Perito Moreno vs Upsala Glacier: Which to Visit
Los Glaciares National Park in Argentine Patagonia contains two of the most spectacular and largest glaciers accessible to visitors anywhere in the world. Perito Moreno and Upsala Glacier both originate from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, both calve into Patagonian lakes, and both lie within the boundaries of the same UNESCO World Heritage Area — yet they offer experiences so different in character that they appeal to different types of travellers and reward different approaches to visiting.
Understanding those differences before you book is the key to getting the most from a Patagonian glacier trip. The two glaciers are not interchangeable. Perito Moreno's relative accessibility and frequent dramatic calving make it the iconic choice for many visitors. Upsala's sheer scale, remote feel, and the wilderness boat journey required to reach it make it an altogether different proposition. Both deserve consideration.
Perito Moreno: The Calving Spectacle
Perito Moreno Glacier is the third-largest glacier in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, covering approximately 250 square kilometres, and is one of only a handful of glaciers in Patagonia that is not in net retreat — it has remained in approximate equilibrium over recent decades, advancing at roughly the same rate it calves at the terminus. This unusual stability is attributed to the topography of the lake it calves into (Lago Argentino's Brazo Rico), which controls the calving dynamics at the front.
The glacier terminus rises between 60 and 70 metres above the lake surface in a nearly vertical ice wall approximately five kilometres wide. Calving events — blocks of ice fracturing from the terminus and crashing into the water — occur continuously during warm weather, with large collapses happening multiple times per day and visible from the network of walkways and viewing platforms built along the opposing shore at a distance of a few hundred metres. There is almost no equivalent anywhere in the world in terms of accessibility to a major calving glacier of this spectacle.
The platform network, managed by the Administración de Parques Nacionales, includes several kilometres of boardwalks at multiple levels above the lake, providing views from eye level to high above the glacier front. No special equipment, guide, or booking is required for the platform walk — the park entrance fee from El Calafate (approximately 80 kilometres by paved road) is sufficient. This ease of access, combined with the reliability of the calving spectacle, makes Perito Moreno the single most visited glacier in South America.
Perito Moreno On the Ice: Minitrekking and Big Ice
For visitors who want to walk on the glacier surface, two levels of guided ice trekking are available, both accessed by boat from the park dock to the glacier's lateral margin. Minitrekking (roughly two hours on the ice) is suitable for most healthy adults in reasonable physical condition and does not require prior climbing experience. Big Ice (approximately five hours on the ice) ventures further across the glacier surface, reaching more remote crevasse and serac terrain, and requires booking in advance with a licensed guide company operating within the park. Both experiences include crampons provided by the operators.
Upsala: Scale and Solitude
Upsala Glacier, in contrast to Perito Moreno, is the largest glacier in Argentina by area, covering approximately 870 square kilometres — more than three times the area of Perito Moreno — and is one of the largest temperate glaciers in the Southern Hemisphere. It calves into the northern arm of Lago Argentino at a terminus roughly five kilometres wide, surrounded by a wide expanse of floating icebergs that have calved from the glacier's face and drifted south through the lake.
Upsala has been retreating significantly over recent decades, losing substantial area and retreating by several kilometres from its maximum position. The retreat has created an extensive proglacial lake in the area vacated by the terminus, now covered by the floating icebergs that give the Upsala approach its otherworldly character. Unlike Perito Moreno, the calving at Upsala is not easily watched from a fixed viewpoint: the terminus is retreating into a deep lake, and the calving front is not consistently active in the dramatic, accessible way that characterises Perito Moreno.
Reaching Upsala: The Lake Crossing
Upsala is reached exclusively by boat from Puerto Bandera, approximately 50 kilometres west of El Calafate on the northern shore of Lago Argentino. The journey takes several hours each way across the lake, passing through the channels between floating icebergs in the Spegazzini canal and the Upsala lake arm. The iceberg field — some bergs blue-white and freshly calved, others grey-green and weathered — is spectacular in its own right and is a major draw of the boat journey.
Full-day boat tours departing from Puerto Bandera typically include the Upsala approach, time at the iceberg field, and a stop at Spegazzini Glacier (another major calving glacier on the lake's southern arm) before returning. Some tours also include Onelli Glacier, accessible from a short walk through lenga beech forest from Onelli Bay. Landings on Upsala itself are generally not offered because the retreating terminus and unstable iceberg field create hazards.
Which to Choose
If you have one full day in Los Glaciares National Park and are based in El Calafate, Perito Moreno is the obvious choice. The drive is easy, the glacier is immediately accessible, and the calving spectacle combined with the option of guided trekking on the ice delivers a complete glacier experience. If your primary interest is wilderness and scale rather than activity and spectacle, the Upsala boat tour adds a different dimension — the journey through the iceberg field, the sense of vast uninhabited ice, and the contrast with Perito Moreno's choreographed viewpoints.
If time allows, both experiences complement each other well. El Chalten, a three-hour drive north from El Calafate, adds Viedma Glacier and access to trekking around Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy for a broader Patagonian experience.
Use the map to locate Perito Moreno and Upsala Glaciers within the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and plan your route through the wider Los Glaciares National Park area.