Illustration.
By boat from Puerto Punta Bandera · Up the Upsala channel
Upsala Glacier: How to See It from El Calafate
The Upsala Glacier from the water: Solo Patagonia's cruise sails the north arm of Lago Argentino and up the Upsala channel among the glacier's icebergs, as far as the captain judges safe, then on to the Spegazzini channel and a landing at Base Spegazzini. The glacier's front stays in the distance. The entry ticket has no transport and no food; the park fee is paid at the port.
Two ways to see it
By Boat or from the Lookout?
The Upsala Glacier fills the head of the Upsala arm of Lago Argentino, north-west of El Calafate, and you can see it two ways. By boat, you sail up the Upsala channel among the icebergs that break off it, with the front in the distance: commercial boats have been kept well short of it since the national park restricted navigation in 2016. From land, Estancia Cristina’s 4x4 climb ends at a lookout above the glacier. The boat day is Solo Patagonia’s El Calafate: All Glaciers Cruise Tour | Spegazzini & Upsala, from US$285 a person (checked November 2026) for the entry ticket; the lookout day costs more and takes longer.
From El Calafate: Mirador del Glaciar Upsala
Estancia Cristina - ECSA: hotel transfer, a sail through the north arm and the Cristina channel, the estancia, then a 4x4 and a 20-minute walk to the Upsala viewpoint. Lunch included; 11 hours.
See the day →El Calafate: All Glaciers Cruise Tour | Spegazzini & Upsala
Solo Patagonia SA: up the Upsala channel among the icebergs as far as the captain judges safe, then the Spegazzini channel and a landing at Base Spegazzini. No transport or food in the entry ticket.
Check dates →El Calafate: Glaciers Gourmet Experience - Full Day Cruise
Cruceros Marpatag: a panoramic view of the Upsala and Bertacchi glaciers from the channel, a walk at Puesto Las Vacas and the north face of Perito Moreno. Classic deck with a lunch box.
See the cruise →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The comparison below sets the boat days and the lookout side by side. Can boats get close to the Upsala? explains the limit.
- 4.5 / 5 327+ Reviews
- about 9 km How far the Upsala Glacier has retreated since 1986, from a Copernicus satellite image of 22 September 2023
- 600 m Depth of the Upsala channel at the glacier's western front (Lo Vecchio and others, 2025)
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Boat Day Includes
The boat into the Upsala channel, the guide and the landing at Base Spegazzini; transport, food and the park fee are extra on the entry ticket.
Solo Patagonia SA's own highlights, inclusions and notes, as listed on GetYourGuide in November 2026.
Highlights
- Disembark at Spegazzini Base and explore the modern Spegazzini Refuge
- Benefit from fully accessible infrastructure, including ramps and elevators
What's Included
- Round trip transfer from El Calafate to Puerto Punta Bandera (optional service)
- Navigation through Lake Argentino
- Visit to Upsala Glacier
- Visit to Spegazzini Glacier
- Access to Spegazzini Base & Refuge
- Access to Spegazzini Glacier walkways and Agostini Viewpoint
Good to know: National Park entrance ticket is required · Boarding at 08:30 hrs, departure at 09:00 hrs, disembarkation at 16:00 hrs · Free parking available for those traveling with their own vehicle · Not Included: Los Glaciares National Park entrance ticket, Food and drinks
Up the Upsala Channel and Back
The pier at Punta Bandera, the north arm, the Upsala channel and its icebergs, then Spegazzini.
Punta Bandera
Boarding at 8:30 at Puerto Punta Bandera, 47 km from El Calafate by the national park's figure; drive and park free, or take the transport option. The park ticket is sold at the port.
Brazo Norte
Through the Boca del Diablo and up the north arm of Lago Argentino, the long arm that leads to the Upsala channel.
The Upsala Channel
Among the icebergs that break off the Upsala Glacier, about 105 minutes of sailing. Commercial boats keep well south of the glacier's front: the national park restricted navigation in the Upsala arm in 2016 and 2017, and the captain decides each day how far up the channel to go.
