Day tours from El Calafate, on land
The Perito Moreno walkways, El Chaltén, Torres del Paine and the estancias. What each day includes, whether the park entrance is in the price, and how much time you get at the sights.
Perito Moreno Glacier
El Chaltén
Torres del Paine
Estancia
4x4 and nature
The most-reviewed tour of each kind
El Calafate is the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park. The Perito Moreno Glacier, about 80 km from town, takes a full day; El Chaltén to the north, Torres del Paine across the border and the estancias fill the other days. The table keeps the column that changes your budget most: the park entrance.
| Photo | Tour | Trip | Duration | Hotel transfer | Park entrance | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Glacier walkways day, boat optional Patagonia Dreams | Perito Moreno Glacier | About 8 hours | Hotel pickup | ContradictoryListed as included, yet the same listing tells you to buy the ticket yourself on the official park website. | ★ 4.7 (2,767) | €61 per person | Book now |
|
El Chaltén full day Patagonia Dreams | El Chaltén | About 11 hours | Hotel pickup at places with a reception desk, otherwise a meeting point | ✓ IncludedListed as included. | ★ 4.4 (1,036) | €104 per person | Book now |
|
Torres del Paine full day Patagonia Dreams | Torres del Paine | About 16 hours | Hotel pickup | ContradictoryListed as included, but the listing also mentions a cash payment for the park. | ★ 4.6 (486) | €185 per person | Book now |
|
Nativo lakes and caves Patagonia Profunda | 4x4 and nature | About 3 hours | Not stated | Not stated | ★ 4.9 (115) | €116 per person | Book now |
|
Estancia 25 de Mayo evening Patagonia Dreams | Estancia | About 5 hours | Pickup at 4:30 pm or 7:15 pm | Not stated | ★ 4.8 (67) | €112 per person | Book now |
Tour prices are per person and refresh from GetYourGuide and Viator; the park entrance is only part of that price where the table says included, and the booking page shows the final amount for your date.
Choose your day out of El Calafate
Perito Moreno Glacier
A full day of about eight hours with hotel pickup and three to four hours on the walkways opposite the ice front.
Glacier tours compared
El Chaltén
Eleven to thirteen hours with a long drive north and short walks in the village: the condor lookout, a waterfall, or Laguna Capri on the longer version.
Torres del Paine
Fifteen to sixteen hours across the border into Chile. Passport required, and most of the day is spent on the bus.
Estancias
Ranch visits from a short evening at Estancia 25 de Mayo with mate and a folklore dinner to a long day at Nibepo Aike with a horse ride.
4x4, caves and riding
Shorter outings of three to four hours: lakes and caves with Nativo, a 4x4 and zip-line trip on Cerro Huyliche, or a ride on Cerro Frías.
Is the park entrance included?
The Perito Moreno Glacier and the trails around El Chaltén lie inside Los Glaciares National Park. Since 1 June 2026 the general rate for foreign visitors is ARS 50,000 per person and day, according to the official rate table on argentina.gob.ar. Tickets can be bought online in advance through ventaweb.apn.gob.ar; carrying some pesos as a backup does no harm.
Tour listings handle this fee loosely. Several mark it as included in one place and tell you to buy it yourself a few lines further down, and some still quote older amounts. We read each listing and sort it into one of three plain labels.
| Glacier walkways day, boat optional Patagonia Dreams · Perito Moreno Glacier |
Contradictory Listed as included, yet the same listing tells you to buy the ticket yourself on the official park website. |
|---|---|
| El Chaltén full day Patagonia Dreams · El Chaltén |
✓ Included Listed as included. |
| National park and glacier tour Info de Ushuaia · Perito Moreno Glacier |
✓ Included Listed as included, with an older amount than the rate in force since 1 June 2026. |
| Full-day glacier tour Say Hueque · Perito Moreno Glacier |
✕ Not included Not included; the host confirms this on the product page. |
| Torres del Paine full day Patagonia Dreams · Torres del Paine |
Contradictory Listed as included, but the listing also mentions a cash payment for the park. |
| Guided full-day glacier tour Tolkeyen Patagonia Turismo · Perito Moreno Glacier |
Contradictory Listed as included; one review reports high extra costs for the park and the boat. |
| Glacier walkways tour Bross Travel · Perito Moreno Glacier |
✕ Not included Paid by you at the park entrance; the inclusion list on the listing contradicts itself. |
Fee: Administración de Parques Nacionales, rate table valid from 1 June 2026. Tour status: our reading of each listing, October 2026.
