El Calafate Tours: Boat Trips, Hikes and Ranch Visits

Perito Moreno excursion from El Calafate

The guided Perito Moreno programme lasts eight hours and starts at your accommodation. It includes a guide speaking English, Portuguese and Spanish during the transfer and walkway visit. The one-hour cruise is included only with its corresponding option. National park admission, lunch, drinks and snacks are extra, so the basic outing and the boat addition should be considered separately.

This is a straightforward choice when you want a land-based glacier visit with guided interpretation. It does not promise a walk on the ice. The destination guide to visiting Perito Moreno Glacier covers the glacier itself. Keep the choice here between the road outing and the other activities available from your El Calafate base.

Day trips and guided hiking

El Chaltén is connected to El Calafate by 220 km of paved road. A day there combines a substantial journey with time outdoors, so choose the walking programme carefully. The guided Laguna de los Tres product has a nine-hour stated duration. For departure from El Calafate, select Option A with return transport; Option B starts in El Chaltén. A certified Spanish/English guide, boxed lunch, insurance and a trekking pole are included, with crampons when conditions require them. Personal boots and waterproof clothing are your own equipment.

The separate eleven-hour Fitz Roy and Laguna Capri trek includes return transport from El Calafate, a multilingual guide, poles and insurance. Food, drinks and Los Glaciares admission are extra. These are trekking choices rather than interchangeable versions of a short village walk. The El Chaltén day-trip guide explains how to separate those intentions before setting aside a day.

Cruise landings and an estancia evening

The ten-hour multi-glacier cruise combines Spegazzini and Perito Moreno with the Upsala Canal. It includes a guided walk after landing at Puesto de las Vacas, bilingual guides and transport from selected hotels. A landing at the Perito Moreno walkways and a gourmet meal are excluded. Read the boat comparison if a particular glacier route or landing is the reason for your choice.

For a rural programme, the five-hour estancia visit includes hotel transfers, a guide, welcome tea and mate, and wine tasting. Dinner with folklore depends on the purchased version, and drinks with that menu are extra. It is an estancia experience with an evening option. The estancia page keeps the rural visit, meals and riding choices together without turning a folklore programme into a separate music or tango attraction.

Other activities and transport between days

A boat deck, a kayak and a saddle offer different ways of spending time outside. Use the dedicated kayaking, horseback riding and guided 4x4 pages for the relevant transfers, equipment and programme lengths. A drive that transports you to an activity should not be mistaken for an entire day devoted to that activity.

The airport transfer shown here links downtown hotels with Comandante Armando Tola Airport. Keep it with your arrival or departure plans rather than comparing it with an excursion. The airport page explains local transport choices, while the car rental page covers road planning if you are considering driving yourself. Wind and sudden weather changes can disrupt boat, kayak and glacier outings. Bring warm waterproof layers and suitable footwear, and allow for cancellations rather than fixing every connection tightly around a tour return.

Questions before you go