Spegazzini and Back
Into the Spegazzini channel, then a landing at Base Spegazzini with its refuge and walkways. Back at the pier at 16:00.
Photo Gallery
Icebergs, the Channel and the Ice Field
Floating ice in the Upsala channel, the long arm of the lake, and the glaciers that feed it.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Solo Patagonia's full-day cruise from Puerto Punta Bandera: up the Upsala channel among the glacier's icebergs, then the Spegazzini channel and a landing at Base Spegazzini. The entry ticket has no transport and no food; the park fee is paid separately. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Know the Glacier
Planning to See the Upsala Glacier
How close the boats get, the land lookout at Estancia Cristina, where the glacier is, how far it has retreated, and the icebergs in its channel.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Tour prices on GetYourGuide and Viator are in US dollars; the park fee and Estancia Cristina's own rates are as each issuer prints them.
Four Ways to See the Upsala Glacier
Two boats up the Upsala channel, one boat that looks up it on the way to Perito Moreno, and the land lookout at Estancia Cristina: how each one shows you the glacier, how long the day is and what is included. GetYourGuide prices with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE By boat, up the channel | From the land lookout | By boat, with Perito Moreno | By boat, with pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From US$285 per person (the entry ticket only, with no transport or food; checked November 2026) | From US$370 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$235 per person (the classic deck with a lunch box, no transfers; checked November 2026) | From US$417 per person (the cruise without lunch, standard cabin; checked November 2026) |
| How You See the Upsala | Sailing among its icebergs in the Upsala channel; the front in the distance | From a viewpoint on land above the glacier, after a 4x4 climb and a 20-minute walk | A distant view of the Upsala and Bertacchi glaciers from the Upsala channel | Sailing among its icebergs in the Upsala channel |
| Also on the Day | The Spegazzini channel and a landing at Base Spegazzini | Estancia Cristina: its history, museum and old shearing shed, and lunch | Spegazzini, a walk at Puesto Las Vacas, the north face of Perito Moreno | The Spegazzini channel and a landing at the Spegazzini base |
| Length | Boarding 8:30, back at the pier 16:00 | 11 hours from El Calafate | 8 hours port to port on the cheapest option | 9.5 hours |
| What the Cheapest Option Buys | The boat only: no transport, no food | The one option: hotel transfer, boat, 4x4, guide and lunch | The classic deck with a lunch box, no transfers | A standard cabin with hotel pickup, no lunch |
| Best For | The channel and its ice from the water, with Spegazzini | Seeing the glacier itself from above | Adding Perito Moreno to the day | Pickup included in the cheapest option |
| Check dates | See the day | See the cruise | See the cruise |
More Ways to See It
Other Days That Reach the Upsala Channel
Boats that sail up the channel and the Estancia Cristina day with the land lookout, on GetYourGuide and Viator.
4X4 TO THE LOOK-OUTEstancia Cristina Mirador del Glaciar Upsala
Estancia Cristina's own day on Viator, with hotel pickup, a sail across Lago Argentino with snacks, a professional guide and lunch at the estancia. Two options: the 4x4 Tour climbs to the Upsala Glacier look-out; the cheaper Waterfall Tour walks to the Cascada Los Perros instead and does not go to the look-out. The park fee is not included.
REFUND IF NO UPSALAEl Calafate: Spegazzini, Upsala, and Perito Moreno Glaciers by Cruise Ship
SALUM TOUR & TRAVEL's 10-hour day aboard the María Turquesa cruise ship with transport from selected El Calafate hotels: the Spegazzini Glacier, the Upsala channel, a guided walk at Puesto de las Vacas and sailing in front of the Perito Moreno Glacier. Access to and visibility of the Upsala's front cannot be guaranteed on every departure; if the Upsala channel cannot be visited, a full refund is offered. Food, drinks and the park fee are not included.
