Hielo y Aventura S.A

What Hielo y Aventura S.A does

Hielo y Aventura S.A. is an Argentine private tourism company founded in 1989 by three guides, headquartered in El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, and incorporated in Buenos Aires. It is the official concessionaire of Los Glaciares National Park, operating lake navigation and glacier trekking services at the Perito Moreno Glacier, and describes itself as the largest glacier trekking operator in Argentina and possibly the world.

The company operates a portfolio of four core excursion products — Minitrekking (the original 1989 product, medium physical demand, 9.5 hours), Big Ice (high demand, 12 hours), Safari Azul (low demand, 9 hours), and Safari Nautico (no physical demand, 1-hour boat navigation). Pricing is unit-based per adult in Argentine pesos, ranging from roughly ARS 64,000 (Safari Nautico) to ARS 490,000 (Big Ice), with optional hotel transfer add-ons. Operations are seasonal for some products and year-round for Minitrekking and Safari Nautico. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company website with online booking; no travel-agency intermediation, no app, and no proprietary technology platform are present. The company holds ISO 9001 and IRAM-SECTUR quality certifications.

The revenue model is purely transactional: per-booking tour ticket sales with no recurring or subscription component. Customer base consists of individual and small-group international and domestic tourists visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier area; there are no named enterprise or B2B contracts. The firm employs approximately 200 staff (company claim) across its fleet of buses, minibuses, and boats. There is no external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed M&A activity. The firm is privately held and founder-managed.

Name

Hielo y Aventura S.A

Legal name

Hielo y Aventura S.A

Website

https://hieloyaventura.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adventure tourism and glacier excursions

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Other (4879)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mountain, Glacier & Alpine Nature Tours (THAJAIAF), Polar & Remote-Destination Expedition Tour Operators (THAKADAM)

Keywords

• Glacier trekking tours
• Glacier excursion services
• Lake navigation tours
• Adventure tourism services
• National park tours

Headquarters

HQ city

El Calafate

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tour Ticket Sales: One-time transaction fees for tour services including Minitrekking, Big Ice, Safari Azul, and Safari Nautico experiences at Perito Moreno Glacier. Customers pay upfront for tour access and optional add-ons like transfers. Revenue is generated per booking with no recurring component.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Hielo y Aventura S.A. is the official concessionaire of Los Glaciares National Park at Perito Moreno Glacier, selling guided glacier trekking and lake navigation excursion experiences to tourists visiting El Calafate, Argentina. Its product portfolio spans four named tours — Minitrekking, Safari Azul, Safari Nautico, and Big Ice — ranging from a 1-hour boat navigation to a 12-hour advanced trekking expedition. Tickets are sold per booking through the company's own website, with optional shuttle transfers from El Calafate hotels.

Product overview

Hielo y Aventura S.A operates as a single-service tourism company offering four distinct glacier excursion products at Perito Moreno Glacier within Los Glaciares National Park. The product portfolio consists of Minitrekking (the founding product, created in 1989), Safari Azul, Safari Nautico, and Big Ice — ranging from a basic 1-hour boat navigation with no physical requirements to advanced multi-hour glacier trekking expeditions requiring high fitness levels. All products share common infrastructure including shuttle transfers from El Calafate, walkway access, and safety equipment (crampons for trekking options), with pricing varying by duration and physical intensity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Minitrekking Guided 9.5-hour glacier trekking excursion on Perito Moreno Glacier where participants walk on the ice with crampons, exploring cracks, seracs, streams, and small ponds. Includes guided transfer from El Calafate and visit to the walkways. Available year-round at medium physical demand.
• Safari Azul Approximately 9-hour low-demand excursion that includes transfer and extended visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier walkways, designed for visitors seeking a lighter experience. Operates from July 19 to May 31.
• Safari Nautico 1-hour lake navigation experience offering water-level views of Perito Moreno Glacier. No physical demand and operates all year. Transfer not included.
• Big Ice Advanced 12-hour glacier trekking expedition with high physical demand, including transfer and walkway visit. Designed for fit visitors seeking an in-depth ice experience. Operates from September 15 to April 30.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 35 years of experience in glacier tourism
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Los Glaciares National ParkcoreOthersHielo y Aventura S.A. holds an official concession from Los Glaciares National Park to provide tourist services at Perito Moreno Glacier. This concession grants the company exclusive rights to operate lake navigation and glacier transit services within the national park.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• G Adventures: Large-scale small-group adventure travel company offering Patagonia tours that include Perito Moreno excursions. Comparable in target market and product category, and a meaningful indirect distribution channel for inbound traffic to Hielo y Aventura's products.
• Intrepid Travel: Global small-group adventure tour operator with strong Patagonia itineraries. Comparable in adventure tour product and target customer (international experience-led travelers), and represents a key indirect channel competitor and potential B2B partner.

Direct peers

• Cerro Cristal Adventures: Local El Calafate operator providing boat navigation and trekking on and around Perito Moreno Glacier. Overlaps with Hielo y Aventura's Safari Nautico/Safari Azul products and competes for the same tourist base arriving in El Calafate.
• Upsala Explorer: Boat-based excursion operator navigating Upsala and Spegazzini Glaciers within Los Glaciares National Park. Closely comparable in product (lake navigation, glacier viewing) and customer (Patagonia-bound adventure tourists).
• Antis Obo Outdoor & Travel Agency: Argentine adventure travel agency running guided treks and expeditions across Patagonia and other Argentine destinations. Comparable niche adventure tour operator targeting international travelers with multi-day nature experiences.
• Cascada Expediciones: Argentine adventure tourism operator offering multi-day expeditions and trekking across Patagonia. Directly comparable as a regional adventure tour company serving international and domestic visitors with guided nature experiences.
• Solo Expediciones: Patagonian tour operator offering guided treks, ice walks, and adventure packages in Argentina and Chile. Directly comparable in adventure/nature guided tours and B2C booking model targeting international visitors.
• Estancia Cristina: Tourism operator based inside Los Glaciares National Park offering full-day boat-and-trekking excursions (Upsala Channel, Cristina ranch). Operates under a similar national park concession model and competes for the same glacier-day-trip visitor.

Emerging players

• Glaciarium: El Calafate-based ice-themed museum and interpretive center offering glacier education and supplementary tours. Adjacent competitor for tourist time and wallet share, with partial overlap in target customer (Perito Moreno day-trippers from El Calafate).

Regional players

• Quasar Expeditions: Latin American high-end small-ship and overland expedition operator covering Patagonia, Galapagos and Atacama. Comparable in premium guided adventure tourism within the same regional demand pool but does not directly compete at Perito Moreno.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hielo-y-aventura-s-a

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hielo y Aventura S.A