On horseback, you cross the gently rolling plain. The horses know the trail and placidly climb the winding paths that lead up the mountain, stopping at the lookout point in front of the ice field. After unsaddling, you will be treated to bifes al disco (steaks grilled on a sizzling metal plow disk) and a glass of wine at the log shelter.  A few meters away is the magnificent view of the Upsala glacier.
A stay at Estancia Cristina provides the opportunity for a unique close-up experience of this giant ice mass. Departing from Punta Banderas, you reach the glacier after sailing for over an hour. Here visitors are startled by the constant ice calving, which is mainly caused by the proximity of this gigantic block of ice to water. The journey continues up one of the arms of Lake Argentino until it reaches this legendary estancia within the National Park.

The Masters family, the first settlers, lived here at the beginning of the 20th century. At first, they raised livestock, and later their home became a mountain shelter for tourists. Estancia Cristina still retains both the spirit that inspired these pioneers and the exterior architecture that housed them. 
In the old shearing shed, a small museum chronicles the family history; and the present-day gourmet restaurant was the former sheep drying shed. The décor of each one of the lodges where the guest rooms are located, reminds visitors of the everyday tasks performed at the estancia by the veterinarian, the grocer and the butcher. Old dishes, bottles, tools, skis, instruments and chests decorate the living rooms and bedrooms. Red and green barracanes (hand-woven fabric) brighten the armchairs.
Resuming the excursions, 4x4 vehicles will take you to the Upsala lookout point. Hiking along the Cañadón de los Fósiles (Fossil Canyon) allows you to see the impressions of marine snails, oysters and other shells. The stone walls frame the glacier and display the traces of the receding ice. A cycle of glacial advance and retreat. Once again, geography reveals its teachings and offers an unforgettable landscape.