Is the Perito Moreno Boat Worth It?

For most first visits, yes, if you have the time and the budget: the walkways show you the front from above, and the boat shows its height from the water, which no balcony can. It is also the easiest part to drop. On the day tours it adds about US$76 to US$93 a person, and one reviewer in March 2026 found the view from the last walkway stop just as good. SALUM TOUR & TRAVEL’s Perito Moreno Glacier Sightseeing Tour with Boat Safari & Guide from El Calafate sells the day both ways, from US$79 without the boat (checked November 2026) and US$165 with it on the dates we read.

Pick a date, then the option with the boat safari if you want the hour on the water. Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before.

What the boat adds

From the walkways you look at the front from the land, across the water, at several heights: the park’s map lists six trails, from 150 m to 1,117 m. The boat puts you at water level in front of the wall for an hour, which is where its height shows. SALUM TOUR & TRAVEL’s boat option runs in front of the glacier’s northern wall; the boat-only trips work the north wall from the port at the walkways or the south face from Bajo de las Sombras.

What the boat cannot promise is an event. Ice falls from the front when it falls; no operator can schedule it, and none of the listings here should be read as a promise of one.

What it costs

GetYourGuide option prices for one adult (checked November 2026); SALUM TOUR & TRAVEL’s on 3 December 2026, 20 January and 27 March 2027.

On its own, the hour costs less than that difference: Southern Spirit Lago Argentino's boat along the north wall is from US$50 and Hielo y Aventura S.A's Nautical Safari from US$67. They suit a day you have organised yourself; on a day tour, the boat option keeps the timing in the guide’s hands.

What reviewers say

SALUM TOUR & TRAVEL's day has 217 reviews on GetYourGuide, and we read them all, April 2025 to November 2026: 187 give five stars and 7 give three or fewer. One, in January 2026, found the boat worth it despite its commercial feel, but would have taken a standard bus, paid the park entrance and bought a boat ticket on the spot. Others mention a guide who talked the whole way (September 2026) and a full bus (February 2026).

On Patagonia Dreams' day, of the 350 most recent reviews, January to November 2026, 12 give three stars or fewer; one in March 2026 did not need the boat because the view from the last walkway stop was as good, and one in March 2026 found only about two hours left on the walkways.

Who should and who can skip it

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.

Skip the boat if the budget is tight, if you are coming back another day, or if you are doing a full-day lake cruise that ends at the north face anyway.