Glacier Front
The most direct route to the heart of the glacier: one kilometre of trail through streams and moraine until you stand in front of the ice.
Calluqueo Glacier · Cochrane
The tours
Two routes to the same glacier, with different demands and different lengths. Both leave Cochrane in the morning and return the same day.
What the day is like
One way in to the ice, two ways to experience it
The route starts in Cochrane and runs 55 km of gravel road to the southwest face of Monte San Lorenzo. There we hand out the technical gear, walk a short stretch through the forest and cross 7 km of Lake Calluqueo by boat.
Once ashore in front of the glacier, the group takes its route. Both finish back in Cochrane the same day.
Shared itinerary
The way to the glacier
This stretch is the same on both tours.
Cochrane · morning departure
We head south along the Carretera Austral. After about 5 km, a turn to the left leaves the main road behind and takes us toward Monte San Lorenzo along a gravel road.
Gravel road · Laguna Esmeralda
The road runs along the foot of the range and offers its first postcard: Laguna Esmeralda. Some 13,000 years ago the glacier reached this spot; its retreat shaped the landscape we drive through today.
Km 55 · southwest face of Monte San Lorenzo · approx. 1 h 30
We reach the foot of Monte San Lorenzo. Here we hand out the technical gear — helmets, poles and life jackets — and the guide welcomes the group with a briefing on the area and on safety.
Andean Patagonian forest
A short walk among native trees brings us to a handmade jetty on the shore of Lake Calluqueo.
Boat crossing · 7 km
We set out across milky glacier-fed water while the Calluqueo glacier opens up ahead in whites and blues.
At the glacier · the routes split
From this point the day splits into the two tours: the short walk to the glacier front, or the longer traverse to the Andean Lagoon.
Choose your route
Glacier Front or Andean Lagoon
Andean Lagoon
The long traverse: a mountain trail up to the Andean Lagoon, then down into the periglacial zone for a stop to touch the ice.
Side by side
The two tours in detail
| Detail | Glacier Front | Andean Lagoon |
|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | Easy | Easy to moderate |
| Total duration | 5 hours | 7 hours |
| Walking | 1 km | 12,5 km |
| Drive from Cochrane | 55 km | 55 km |
| Boat crossing | 7 km | 7 km |
| Minimum travellers | 2 | 3 |
| With transport | $110.000 | $160.000 |
| Without transport | $90.000 | $140.000 |
| Included | Local guide, technical gear, boat crossing | Local guide, technical gear, boat crossing, snack |
| Touching the ice | No | Yes, in the periglacial zone |
2026 rates per person, VAT included. No deposit required: you pay on the day of the tour, before departure. The boat crossing depends on lake and weather conditions; the guide assesses them on site.
Bookings
Tell us how many you are and the day you want to go
We answer on WhatsApp and Instagram. If you already have a date we can hold it; if you are still deciding, we will help you pick the route.