The best time to see Grey Glacier
Any month can give you a good day at Grey, and any month can give you a cancelled one. The glacier is there all year and the 3-hour boat sails through winter, but the wind on the day matters more than the calendar. Below are the seasons in turn, and after them two smaller choices, the hour of the sailing and how far ahead to book.
Any month, if the wind allows
Grey Glacier does not close. It pours off the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and meets Lago Grey at its northern end in every month, and the 3-hour boat keeps sailing in winter. What changes from month to month is the daylight and the cold. What changes from hour to hour is the wind, which is the main reason sailings are called off.
The main season runs roughly October to April, the Patagonian spring to autumn, and almost every tour in these guides is built around it. Whatever month you pick, the go-ahead comes from the captain when you check in at Hotel Lago Grey, and seeing ice fall from the face is luck in every season. How the Grey III trip runs covers what happens on board once you are cleared to go.
The year at a glance
| Months | What to expect | 3-hour boat | Ice hike |
|---|---|---|---|
| September to November | Spring, lengthening days, the wind picking up | Sails, wind permitting | Runs from September |
| December to February | Longest days, most visitors, strong wind | Sails, wind permitting; book early | Runs |
| March and April | Autumn, usually calmer, lenga turning red | Sails, wind permitting | Runs until April |
| May to August | Winter, short days, snow, highs near 40 °F (4 °C) | Still sails, per recent reviewers | Not running |
The table is a rough guide, not a forecast. Patagonian weather can swing in a single afternoon, so plan a spare day if the boat is the point of your trip.
December to February, long days and the most visitors
Midsummer brings the longest days of the year, so a sailing fits around a park day with daylight to spare at both ends. It also brings the most visitors, and seats on the boats and vans go first in these months. Summer highs in Puerto Natales run roughly 57–63 °F (14–17 °C), and out on the deck near the ice it feels a good deal colder.
The catch is the wind. It blows hardest in spring and summer, and it is the main reason Turismo Lago Grey suspends sailings. If the operator cancels for weather or mechanical issues, GetYourGuide refunds the full price, but the day is gone, which is why a buffer day earns its place in a summer itinerary.
March and April, a calmer autumn
By March the summer crowds thin and the wind usually eases a little. The lenga forests on the hillsides start turning red, roughly from March into April, though the timing shifts from year to year. Days are shorter than in summer but still long enough for a full park day, and the ice hike keeps running until the end of April.
A calmer month is also the time to think about a smaller craft. Howlanders' kayak among the icebergs in front of Grey, from ~$250, paddles for about 2.5 hours toward the east face. The catch is that it is non-refundable, which hurts in a place where the forecast can turn overnight, and it needs a night at Refugio or Camping Grey. Ice hiking and kayaking at Grey has the details on both base-camp trips.
Winter, May to August
Winter is the quiet season, and the 3-hour sailing keeps going through it. Recent reviewers wrote about trips in every month from May to July. Expect short days and snow, with highs in Puerto Natales around 39–41 °F (4–5 °C), and colder still on deck. The ice hike stops after April and starts again in September, so in winter the boat is how you get close to the face.
When the forecast rules out the lake on the day you have, a land tour still shows you the park. W Circuit Patagonia's full day by van, from ~$75, has 1,135 reviews averaging 4.8. From that van, though, Grey's blue ice stays a distant view, and park and cave entry cost extra. For a closer look from the shore, Torres del Paine Adventure's park day, from ~$68, includes a walk on the Lago Grey beach among stranded icebergs.
A sailing that keeps going in winter
Turismo Lago Grey's 3-hour Grey III trip, from ~$130, leaves Hotel Lago Grey at several times of day. Cancel free until 24 hours ahead, and if the captain calls it off for wind, GetYourGuide refunds you in full.
Morning or afternoon on the boat
Turismo Lago Grey sells the 3-hour sailing, from ~$130, at several times of day. Reviewers warn that the time on the listing is the check-in time at Hotel Lago Grey, not the moment the boat leaves, and you still have the walk to the pier after that. One guest on a midday slot boarded at 12:45 pm and was back on the beach at 3:35 pm.
The tours with transport choose for you. Nothofagus Patagonia's day, from ~$300, takes the 10 am boat so the afternoon is free for viewpoints, which means a 6–6:30 am pickup in Puerto Natales. If you drive yourself, an afternoon slot spares you the dawn start on a road of roughly 2 hours. We found nothing in the listings or reviews that makes one hour reliably calmer than another, so pick the slot that suits the rest of your day. Getting to the pier from Puerto Natales works through the drive.
How far ahead to book
Viator shows how early people book, and for Grey the lead times are long. The ParaViajantes resale of the Grey III sailing and Howlanders' cruise with pickup are both booked a little over two months ahead on average, at about 66 and 67 days. The ice hike stretches to about 92 days.
Most of the trips cancel free until 24 hours before and let you pay later, so booking early costs you little. The exceptions are Howlanders' cruise with pickup and its Lago Grey kayak, both non-refundable, so book those only once your dates are fixed. What a Grey Glacier tour costs sets out the cancellation terms of all thirteen, and what to wear at Grey covers dressing for whichever month you land on.