Big Ice Perito Moreno Trek with Walkways and Navigation

Posted By : michelle_c
The tour itself was great but it was done by a 3rd party, Hieloya y Ventura, and they charge £150 less per person directly on their site so this particular tour is a rip off. Do not book and go direct with them. Viator refuses to stand by their lowest price guarantee because it’s a different currency which is ridiculous and not an excuse to charge £150 more.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-30

Posted By : Rebecca_H
Incredible day trip on the ice. We were picked up from our hotel on time, and taken to a coach which dropped us off in Los glaciares national Park. We had an hour to walk around the walkways to get a view - it was colder and windy there so bring layers. Then we got taken to the boat to be transferred to the hike on the other side of Lago Argentina, nice views from the boat. The hiking was great, they give you a harness and helmet to wear, and you have to bring gloves because the ice is sharp. Recommend wearing hiking boots as well be more comfortable when you put the crampons on on the ice. The hike was about 45 minutes through forest, then 3-4 hours on ice with a lunch stop. There are some ravines to avoid in the ice, but the guides are very helpful and sturdy, guiding you over the hardest parts. Bring layers as we kept on changing depending on wind and sun conditions, a face buff and ear warmers are good as well, and lots of sunscreen! We were back in town by 7.30pm. Everything was very prompt and professional, highly recommend!! The big ice hike has barely anyone, just 40 a day, so it feels undisturbed and the views and unparalleled. It's stunning, don't miss.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-01-19

Posted By : ina g
It is definitively worth the effort to take the BigIce tour! The landscapes are magnificent, we literally saw a natural cave and a waterfall in the glacier. For people with generally good physical condition, it is fine. If you are unable to hike uphill don t go, take the minitrekk option
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-01-02

Posted By : Alexander_M
If you're going to Perito Moreno, this is the trip you want to do. Very challenging, but worth it. The views are unmatched.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-10-19

Posted By : K775BDadamg
Not many new reviews or up to date info on the tour here so I feel compelled to give you all a heads up. Overall, this is a great trip and I’d highly recommend it to anyone up for the challenge. We went in Dec 2022, so my review is based around the summer months. Things you’d thank yourself for having…good boots, good socks, light gloves (mostly for protection, not insulation) sunscreen, sunglasses, snacks, lunch and water. I wore some REI waterproof hiking pants with little to no insulation and a light Arc’teryx Atoms hoody jacket. Didn’t need the jacket until we got onto the glacier (mostly for wind, it was hot out). You can fill up water on the glacier and at a waterfall, I would not rely solely on that. It’s a long day. We did the big trek, full day experience. The round trip was 12 hrs from hotel pickup to drop off. Bring cash for the park entry, you can pay with card but you may slow down the entire group depending on the park entry line. Once in the park, you view the glacier from a walkway for about an hour. This has the best bathroom of the day. Then you board a boat and head out for the hike. Best view of the glacier on the way in is on the right of the boat. Once you land you get your helmet and harness. The hike is about 8 miles in total. My guess is about 3.5 of those miles is on land headed to and from the glacier. The glacier is not as easy to get to as years past, even more difficult since 2020. It is melting and the previous entry point for the big trek is no longer safe. The way to enter as of Dec 2022 felt just under 2 miles. This part of the hike is steep, there are stairs in many sections of the first half… you go up, then down, then up, then down again. This is not an easy hike, you need to be able to handle steep grade both up and down for long periods of time. The last push onto the glacier is across steep loose rock, rock slides are possible here, this is most likely why you have a helmet. It’s not too bad, just take it easy and stay aware. Once on the glacier you get help putting on the crampons and the glacier hike begins. The crampons used are generic and a little heavy. There are two guides per group on the glacier. On the long trek, our guide took us pretty far out there to see multiple crevasses, rivers, ponds, etc. The views are phenomenal! We went through the middle of a crevasse, with both legs spread over the crack and our hands out against the wall, below us was a giant crack with ice water that went down in the abyss. It was pretty intense, but everyone did it with ease and we were all stoked to have done that. The hike back takes you the same way through the mountain back. But don’t be fooled! It’s not over yet. There is then another ~.5miles to the “refuge” where you walk on a wooden walkway through the woods to a building with free tea and coffee. You then take the boat back to the bus and the bus back to your hotel. We started the hike at about 10:30am and finish at about 5pm. If you don’t think you can physically handle 6-8hrs of hiking with reasonable rest periods for water, lunch, etc. then save yourself the stress and do the shorter glacier hike. You won’t see as many intense glacier features, but you can still walk on it. Throughout the hike the guides will pressure you to stay tight to the group and keep pace for safety. If you cannot, they’d recommend you stop and will send someone out to return with you. Depending on the time, they may offer you the possibility of doing the shorter glacier walk instead of the long trek. I believe anyone with moderate physical strength can do this hike. I do not regularly work out and I did this hike a few days after ~13 miles to see Fitz Roy. You will have to push yourself, but it is totally worth it and you will be proud of yourself for doing it, too. The experience is one of a kind and I strongly recommend this experience to anyone up for the adventure! You can do it!!! *pic with red line shows where entrance used to be around 2018, you gotta hike about another mile to get to the new entrance
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-12-26

Posted By : RagougniaB
My partner and I went with Hielo & Adventura - and we were not disapointed! Well schedules, on time, explanations, equipment...it is an entire day trip including the cross over with the boat, a walk of more or less 45 mns to the beggining of the glaciar where you put the crampons on. The landscapes are amazing ! There are two qualified guides per group to ensure the way. This is mainly a flat path and walking with crampons is easy. Be aware though that the wind can be very strong and ice cold so take appropriate clothes to cover yourself. People wrote that it is a physically very demanding experience but I wouldn t go that far. This is very doable even for non sporty people. Just make sure to be able to walk few hours. Totally worth it !
Rating :
Posted On : 2019-09-29

Posted By : martinY8802BD
very nice tour. grate impressions of the glacier. professional guides and equipment. very expensive. I would do it again.
Rating :
Posted On : 2019-02-21

Posted By : IncaCondor
Having been on other glacier walks before, this one rates poorly. The glacier itself is beautiful, of course, but any natural beauty was over shadowed by constant flow of other mini-treks ahead and behind of us. We felt like we were on a camel train only stopping for photo opportunities. Having said this, the infrastructure was very good, it felt safe and professional and the guides were fine, if a bit weary worn. I'd say if I had a choice of doing this again I would have skipped it.
Rating :
Posted On : 2018-12-06

Posted By : Madeline T
This was one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. The glacier is spectacularly beautiful. You feel like an arctic explorer walking around in crampons. This is tiring but not overly difficult. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience that should not be missed. The guides are knowledgeable and offer solid training. Don't forget to pack your own lunch.
Rating :
Posted On : 2018-08-14

Posted By : JonnyC000
Well we thought about this for quite a while before booking due to the price. Seems these guys are really taking advantage of their sole rights to walk on the glacier. It is though as others have said a great day. I walked on Fox glacier in New Zealand 20 years ago and while both were great experiences, this did have the edge (I suspect if we’d done mini trekking NZ would have had the edge). I couldn’t stop snapping at the beautiful sights and the sense of the size of the thing is very apparent. The lunch by the ice lake is really beautiful. The guides were good too and most spoke good English. Some said they would have liked longer to watch the glacier from the front but the upside is you’re there first thing in the morning before the crowds arrive. So if you’re going to NZ as well then maybe save yourself some money and walk on Fox or Franz-Joseph. If not then I think you should do this if you can afford it. It is one of the highlights of South America.
Rating :
Posted On : 2018-06-10