Estancia Cristina and the Upsala Viewpoint

The closest look at the Upsala Glacier you can book is from land, at the lookout above Estancia Cristina. The estancia, on the Cristina arm of Lago Argentino, can only be reached by boat; from there a 4x4 climbs the Feruglio range and a 20-minute walk ends at the viewpoint, which the estancia calls the only land-based lookout over the Upsala. Estancia Cristina’s Mirador del Glaciar Upsala is the whole day from El Calafate, hotel transfer and lunch included, from US$370 a person (checked November 2026).

The listing has one option, the same price on every date we read (3 December 2026, 20 January and 27 March 2027). Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before.

The day in order

Times as of November 2026: 11 hours in all.

Estancia Cristina’s own pages describe the day visit as about 10 hours, four of them on the water and six at the estancia, plus up to an hour by road each way. The boat is the Chinook, an 82-foot catamaran for up to 120 people. For the lookout expedition the estancia gives 20 km covered and about four hours there and back from the lodge, at 550 m with 370 m of climbing, mostly by 4x4.

What you see from the lookout

From the viewpoint the estancia promises the Upsala Glacier, its tributaries, Lago Guillermo and the Southern Patagonian Ice Field beyond. The walk crosses rock the glacier once covered: the estancia calls it a visit to the Upsala’s former domain. Expeditions can change with the weather.

Three prices for one day

• GetYourGuide: Mirador del Glaciar Upsala from US$370 a person, hotel transfer, the boat, the 4x4, a guide in English and Spanish and lunch included.
• Viator: Estancia Cristina's listing has two options: the 4x4 Tour to the Upsala look-out, US$330, and the Waterfall Tour, US$285, which walks to the Cascada Los Perros instead and does not go to the look-out. Both include hotel pickup and lunch (Viator, checked November 2026).
• The estancia’s own rates page prints “Glaciar Upsala from USD 245” and “Classic from USD 190” per person, with no price date on the page; children up to 2 travel free and from 3 to 11 pay 70%. Those are the estancia’s own figures and are not comparable one to one with the prices above.

None includes the national park fee, ARS 50,000 at the general rate from June 2026, which you buy online or request when you book the visit.

Check dates for the viewpoint day

What reviewers say

The GetYourGuide listing has 22 reviews, dated November 2014 to November 2026, and we read them all: 15 give five stars and 3 give three or fewer. “Long day but lots of variety,” wrote the most recent, in November 2026, adding that the boat and the 4x4 were the highlights. One reviewer in January 2020 found the 4x4 a little uncomfortable but the view of the Upsala worth the effort. The low reviews with a comment are about the length of the day (2014) and the price, when lunch was not yet included (2019); a four-star review of 2022 found the lunch poor and the day not worth the money.

Season and who it suits

Estancia Cristina runs daily from 1 October to 30 April, holidays included, and operates only in that season. The boat is the only way in. It suits a second or third day in El Calafate, after Perito Moreno. It is not a short day: from hotel pickup to drop-off, plan on about 11 hours.