UPSALA GLACIER + LAGO ARGENTINO
All those who visit these lands feel very much attracted by the wondrous marvels that nature has given us: the glaciers. Estancia Cristina is the only touristic estancia in the world to offer a privileged view of the Upsala, the largest glaciar in the area. The glaciar was named after the Swedish city whose university sponsored the first glaciar study in the area in 1908. The Glaciar ends in two branches of about 4 km each. It has an area of about 900 km2 and it is 60 km. long It is, in fact, the longest piece of Continental Ice in South America. At the front, it is about 60 mts. above the level of the lake. One of the most beautiful shows offered by the Upsala Glaciar is its large pieces of ice, which break off and are pushed away by the wind along the North Branch of the lake, and then through Lago Argentino itself to reach the east end of the lake, where the combination of sunlight, wind and rain finally melt them away. Lago Argentino, 185 meters above sea level, is 125 km long and 14-20 km wide totalling and area of 1,560 km2. This makes it the largest lake in Argentina and the third largest in South America. It is made up of a main body and some branches, like the Upsala, Norte, Rico and Sur. These last two branches are joined to the main body through the Canal de los Témpanos, which flows past Perito Moreno Glaciar into the Lake. The Santa Cruz River is born in this lake and flows east into the Atlantic Ocean. Its special color is due to the quicklime (calcium oxide) produced by glaciar erosion. A sail along its waters takes us to see three glaciars --Upsala, Spegazzini and Onelli—and to enjoy awesome icebergs.