Estancia Cristina

Estancia Cristina was founded in 1914 by a British family who reached this arm of Lago Argentino by boat and stayed to run sheep in country with no road access, and it still has none: the only way in is across the lake, past floating ice, on a crossing of about three hours from Puerto Bandera. The buildings, shearing shed, chapel and family house, are kept as a small museum of pioneer life, and the estancia now works as a lodge and day-trip destination. From it, four-wheel-drive vehicles climb to the Cañón de los Fósiles and a lookout over the Upsala glacier, one of the largest in the southern icefield, seen from above as a plain of broken ice filling the valley below.

What you actually see

• The Upsala lookout - the high viewpoint over the glacier and its icebergs.
• The pioneer buildings - shearing shed, chapel and house kept as a museum.
• The boat crossing - the sail past floating ice up the lake's northern arm.
• The fossil canyon - marine fossils exposed in the eroded valley above.

When to go

October to April, when boats run; the estancia closes in winter. December to February is busiest and needs booking well ahead. Wind cancels sailings at any point in the season.

Honest expectations

This is a long and expensive day, most of it on a boat, and the cost adds up quickly with the excursion, park fee and any meals. The lookout drive is rough. Weather can hide the glacier entirely, and there are no refunds for cloud.

Nearby

El Calafate is the base; the Spegazzini and Perito Moreno glaciers lie elsewhere on the same lake.