How to Get to Perito Moreno Glacier from El Calafate

When we visited Perito Moreno Glacier, we didn’t rent a car and we didn’t join a guided tour. We went to the bus terminal in El Calafate, booked a round-trip ticket and travelled out to Los Glaciares National Park that way.

It turned out to be a really good fit for us.

Once the bus dropped us off, we were free to spend the day walking the boardwalks at our own pace. We stopped whenever we wanted, lingered at the viewpoints, wandered down different sections of the walkway system and generally spent a lot of time staring at the glacier. The only thing we had to keep an eye on was the clock because our return bus left at 4:00 in the afternoon.

That is still one of the easiest ways to understand the transport options today: the bus gives you an independent visit within a fixed timetable.

But it isn’t your only choice. Perito Moreno Glacier is about 80 kilometres from El Calafate, and you can also get there on an organized excursion, by taxi or remis, or with a rental car. Each option changes the rhythm of the day quite a bit.

So if you’re trying to decide how to get from El Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier, here’s how the different options work and what I would consider before choosing one. If you’re still planning the rest of your stay, my guide to things to do in El Calafate covers the wider destination.

How to get from El Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier

There are four main ways to make the journey:

First things first, if you want to visit Perito Moreno Glacier, you need to make your way to El Calafate. This town is the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park and Perito Moreno Glacier.

You do NOT want to go to the town of Perito Moreno. Even though it shares the same name as the glacier, this town is in fact 629 kilometres away in the opposite end of the Santa Cruz Province.

I repeat, you want to go to El Calafate to see the Perito Moreno Glacier, and Perito Moreno to see the Cave of Hands.

This would be a very easy mistake to make, especially if you’re travelling across Patagonia by bus.

Taking the bus to Perito Moreno Glacier

There are several different ways to get to Perito Moreno Glacier, so let’s start with the most affordable option and work our way up from there!

This is the option we used.

The travel time from El Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier is 1.5 hours whether you take a bus, taxi or drive your rental car.

We went to the bus terminal in El Calafate and arranged our transportation there. On the day of our visit, we left town at around 9:00 in the morning and reached the glacier area at approximately 10:30.

From there, we were on our own until the return bus at 4:00.

I liked that arrangement because it didn’t feel like we were on a tour. Nobody was shepherding us from viewpoint to viewpoint or telling us when to move along. We could choose our own route through the walkways and spend as much time as we wanted in one spot within reason, because the bus was definitely not going to rearrange its afternoon around us.

We ended up spending most of the day on the boardwalks.

We had already seen Perito Moreno from the water on a separate glacier cruise, but seeing it from the walkways was completely different. From the boat, the experience had been about scale and movement: cruising past icebergs and approaching these enormous walls of ice from water level. From the boardwalks, we had time to simply stop.

And you really do stop.

You hear cracking from somewhere across the water and suddenly everyone is looking in the same direction, wondering whether a piece of ice is about to break away. Then nothing happens. You walk another stretch, find another balcony, and try again.

Some sections of the walkways were quite exposed to the wind, while parts passing through the forest felt noticeably calmer. There were also more stairs

The main bus companies that travel to the park are Cal Tur, Chaltén Travel and Marga Taqsa.

If you’re visiting during high season, I would recommend booking your bus tickets to the park in advance. You can do so via a travel agency in town or by walking over to the bus station on the edge of town (that’s what we did!). There is a limited number of buses making the journey each day, so you want to make sure you get a seat.

Also, book a round-trip ticket so you don’t get stranded at the park at the end of the day! Otherwise, you’ll have to call a taxi to come and get you.

Taking an organized tour from El Calafate

An organized excursion is worth considering if you want someone else to handle the transport.

Perito Moreno tours collect passengers from accommodation in El Calafate and travel into the national park as a group. Many include a guide, though that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll spend the whole visit walking behind one person with a flag.

Some excursions leave several hours of free time on the walkways, which means you can still wander around independently once you arrive. Other excursions combine the walkways with a boat navigation. That can be a good option if this is your only glacier day and you want both perspectives.

We saw Perito Moreno from the water on a separate glacier cruise, and I do think the land and water views complement each other. I just wouldn’t assume you need to combine them into one day if you have more time in El Calafate. boardwalks.

If you want to compare that style of trip with other formats, my dedicated guide to Perito Moreno Glacier tours goes into the choices in more detail.

