Glaciers & Icefields

Patagonia's Glaciers — Ice Giants at the End of the World

Patagonia is home to the third-largest ice mass on Earth after Antarctica and Greenland: the Campo de Hielo Sur (Southern Icefield) and the Campo de Hielo Norte (Northern Icefield) cover 17,000 km² and feed dozens of glaciers that calve into lakes and fjords.

Grey Glacier (Torres del Paine)

The Grey Glacier is 6 km wide and 30 m high where it calves into Lago Grey. From the Mirador del Glaciar, you can watch massive ice chunks break off with a thunderous roar and plunge into the turquoise water. Particularly impressive: a kayak tour among the floating icebergs or the catamaran trip with the "Grey III" directly to the glacier wall.

San Rafael Glacier

The San Rafael Glacier on the Northern Icefield is the closest glacier to the equator in the world. Accessible via boat tour from Chaitén or Coyhaique — an unforgettable experience as the catamaran approaches to within a few hundred meters of the 70-meter-high, blue-glowing ice wall and ice chunks crash into the sea.

Glacier Trekking

For those who want to experience the glaciers up close, glacier trekking can be booked: Walk with crampons over ancient ice, climb through blue crevasses and ice tunnels, and drink glacier water that is thousands of years old. Providers in Puerto Natales and El Calafate (Argentine side) organize half-day and full-day tours.