Patagonia Glaciers

Patagonia's two most dramatic national parks offer brilliant opportunities for hikers to get up close to some of the glaciers in a wild and remote setting:

In Chile's Torres del Paine National Park, those hiking the 4-5 day W Trek will hike up the Valle Frances to see the dramatic French Glacier, a hanging glacier. You'll also hike towards the Glaciar Grey which is a 14 km glacier fed by the ice cap filling the wonderful Lago Grey. For the full icy experience, it's possible to strap on crampons and hike on the surface of the glacier. 

Those hiking the longer Full Circuit (also known as the O Circuit) will also see the Perros Glacier in the north of the national park and enjoy the incredible views of the Grey Glacier and out to the Patagonian Ice Cap from the Paso John Garner.

Many of Patagonia's glaciers are inaccessible by land and can only be seen from the water. Adventure cruises offer the opportunity to see one of nature's great spectacles: glaciers calving into the sea. Cruises on expedition vessels typically last 3–4 days. The ships vary in size and style, with the largest carrying just 200 passengers.

The Chilean Fjords in northern Patagonia offer some of the region's most dramatic glaciers. Navigation of these fjords is broken up by gentle hikes to great panoramas and a chance to learn more about the local wildlife, including the chance to see whales and penguins.

At the southern tip of Patagonia, the Magellan Straits in Tierra del Fuego offer its own 'Glacier Alley'. Many of the adventure cruises here take you through this part of the Beagle Channel, first visited by Charles Darwin in 1833. These trips give you a chance to get up close to the glaciers in small boats and to hike to dramatic viewing points.

Multi-day hikes aren't necessary to enjoy some of Patagonia's greatest glaciers. Many can be experienced on short day trips. In Argentina, several extraordinary glaciers are easily accessible from the hikers' haven of El Calafate, close to the mountains of Los Glaciares National Park.

Perito Moreno Glacier is deservedly the best known and most visited glacier in all of Patagonia. Its distinctive brilliant blue tongue pokes out into the waters of its lake, and can be readily explored by kayak, boat trip or short walks onto the ice.

Glaciar Upsala is even larger than Perito Moreno and can be visited together with a nearby Patagonian estancia from which you can go for a guided hike or 4x4 adventure into the mountains to panoramic viewpoints

Glaciar Spegazzini is accessible only by boat, visiting several of the glaciers of Lago Argentino. You'll weave between icebergs as you make your way to Spegazzini where you'll be dwarfed by its epic wall stretching over 130m above you.

For those wanting to get deep into the Patagonian wilderness and experience glaciers that few have seen, there are some tremendous options.

One of the most spectacular is the Glaciar O'Higgins on the northernmost tip of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, near the wonderfully remote O'Higgins Crossing, and only accessible by boat.

Alternatively, you can choose to head to Chile's Aysen region, home to the smaller and less well-known Northern Patagonian Ice Field. Options here include the Lenoes Glacier, San Rafael, Calluquo, and Glaciar Exploradores off the rugged Carretera Austral highway, with its ice caves and hikes across its surface with crampons. Aysen is incredibly rich in glaciers (every valley seems to terminate in a hanging glacier), and while these are definitely off the beaten track, the region can easily be combined with the Chilean Fjords for an even bigger glacial hit. 

If you want the ultimate glacial experience, you can spend deep time trekking and camping on the ice fields themselves. Whilst you don't need technical expertise or experience you'll want plenty of resolve to face the extreme conditions that the Patagonian weather will throw at you. Our South Patagonian Ice Field Expedition gets you strapping on your crampons and roping up to deep into Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park at its most brilliantly wild.