• Mini Trekking Excursion on Perito Moreno Glacier: This glacier trek includes transportation to and from the park. Once you arrive at the park, you board a vessel at Bajo de las Sombras and cross over to the glacier. You are then geared up with crampons and ice axes to begin the trek. This glacier trek has a maximum of 20 participants per guide.
• Perito Moreno Glacier with Navigation: This tour to Perito Moreno Glacier includes hotel pickup and drop-off. Once you arrive at the park, you have time to visit the walkways and balconies for different perspectives of the glacier. During the navigation, you will sail around the south face of Perito Moreno, which rises 60 meters above the water. The boat ride is 1 hour in length.
• Sightseeing Glaciers Cruise: This is a full-day sightseeing boat tour where you get to see numerous glaciers and icebergs! It takes you to parts of the national park that would otherwise be impossible to reach. You can read about our experience of the Gourmet Glaciers tour aboard Maria Turquesa here.
• Footbridges of Perito Moreno Glacier: This tour is basically private transportation to Perito Moreno Glacier. Once you arrive, you have free time to explore the walkways on your own. This is where you get to see Perito Moreno Glacier from the balconies. At the end of the day, you ride back to El Calafate, and you can get dropped off at your hotel or in the centre of town.

Note: Keep in mind that even if you book a tour to Los Glaciares National Park, you will still need to pay the park admission fee separately. More on that below.

Taking a taxi or remis to Perito Moreno Glacier

A remis is another very Argentine solution.

If you haven’t encountered the term before, a remis is basically a private car service that you arrange in advance. You agree on the journey and the price rather than getting into a metered taxi and watching the total climb.

We used remises a few times around El Calafate to get to places farther outside the centre, though we didn’t take one to Perito Moreno Glacier.

A few to consider include: Taxi Remis Calafate Viajes Turísticos, Taxi Remis Los Andes, Taxis Remis El Puma and Taxi Remis Condor.

For Perito Moreno, local companies offer private round-trip transport from El Calafate. Depending on what you arrange, the driver may pick you up at your accommodation, take you to the glacier, wait while you visit and then drive you back to town.

For a solo traveller, a private car may be difficult to justify. For three or four people travelling together, the numbers can look very different once you’re splitting the cost.

The appeal is that you have much more control than on the bus without having to rent or drive the car yourself.

You can also arrange the day around your own energy.

That sounds like a small thing, but after enough long Patagonia excursion days, I appreciate the ability to say, “We’re done. Let’s go.”

Renting a car and driving to Perito Moreno

Driving yourself gives you the most freedom of all.

The road from El Calafate to Perito Moreno is paved, and you can drive directly to the glacier visitor area. There is parking near the walkways, including an upper parking area intended to make access easier for visitors with reduced mobility.

The obvious advantage is that there is no 4:00 pm bus hanging over your head.

If the weather is beautiful and you want another hour, stay. If you’ve seen everything you wanted to see and you’re cold and tired, leave.

You can also stop along the way when something catches your eye instead of seeing Patagonia slide past the bus window.

I’ve rented cars several times in other parts of Argentina, so I’m comfortable with the general process, but we did not rent a car for our El Calafate stay and I didn’t personally drive this route. For that reason, I wouldn’t tell you that driving is automatically the best way to visit.

I think it makes the most sense if the vehicle is useful for the rest of your trip too. If you’re already renting a car for several days, then using it for Perito Moreno is an obvious choice.

If you’re considering renting a car for this one excursion alone, compare the full cost against the alternatives. Rental prices change considerably depending on dates and vehicle class, and you’ll also need to factor in fuel and the time involved in collecting and returning the car.

The other thing to keep in mind is that most rental cars in Argentina are manual transmission, while in North America we’re used to driving automatic transmission.

I’ve rented cars in Argentina several times in different parts of the country and what I’ve found is that automatic cars can go for up to 3 times the cost of renting a manual. So that’s a major consideration.

Also, renting a car in Patagonia is more expensive than renting elsewhere in Argentina! Manual cars in El Calafate start out at $60 USD per day and automatic cars go for $100 per day. This is the minimum price; it can go up from there based on demand, time of year, and the type of vehicle you choose.

I would compare Discover Cars options in El Calafate across several vehicle classes, rather than relying on a generic rental estimate.

The important point is that you don’t need a rental car to visit Perito Moreno. You rent one because you value the flexibility enough to make it worthwhile.

So which option should you choose?

If your priority is simply getting to Perito Moreno and having a good amount of independent time there, I still like the bus.

That’s what we did, and I never felt like taking public transport diminished the experience. Once we stepped off the bus, the day felt like it was ours.

If I wanted everything handled from the hotel door onward, I would look at an organized excursion.

