This is a Chilean National Park declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1979. It has an area of 1,242,000 hectares of millenary beauty situated at latitude 46° – 45° south in Chilean Patagonia. It was discovered four centuries ago by the Spanish navigator Juan García Teo, and is today one of Chile’s most outstanding internationally-known natural beauties.

The ice of the Glaciar San Rafael are more than 30,000 years old. Its front is 2 km wide and its towers soar to over 70 m and sink 230m under the sea. It is 15 km long and is born in the Nevado San Valentín in the Northern Ice Field, born of the Andes Mountains. Its blue ice and its constant ice falls have made it an international attraction with different coloured ice-floes that are absolutely unique.

There is no other glacier in Patagonia with such large ice-floes of such a shade of blue that makes them the most beautiful glaciers in Patagonia. Cruceros Skorpios has special Hercules vessels to get near to the glaciers; these are huge steel boats that travel easily through the ice masses, reaching unique places that are incredibly close to the massive glacier.

Glaciar San Rafael, as seen from Cruceros Skorpios is really unique.

Glaciar and Laguna San Rafael Map

Satellite Map

360° Panoramas