The use of crampons provided by Hielo y Aventura is essential to walk safely on ice. The mountain guides will be in charge of fitting the crampons appropriately and they will explain how to use them safely.
Yes, all the tours, the Minitrekking, the Big Ice and the Safari Náutico depart daily, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays; and they are not cancelled due to bad weather, except for extreme winter conditions or constant wind at more than 40 knots. However, every tour has an opening and closing date due to the complications of winter.
The Minitrekking: from the beginning of July until de end of May.
The Big Ice: from mid September until the end of April.
The Safari Náutico: year-round.
With credit cards, Mercado Pago or Paypal from our web page or in our office located in El Calafate, Av. Libertador 935, with credit or debit card or in cash.
-Minitrekking
Restrictions: No, due to the great effort and difficulty of this activity it is only allowed for people between 10 and 65 years old.
Not suitable for overweight people; to this end, overweight people will be considered as such when they exceed the following criterion: weight in kg more than double the height in cm minus 100 (for example, for a height of 1.70m: 170 minus 100 = 70x 2 = 140); pregnant women; people with any type or degree of physical or mental disability, which may affect their attention, gait and/or coordination; people who suffer from central or peripheral cardiovascular diseases, as well as those whose cardiac capacity or vascular capacitance is diminished, or who use stents, pacemakers or any other prosthesis, (e.g. anticoagulant drugs, grade 3 varicose veins -which are seen as thick and multiple, cardiac arrhythmias); people who suffer from diseases that cause respiratory disability (COPD, asthma, emphysema, etc.)
Due to the responsibility by virtue of the applicable legal regulations, H&A reserves the right to refuse admission, pursuant to the above standards, when they become apparent.
-Big Ice
Restrictions: No, due to the great effort and difficulty of the land, this tour is only suitable for people between 18 and 50 years old and in a good physical condition, considering that they will walk about 7 hours in total, including ice and forest.
Not suitable for overweight people; to this end, overweight people will be considered as such when they exceed the following criterion: weight in kg more than double the height in cm minus 100 (for example, for a height of 1.70m: 170 minus 100 = 70x 2 = 140); pregnant women; people with any type or degree of physical or mental disability, which may affect their attention, gait and/or coordination; people who suffer from central or peripheral cardiovascular diseases, as well as those whose cardiac capacity or vascular capacitance is diminished, or who use stents, pacemakers or any other prosthesis, (e.g. anticoagulant drugs, grade 3 varicose veins -which are seen as thick and multiple, cardiac arrhythmias); people who suffer from diseases that cause respiratory disability (COPD, asthma, emphysema, etc.)
Due to the responsibility by virtue of the applicable legal regulations, H&A reserves the right to refuse admission, pursuant to the above standards, when they become apparent.
-Safari Náutico
Anyone can do this tour.
No, due to the use of crampons and the irregular surface. It is not safe enough for pregnant women because one crampon can get caught with the other and she may fall.
There are several daily departures depending on the tour and the time of the year. In the case of the Minitrekking and the Big Ice, they depart from El Calafate between 7 am and 12 pm and they return between 5 pm and 8 pm approximately. The Safari Náutico has several departure times from the Bajo las Sombras Port: 10 am, 11.30 am, 1 pm, 2.30 pm and 4 pm. Depending on the time of the year, the schedule is confirmed when contracting the service.
Food and beverages. Trekking boots (Big Ice), sport footwear with laces (Minitrekking). Warm and waterproof clothing, gloves, glasses, sunscreen. It is more practical to bring everything on your backpack.
It is not included in the tour fee. So it is important to bring Argentine pesos to pay the entrance fee to the National Park. Credit cards or foreign currency are not accepted.
We walk with crampons 3.30 hrs. approximately in the Big Ice and 1.30 hrs. in the Minitrekking. Add to this, the two-way walks to and from the glacier. In the case of the Minitrekking, 40 minutes to and from the glacier and in the case of the Big Ice, 2.30 hrs. to and from the glacier. These are approximate times; they may change due to the weather or the physical conditions of the group.
A mountain guide is a professional responsible for guiding one or more people in a natural environment, in order to help them enjoy the landscape ensuring their safety and helping them better understand the place by providing information about the area. Our guides have wide experience in the Patagonia and abroad, they are certified by the Mountain Guides Association of Argentina (Bariloche) and EPTGAM (Mendoza) and other Institutions approved by National Parks.
Yes, almost all guides speak English.
There are 70 km to the Bajo las Sombras Port (ships to cross over into the glacier depart from there) and 7 km more to reach the walkways of the Perito Moreno Glacier.
It is included in the Big Ice and the Minitrekking if said service is contracted; it is not included in the Safari Náutico.
In both tours you mostly walk on ice and a little in the forest, you sail in front of the glacier and you visit the walkways. Basically, the main difference is the intensity of the experience, Big Ice is more demanding. Thus, the groups in Big Ice are smaller and, therefore, the experience more personalized. The Minitrekking is a 3-hour moderate walking tour (including the walk off the ice). Big Ice is a more extended version of the Minitrekking and you walk down a different area of the Glacier, much more distant, during approximately 7 hours, 3.30 hrs. on the ice. That is why we put emphasis on age and physical aptitude restrictions.
