Chile's largest glacier, according to the state's official inventory, is the O'Higgins, in Aysén, at 772.5 km². It is followed by San Quintín (763.3 km²), in the Northern Patagonian Ice Field, and Greve (754.8 km²), in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. The figures come from the Public Glacier Inventory of Chile's General Water Directorate (DGA), in its 2022 version with the amendments made official in 2024, which records 26,180 glaciers and 21,012 km² of ice in the country, excluding Antarctica.
*Updated on October 21, 2026.* This list will be updated on this same page when the DGA publishes a new version of the inventory.
Chile's 10 largest glaciers
| # | Glacier | Region | Municipality | Ice field | Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O'Higgins | Aysén | O'Higgins | Southern | 772.5 |
| 2 | San Quintín | Aysén | Aysén | Northern | 763.3 |
| 3 | Greve | Magallanes | Puerto Natales | Southern | 754.8 |
| 4 | San Rafael | Aysén | Aysén | Northern | 711.0 |
| 5 | Pío XI* | Magallanes | Puerto Natales | Southern | 678.6 |
| 6 | Penguin | Magallanes | Puerto Natales | Southern | 460.7 |
| 7 | Jorge Montt | Aysén | Tortel | Southern | 433.0 |
| 8 | Steffen | Aysén | Tortel | Northern | 413.0 |
| 9 | Europa | Magallanes | Puerto Natales | Southern | 392.7 |
| 10 | Tyndall | Magallanes | Torres del Paine | Southern | 298.6 |
Source: DGA, Public Glacier Inventory 2022, version 2 (inventory file: name, region, municipality, ice field and area fields). Ranking calculated by Viajando Chile. The DGA records three of them with the letter A: “O'Higgins A”, “San Rafael A” and “Tyndall A”. *See the note on Pío XI below.
All ten are in Patagonia's two great ice fields: seven flow from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, between Aysén and Magallanes, and three from the Northern Patagonian Ice Field, in Aysén.
Why Pío XI is not the largest glacier in Chile on this list
Pío XI, also called Brüggen, is often described as the largest glacier in the country and in the Southern Hemisphere outside Antarctica, as we noted in our data sheet on Chile's natural records. In the DGA inventory it comes fifth, at 678.6 km², because the part of the glacier inside the zone pending demarcation with Argentina, defined in the 1998 boundary agreement between Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Daudet, is not counted, as the organisation Glaciares Chilenos explains. With its full area, it would be the largest.
Where Chile's glaciers are: ranking by region
| Region | No. of glaciers | Area (km²) | % of the country's ice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magallanes | 7,055 | 10,426.6 | 49.6% |
| Aysén | 10,301 | 8,723.6 | 41.5% |
| Los Lagos | 3,025 | 614.5 | 2.9% |
| Metropolitan | 1,254 | 450.4 | 2.1% |
| O'Higgins | 776 | 269.8 | 1.3% |
| Valparaíso | 765 | 161.9 | 0.8% |
| Atacama | 863 | 92.0 | 0.4% |
| Coquimbo | 898 | 84.1 | 0.4% |
| Other regions | 1,243 | 189.3 | 0.9% |
| Total | 26,180 | 21,012.2 | 100% |
Source: DGA, Public Glacier Inventory 2022, version 2. Totals and percentages calculated by Viajando Chile from the official file.
Chile's glaciers in figures: 2014 and 2022
| Indicator | 2014 inventory | 2022 inventory |
|---|---|---|
| Number of glaciers | 24,114 | 26,169 (26,180 in version 2) |
| Ice area | 22,796.4 km² | 21,009.8 km² (21,012.2 in version 2) |
| Estimated ice volume | — | 2,710.7 km³ |
| Water equivalent | — | 2,301.5 km³ |
| Share of territory (excluding Antarctica) | — | 2.8% |
Sources: DGA, as cited by Glaciares Chilenos (October 2023), and the version 2 inventory file. There are more glaciers in 2022 because many split into smaller bodies and because satellite imagery improved; the total area, however, fell by about 8%. The organisation itself warns that the two inventories “are not strictly comparable” because of the changes in method.
Aysén is the region with the most glaciers (10,301) and Magallanes the one with the most ice (almost half the country's). The Metropolitan Region, with 1,254 glaciers, ranks fourth by area: most of them are at the head of the Cajón del Maipo, a key water reserve for Santiago.
Largest glaciers in Chile you can visit
- San Rafael (4th): in Laguna San Rafael National Park, Aysén. It is reached on boat trips by sea or across the lagoon; see what to do in Coyhaique.
- Pío XI (5th): in Bernardo O'Higgins National Park; it can only be reached by sea, on cruises through the fjords.
- Tyndall (10th) and Grey: in Torres del Paine National Park. Grey (240.6 km² according to the DGA) is the most visited: you can see it from the W trail and on boat trips on Lake Grey; see trekking in Torres del Paine.
- O'Higgins (1st): it ends in Lake O'Higgins, near Villa O'Higgins, at the end of the Carretera Austral; see our Carretera Austral guide.
- Near Santiago: the San Francisco and El Morado glaciers, in the Cajón del Maipo, are the most accessible in central Chile; see what to do in the Cajón del Maipo.
Does your boat-trip operator, lodge or agency in Patagonia want to reach travellers looking for glaciers?
See advertising optionsHow to cite this data
Viajando Chile (2026). *Chile's 10 largest glaciers according to the official DGA inventory*. With data from the Public Glacier Inventory of the General Water Directorate. https://viajandochile.com/en/news/largest-glaciers-in-chile-dga-ranking
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest glacier in Chile?
According to the DGA inventory, the O'Higgins, at 772.5 km². Pío XI would be larger if its part in the zone pending demarcation with Argentina, which the inventory excludes, were counted.
How many glaciers does Chile have?
26,180 glaciers covering 21,012 km², according to version 2 of the DGA's 2022 Public Glacier Inventory, excluding Antarctica.
Which region has the most glaciers?
Aysén has the most glaciers (10,301), but Magallanes has the largest ice area (10,426.6 km²).