ON VIATORScenic Glacier Cruise & Landing from El Calafate “Todo Glaciares”
Howlanders' Todo Glaciares day on Viator: the boat up the north arm and a landing at Spegazzini Base, a bilingual guide, with or without the round trip from El Calafate (the meeting point is Punta Bandera without it), and VIP options with a Captain Club cabin and a four-course menu. The park fee is not included.
ALL SALES FINALAll Glacier Navigation: Sail Among Upsala and Spegazzini Glaciers
Gray Line Argentina's All Glacier Navigation on Viator: about five hours of catamaran sailing among the Upsala and Spegazzini glaciers with a landing at the Spegazzini refuge, a bilingual guide and a standard or VIP cabin, with or without transfers and lunch. All sales are final, with no refund for cancellations. The park fee is not included.
The glacier at the head of Brazo Upsala
Where It Is, How Close You Get, and How It Is Changing
The channel and its limit, the lookout on land, the dated measurements, and what you need before you go.
Where the glacier is
The glacier flows south out of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field into the Upsala arm, the northern end of Lago Argentino. Its western front calves into the Upsala channel, about 600 m deep (Lo Vecchio and others, 2025); the Bertacchi glacier comes in beside it, and Lago Guillermo lies to the east. The national park’s activities page calls the Upsala the largest glacier in the park, and UNESCO names it with Onelli and Perito Moreno among the glaciers that calve into the lake. Where the Upsala Glacier is has the sizes and the dates behind them.
By boat: the Upsala channel
The park administration restricted commercial navigation in the Upsala arm in August 2016, and in October 2017 extended the limit south to the mouth of the Onelli channel, because studies showed the stretch from the glacier front to Bahia Onelli was unstable and could slide again (Decree 46/2019 records both). We found no later decision lifting it.
So the boats that go “to the Upsala” go up its channel. Solo Patagonia’s cruise sails among the icebergs; on its own explanation there is no fixed distance to any front, and in front of the Upsala the floating ice can be thick enough that the captain has to pick the way with care. Cruceros Marpatag’s day gives a panoramic view of the Upsala and its icebergs. On SALUM TOUR & TRAVEL's day, access to and visibility of the Upsala’s front are not guaranteed on every departure, and a full refund is offered if the Upsala channel cannot be visited.
Reviewers say the same. Of the 327 reviews of Solo Patagonia’s cruise, dated February 2020 to November 2026, at least 6 say the glacier was seen only from very far or that access was closed. The Spegazzini front, later in the day, is the one you get near.
Check dates for the Upsala channel cruise
From land: Estancia Cristina’s lookout
Estancia Cristina sits on the Cristina arm and is reached only by boat from Punta Bandera. From the lodge, a 4x4 climbs through the native forest of the Feruglio range and a 20-minute walk leads to what the estancia calls the only land-based lookout over the Upsala, 9.5 km from the lodge: the glacier, its tributaries, Lago Guillermo and the ice field beyond.
Estancia Cristina's Mirador del Glaciar Upsala on GetYourGuide is the whole day from El Calafate, hotel transfer and lunch included, from US$370 (checked November 2026), 11 hours. On Viator, Estancia Cristina's own listing has two options: the 4x4 Tour to the look-out, US$330, and a cheaper Waterfall Tour, US$285, which does not go there (Viator, checked November 2026). The estancia’s own rates page prints “Glaciar Upsala from USD 245” for its visit, with no price date on the page and the park fee excluded; that figure is the estancia’s own and is not comparable with the transfer-inclusive prices above. Estancia Cristina and the viewpoint goes through the day.
How it is changing
A Copernicus satellite image of 22 September 2023 shows the Upsala has retreated around 9 km since 1986, and that it and the Bertacchi glacier, still joined in 2016, have separated. NASA put the retreat at 7.2 km between 1986 and 2014. The front sped up after 2008: Sakakibara and colleagues (2013) measured 670 m of retreat from 2000 to 2008, then 2,890 m from 2008 to 2011. The Upsala Glacier’s retreat sets every figure beside its dates.
