegazzini Refuge, with an optional 700-meter hike, viewpoints, and a three-course lunch option. English and Spanish guides are provided.

“Patagonia Dreams is a pleasure to work with. Very Reliable and goes the extra mile! The cruise was very nice but the VIP/Captain option was a little cramped and since we arrived last with the transfer, we were assigned the worst seats.”

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5.Gourmet Glacier Cruise & Footbridges of Perito Moreno

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 102 reviews · 12 hours · from $276

From El Calafate, cruise Lake Argentino past Upsala, Spegazzini, and hanging glaciers, walk through Patagonian forest, then explore Perito Moreno’s footbridges. English and Spanish guides, hotel pickup, and an optional lunch box are included. Guides such as Daniella, Maxi, and Jorge have led recent departures.

“The cruise was well-organized and informative! I really appreciated the cleanliness of the ship and friendliness of the crew. The glaciers were gorgeous and two of them only visible by boat, aka: this tour.”

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6.Perito Moreno boat tour from El Calafate: Glaciares Gourmet

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 94 reviews · 10 to 12 hours (approx.) · from $245

Spend 10 to 12 hours on Lake Argentino viewing Upsala, Heim, Seco, Spegazzini, and Perito Moreno glaciers. A bilingual guide, hotel transfer option, lunch, drinks, and a short walk at El Puesto de Las Vacas are included. Choose Perito Moreno disembarkation for roughly two hours on the famous boardwalks.

“Information provided by your company explaining origins and geology of the area and glaciers, the walking tour of the Perito Moreno glacier”

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7.Moreno Glacier: Tour from El Calafate with tour guide, walkways, and boat ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 80 reviews

Travel from El Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier with a Spanish and English guide, free time on the park walkways, and a one-hour boat ride near the ice wall. The small group is limited to 15 people. Bring warm layers, water, sunscreen, and your ID. National Park entry is extra.

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8.Gourmet Glaciers Navigation

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 76 reviews · 11 hours (approx.) · from $257

Spend about 11 hours sailing Los Glaciares National Park from El Calafate. You will approach Spegazzini Glacier, cruise among ice floes toward Upsala, view hanging glaciers, and walk through Patagonian forest at Punta Vaca. Lunch, a soft drink, insurance, and central hotel transfers are included. Bring warm layers and cash for the park entrance.

“Experiência incrível!! Recomendo ir com muita roupa… touca, luva, balaclava… o frio e o vento gelado são muito fortes! Mas é espetacular!!! Embarcação confortável, climatizada, banheiros limpos, lanche de cordeiro bem gostoso, pequena lanchonete a bordo, guias em espanhol e inglês.”

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9.Perito Moreno Glacier, Boat Cruise & Glaciarium

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 49 reviews · 2 days · from $136

Spend a full day at Perito Moreno Glacier, walking 4 kilometers of footbridges and sailing within 300 meters of the ice. The next day, visit Glaciarium Museum. Hotel pickup, a guide, walkway access, boat ticket, and museum entry are included, but bring cash or a Visa card for the park fee and arrange your return from the tourism bureau.

“The glacier is definitely worth it, the tour is great with on time pick up and smooth communication. The only thing that I did not really like was about the museum, the tickets are included but if you want to go to the glass bar, you will have to pay nearly the full price again. So it makes it not worth at all and best to take it separately. They should at least ask in advance if we are interested in the glass bar, so that we can only pay the additional amount and not the full price. Other that that, great guide, great tour, and enjoy the glacier -…”

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10.Navigation All glaciers

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 45 reviews · 9 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $327

You’ll leave your central El Calafate hotel early, ride to Puerto Bandera, then cruise Lake Argentino through Los Glaciares National Park. The route passes huge icebergs, Upsala Glacier, and, weather permitting, Spegazzini Glacier. A local guide, hotel transfers, and a standard cabin are included. Bring lunch and cash or Visa in Argentine pesos for the park fee.

“La Excursión es muy completa con guía y asistentes estupendos. Comida buena, explicaciones mejores. Barco cómodo.”

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11.Perito Moreno Glacier Experience with Boat Navigation !!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 41 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $135Top rated

Travel from your El Calafate hotel to Los Glaciares National Park in an air-conditioned vehicle, then spend about four hours on the Perito Moreno Glacier walkways. The tour lasts roughly seven hours and includes insurance and hotel pickup, but not the park entrance fee, food, drinks, or a boat ride.

“Beautiful glacier. Well organized trip with nice tour guide. Enough time to take photos. Pasarela was the best thing for me. Walking a bit to get close to the glacier. Hear when the glacier is moving and cracking. Weather was also good. If it is rainy, then you don't enjoy the trip that much.”

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12.Lake Argentino Upsala Channel Glaciers Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 18 reviews · 9h 30m · from $305

Spend about 9.5 hours sailing Lake Argentino from Punta Bandera, crossing the Boca del Diablo and the Upsala and Spegazzini channels. You’ll see floating ice, Seco, South Heim, Peineta, Upsala, and Spegazzini glaciers, then go ashore at Spegazzini Base. English and Spanish guides, lunch options, and hotel pickup are included.

“It was planned really well . The pick up was on time and the guide was very informative through out the day . The captains cabin was well worth the money and highly recommended . The staff on board were very good and helpful the lunch at the Resturant was superb overlooking stunning vistas . The day went really quick defo worth booking with Quo Vadis”

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13.Gourmet Navigation Upsala & Spegazzini Glaciers

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 8 reviews · 9 - 11 hours · from $256

Spend a full day on Lake Argentino aboard a comfortable boat, passing icebergs and the towering Spegazzini Glacier. You will walk for about 50 minutes in Las Vacas Bay, view Upsala Glacier from its channel, and approach Perito Moreno from the north. English and Spanish hosts, hotel transfers, and box lunch are optional.

“Excelente la excursión, las vistas. Se acercaban y rodeaban tanto los glaciares como los témpanos para que podamos sacar fotos y verlos bien. Daban tiempo para disfrutarlos. Muy bueno el barco, la atención y la comida. Cumplieron lo prometido y los tiempos Lo único malo, no se porque en lugar de dejarme en la puerta del hotel, donde me recogieron, me dejaron cuesta abajo unos metros que tuve que caminar ya cansada de todo el día.”

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14.Glacier Cruise & Trekking at Estancia Cristina

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 5 reviews · 12 hours · from $342

This 12-hour outing from El Calafate combines a boat ride among Lago Argentino icebergs with a guided walk at Estancia Cristina. You will see the Upsala Glacier from the navigation limit, visit a former shearing shed museum, walk to the Caterina River and chapel, and have lunch and free time at the ranch.

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15.Spegazzini and Upsala Glaciers Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 3 reviews · from $275

You’ll leave El Calafate by hotel shuttle, cruise Lake Argentino by modern catamaran, pass icebergs in the Upsala Channel, and view Upsala and 140-meter-high Spegazzini Glacier. The tour includes a short forest trail to Spegazzini Refuge, but park admission and lunch cost extra. English and Spanish service is available.

“The trip was more about promoting photographer’s pictures than about telling us about the trip. The photographer would not let us stand in front of the glacier because he had to click pictures of ppl who paid them to get the package. That’s unfair to the people who didn’t pay the package and were denied the prime spot to click pictures. Also they need English translation to everything they say in Spanish. Very little information. The glacier was really good. So do the trip but with better company who is not promoting their photographer.”

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