*Example by 4 travelers in 4★ accommodation, low season. Flights priced separately. Get a quote for 1 to 99+ below
There is no road to Estancia Cristina. The way in is a boat across Lake Argentino from Punta Bandera harbor, and that single fact shapes everything about the stay: a historic estancia inside Los Glaciares National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rooms in the five-building lodge face the Norte, Pfifer and Moyano hills and their hanging glaciers. On day two, 4WD vehicles climb the Feruglio range, 9.5 km of mountain road, to about 550 m. From there the Upsala Glacier shows its eastern front, a viewpoint only Estancia Cristina reaches, with the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and Mount Bertrand beyond. Day three is an easy valley walk to Pesca Lagoon, then the boat out.
It works as a tour extension, added to a stay in El Calafate. Two nights is short, and that suits it. Transfers, entrance fees, tours, English-speaking guides, and two breakfasts, lunches and dinners are all included, so nothing needs deciding once the boat leaves the harbor.
A guide collects you from your hotel in El Calafate, or meets you at Punta Bandera harbor, and the boat crosses Lake Argentino to the estancia.
The lodge is five buildings. Every room looks out on the Norte, Pfifer and Moyano hills and the glaciers hanging from them.
Dinner is traditional Patagonian. After it, the job is simple: head to your room and rest in the Los Glaciares quiet.
Day two starts in 4WD vehicles, climbing the Feruglio range on 9.5 km of mountain road. The ground along the way was under glacier until recently, which makes it of real geological interest.
At about 550 m, the Upsala Glacier shows its eastern front. That viewpoint is exclusive to Estancia Cristina. Part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, Mount Bertrand and the Andes fill out the scene, with Guillermo Lake in it too. Then a walk on the ground near the glacier front, on foot, not on the ice.
The 4WD vehicles take you back down to the estancia.
The outing takes about four hours, there and back, at low difficulty.
After breakfast, the pace drops. This is a walk for unwinding, not for ticking anything off.
The route follows the valley north to its end, through the flora and fauna of Los Glaciares National Park. The destination is light blue Pesca Lagoon (Laguna de la Pesca in Spanish), of pluvial, or rain, origin.
About three hours, low difficulty.
Back at the estancia, check out and board the boat to Punta Bandera harbor, where a group transfer takes you to El Calafate. Combine the stay with another tour starting in El Calafate, or continue to the airport for your departure.
Prices vary according to several factors including: season, number of people traveling, shared vs private excursions, when you book and rooming arrangements. These are from prices based on low season.
We can customize anything for any time of year! Contact us for an exact quote for your trip.
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