Upsala Glacier + Estancia Cristina + 4x4 Upsala Viewpoint + Museum.
Estancia Cristina Upsala Discovery is a tour in El Calafate that combines a boat ride to the Upsala Glacier area, departing from the Port of Punta Bandera, with a visit to Estancia Cristina. You will enjoy unique views of the Upsala Glacier from the famous viewpoint of the estancia, you will visit in 4x4 vehicles the surroundings and also visit its historic museum. This is the only tour in El Calafate that allows you to observe closely the Upsala Glacier front, its spectacular size and the glaciers that feed it.
If you book the tour with transfer from El Calafate, we will pick you up at 7:30 a.m. at your hotel to then head to Port de la Cruz located in Punta Bandera and at 47 km from El Calafate. If you book the tour departing from the Port of Punta Bandera, you must get there at 8:30 a.m.
The boat departs at 9:00 a.m. sailing the North Arm of Lake Argentino until reaching the Upsala Canal, from where you can see the western front of the glacier in the distance, surrounded by huge icebergs of various shapes. You will enjoy a boat tour between icebergs and imposing mountainous landscapes to then sail the Cristina Canal until you arrive at the estancia.
When you get to Estancia Cristina and disembark, you will take a guided tour to the Costumbrista Museum, which is a former shearing shed, and then have lunch at the estancia restaurant. After lunch, the adventure begins on a 4x4 journey to the famous Viewpoint of the Upsala Glacier, on a 9.5 km route with an unevenness of 550 meters above sea level.
Upon arrival at the Continental Ice Shelter in 4x4s, a 15-minute walk is undertaken on glacial erosion terrain in the direction of the viewpoint while you have privileged views of the Eastern front of the Upsala Glacier and the glaciers that support it, Lake Guillermo , Southern Patagonian Ice and the Andes Mountains.
Finally, you return to Estancia Cristina on 4x4s where, after a walk through the old part of the estancia, you will embark again to head towards Port of Punta Bandera. You will arrive in El Calafate at 8:00 p.m. having made the only tour in Los Glaciares National Park that still offers close views of the Upsala Glacier.