Outings and excursions · El Calafate
Seno Mayo: boat trip to the Mayo glaciers and a forest walk
Photos: WCDN1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Rocio.Ferreyra99 · CC BY-SA 4.0 / NASA, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center · Dominio público (Wikimedia Commons)
From Puerto Bandera, a cruise across Lago Argentino into the Seno Mayo, an arm reachable only by water, with hanging glaciers and a short forest walk.
Heading west from El Calafate, the road follows the shore of Lago Argentino to Punta Bandera, a small settlement on the lake. This is where Puerto Bandera sits, the pier from which boats set out for the arms of the lake that cut deep into the Andes. Lago Argentino is huge: around 1,415 km² in area, 65 kilometres long not counting its arms, and up to 500 metres deep.
The boat crosses the Canal de los Témpanos, right in front of the northern wall of Perito Moreno Glacier, and then turns into the Seno Mayo, a narrow arm of the lake hemmed in by mountains. The Seno Mayo can only be reached by water, and you feel it: no roads, no houses, just forested shores, waterfalls tumbling over the rocks and, higher up, the hanging glaciers of Cerro Mayo (1,816 metres) and the Cerro Negro range.
Mayo Glacier is one of the nine major glaciers on the Atlantic side of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field that drain through the Santa Cruz River. Its front ends in an arm of the lake, and it has been shrinking: between November 2025 and February 2026 the tongue reaching into the water went from 2.5 to 1.4 km², according to satellite monitoring by glaciologist Mauri Pelto. Beyond the Cerro Negro range to the south lies the Ameghino Glacier, which at 75 km² is the second-largest glacier in the Brazo Sur sub-basin after Perito Moreno.
Part of the day is spent ashore. The landing in the Andean Patagonian forest leads to a short walk on trails among trees, streams and limestone rock formations, with running water never far away. It is a change of scale: after hours of watching ice from the deck, the walk brings you back to small things, moss and shade.
Weather here changes fast, with wind, rain and sunshine in a single afternoon. Come ready to spend many hours outdoors, because the Seno Mayo is best enjoyed from the open deck rather than behind glass.
- Tour type: Lake cruise with a forest walk
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Tip: Bring layers, a waterproof jacket, hiking shoes and something to eat; it is a full-day trip inside Los Glaciares National Park, which charges a separate entrance fee.