Time at the glacier, with and without the boat
The road from El Calafate to the glacier is paved and about 80 km long; the bus needs roughly an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half each way. On site, about 4 km of walkways face the ice front. Tours plan three to four hours there, depending on the operator.
Most glacier tours offer a boat ride of about an hour from Puerto Bajo las Sombras as an optional extra. It comes out of your walkway time. One traveller sums it up as about three hours on the walkways without the boat and about two hours with it. That is a review, not a rule, but it matches the schedules.
Seeing the ice from the water
Boat trips to the ice face, minitrekking and Big Ice on the glacier itself are compared on our sister site peritomorenocruise.com. This site stays on land.
What fits into a day in El Chaltén
El Chaltén is 220 km north of El Calafate. A day trip leaves around five hours in the village, which is enough for short walks and not for the famous long trails. Titles such as “full-day tour” can suggest more hiking than the schedule allows.
| Mirador de los Cóndores | Short walk to a lookout over the village, about 700 m according to the listing. Part of most day trips. |
|---|---|
| Chorrillo del Salto | Waterfall near the village. Part of most day trips. |
| Mirador Laguna Capri | About 8 km with roughly 400 m of ascent, two hours each way. Only on the longer guided hiking day, from age 12. |
| Laguna de los Tres | About 23 to 25 km return, eight to ten hours or more. Not possible on a day trip from El Calafate. |
| Laguna Torre | About 18 to 20 km return, seven to eight hours. Not possible on a day trip from El Calafate. |
Trail lengths for Laguna de los Tres and Laguna Torre: nomadicsamuel.com. Short walks and Capri: tour listings, October 2026. In winter, snow can stop the Capri hike; a review from August 2026 reports exactly that.
The day trips last about 15 to 16 hours. One itinerary plans seven hours on the bus out, a walk of about an hour and a half in the park and eight hours back, with a Chilean guide taking over after the border. Take your passport. One operator needs your passport details before it can confirm the booking, and the park entrance is unclear in the listings. If Torres del Paine matters to you, it deserves more than one day.
When to go
About this site
We list bookable land tours from El Calafate with duration, transfer, time on site and the park entrance status read from each listing. When you book through a link here, GetYourGuide or Viator pays us a commission out of their margin; your price does not change.
Planning questions
Is the Perito Moreno entrance fee included in the tour price?
Often not, and the listings are not always clear about it. Some tours list the entrance as included and then ask you to buy the ticket yourself; others say plainly that you pay at the gate. The national park sets a daily rate for foreign visitors, published on argentina.gob.ar, and the ticket can be bought online in advance. Our table shows the status of every glacier tour.
How long do I get at the Perito Moreno Glacier on a day tour?
The glacier tours plan between about three and four hours at the walkways, depending on the operator. Adding the optional boat ride shortens that: one traveller reports about two hours on the walkways with the boat and about three without it.
Can I hike to Laguna de los Tres on a day trip from El Calafate?
No. El Chaltén is 220 km north of El Calafate, and the day trips leave you around five hours in the village. The hike to Laguna de los Tres takes most of a day on its own, and so does Laguna Torre. Day trips use the short walks to the Mirador de los Cóndores and the Chorrillo del Salto waterfall, or the longer guided hike to Laguna Capri.
How long is the Torres del Paine day trip from El Calafate?
Between about 15 and 16 hours. Most of it is the drive and the border crossing into Chile; the walk inside the park is short. You need your passport, and one operator needs your passport details before it can confirm the booking.
Should I add the boat ride to my glacier tour?
It takes you below the ice face for about an hour, but it costs time on the walkways. If you want more time on the water, or a walk on the ice itself, our sister site peritomorenocruise.com compares the boat trips and ice treks.
When is the best time for day tours from El Calafate?
The high season runs from November to March and is busiest in January and February. September, October, April and May are quieter. In winter, from June to August, many operators run reduced schedules, while the glacier walkways stay open. Snow can stop hikes around El Chaltén in winter.
Start with the glacier
Walkway time, transfer and park entrance for every Perito Moreno tour on one page.
Glacier tours compared