Before you go
- The park fee. ARS 50,000 for the general rate (Administracion de Parques Nacionales, from June 2026), sold at the Punta Bandera gate or online. Neither the boat nor the estancia day includes it.
- The season. Estancia Cristina runs daily from 1 October to 30 April. Solo Patagonia’s cruise sails daily from September to April and every other day from May to August.
- The day is long. Seven hours on the water for the cruise, about ten with the transfer; 11 hours for the estancia day. A reviewer of the estancia day in November 2026 called it long but varied.
- Cancelling. Free up to 24 hours before on every GetYourGuide day here. Some Viator boat days are all sales final.
Into the Upsala Channel by Boat
Solo Patagonia's full-day cruise from Puerto Punta Bandera: the north arm, the icebergs of the Upsala channel, the Spegazzini channel and a landing at Base Spegazzini. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from US$285 per person (the entry ticket only, with no transport or food; checked November 2026).
Check boat datesMore from El Calafate
Glacier Days from El Calafate with Open Dates
Boat days, walkway tours and ice treks with live availability. What is included and the cancellation terms show before you book.
Upsala Glacier: Questions
Where it is, how to see it, how close the boats get, the land lookout, its size and retreat, the park fee.
At the head of the Upsala arm of Lago Argentino, in Los Glaciares National Park, north-west of El Calafate in Argentine Patagonia. It flows from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and its western front calves into the Upsala channel, which Lo Vecchio and colleagues (2025) put at about 600 m deep. Boats leave for it from Puerto Punta Bandera, 47 km from El Calafate by the national park's figure. See where the Upsala Glacier is.
Two ways: by boat up the Upsala channel, among its icebergs, with the front in the distance, or from Estancia Cristina's lookout on land. The boat is Solo Patagonia's cruise, from US$285 for the entry ticket (checked November 2026). The lookout is Estancia Cristina's Mirador del Glaciar Upsala, from US$370 with hotel transfer and lunch.
No. The national parks administration restricted commercial navigation in the Upsala arm in August 2016 and extended the limit in October 2017 to the mouth of the Onelli channel, because the stretch from the glacier front to Bahia Onelli was unstable (recorded in Decree 46/2019); we found no later decision lifting it. Cruceros Marpatag's day gives a panoramic view of the Upsala and Bertacchi glaciers and does not go up close. See can boats get close.
A lookout on land above the glacier, reached from Estancia Cristina by 4x4 and a 20-minute walk. The estancia calls it the only land-based lookout over the Upsala; it is 9.5 km from the lodge. Its GetYourGuide day includes the boat from Punta Bandera, the 4x4, a guide and lunch, from US$370 (checked November 2026). See Estancia Cristina and the viewpoint.
It depends on the year and what is counted: about 645 km2 in July 2022 (Lo Vecchio and others, 2025), 840 km2 and 54 km long in 2011 (Sakakibara and others, 2013), over 800 km2 in 2004 (NASA). The figures differ because the glacier has shrunk and because studies draw its edges differently. See where the Upsala Glacier is.
Yes. A Copernicus satellite image of 22 September 2023 shows a retreat of around 9 km since 1986, and the Upsala and the Bertacchi glacier, still joined in 2016, have separated. NASA measured 7.2 km between 1986 and 2014. See the Upsala Glacier's retreat, with every figure and its dates.
No. The Administracion de Parques Nacionales charges ARS 50,000 a day at the general rate from June 2026, sold at the Puerto Punta Bandera gate by card or for cash in pesos, or online. None of the boat or estancia days on this site includes it.
Perito Moreno, if you have one day: you can stand on the walkways in front of it. The Upsala is bigger but far off by boat and seen from above on land. Cruceros Marpatag's full day looks up the Upsala channel and ends at the north face of Perito Moreno, from US$235.
Still have questions? Email us at info@upsala-glacier.com