If I were travelling with a few other people and nobody wanted to drive, I would get quotes from local remis companies. Private transportation becomes much more interesting when the cost is shared.

And if I already had a rental car, or wanted one for several days, I would drive.

Whichever transport you choose, remember that getting to Perito Moreno and entering Los Glaciares National Park are two separate costs unless your specific tour says otherwise.

Los Glaciares National Park Info

Los Glaciares National Park was created in 1937 and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981. It is home to the third-largest continental ice field on the planet and to numerous glaciers, including Perito Moreno Glacier, which is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world.

Park hours

From September 1 to April 30, the park entrance is open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (and you may remain in the park until 8:00 pm). This is the summer schedule.

From May 1 to August 31, the park entrance is open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (and you may remain in the park until 6:00 pm). This is the winter schedule.

Park admission fee

As of 2026, the admission fees to Los Glaciares National Park are as follows:

• General rate: $50000 ARS
• National residents: $25000 ARS
• Provincial residents: $8000 ARS

If you book a 2-day pass, you get 50% off the second day’s tariff.

About Perito Moreno Glacier

Perito Moreno Glacier is one of the most impressive natural wonders in South America.

The glacier is named after Francisco Moreno, an early pioneer who studied the region during the 19th century and played a crucial role in defending Argentina’s territory in the conflict surrounding a border dispute with Chile.

Francisco Moreno was locally known as Perito, which means ‘specialist’ or ‘expert’ and that’s how the name Perito Moreno came to be.

This sprawling glacier covers an area of roughly 250 square kilometres and forms part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, which is the third-largest freshwater reserve in the world!

What sets Perito Moreno Glacier apart from other glaciers is that its very active. In fact, it’s one of the few advancing glaciers on Earth.

The glacier’s tip reaches the shores of Lago Argentino, and as it advances, it periodically forms a natural dam that blocks the waters of the Brazo Rico from the rest of the lake.

Pressure builds up during this period, eventually causing a massive calving event where the ice dam breaks and giant chunks of ice fly into the lake in a dramatic fashion. This event is something that occurs every 4 to 5 years.

Boardwalks and Trails

There are different boardwalks and trails to enjoy when visiting Perito Moreno Glacier. The Pasarelas section of Los Glaciares National Park has the following options:

• Central Circuit: 600 metres – 1:00 hs – Easy
• Lower Circuit: 1100 metres – 1:15 hs – Challenging
• Forest Trail: 570 metres – 0:45 hs – Moderate
• Shoreline Trail: 1117 metres – 1:30 hs – Moderate
• Accessible Circuit: 565 metres – 0:30 hs – Very easy

Tip: For the best hiking in Los Glaciares National Park, you’ll want to spend a few days in El Chaltén. This town is considered the trekking capital of Argentina and it’s located inside the northern portion of the park. In contrast, El Calafate is in the south end of the park and La Leona is in the middle.

Are there facilities at Perito Moreno?

Yes, and quite a few.

The glacier visitor area has toilets, food service and sheltered areas where you can eat something you’ve brought with you.

There are also accessibility measures around the visitor area, including ramps, an accessible walkway and wheelchair availability for the accessible circuit with an accompanying person.

That makes a big difference if you’re visiting independently.

You’re not being deposited in a remote corner of the national park and expected to somehow figure out the rest. The road brings you to a developed visitor area, and from there the extensive boardwalk system is the focus of the visit.

How I would get to Perito Moreno Glacier again

If I were planning the same kind of trip we took (a straightforward day focused on the Perito Moreno walkways) and the current bus schedule suited me, I would take the bus again.

I liked having the logistics settled without feeling like our glacier visit itself had been organized for us.

We arrived, looked at the time and knew we had several hours.

Then we walked.

Some viewpoints were busier, some sections were quieter, the wind seemed to find us whenever we stepped out of the trees, and every so often we’d hear another crack somewhere across the water and turn back toward the glacier.

By late afternoon, we simply had to make our way back to the bus.

For me, that was enough structure.

But if your priority is door-to-door convenience, choose a tour. If you want private timing without driving, look at a remis. If you want complete freedom and already have reason to rent a car, drive yourself.

The good news is that visiting Perito Moreno independently is still very straightforward. You don’t need an elaborate expedition to reach one of Patagonia’s most extraordinary sights.

We bought a bus ticket in El Calafate, travelled out to the national park for the day and spent the hours in between wandering the walkways with an enormous wall of blue ice in front of us.

Sometimes the simplest option really is enough.