Upsala Glacier Deep Dive
The Upsala drains a portion of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field into the north arm of Lago Argentino, near El Calafate in Argentina. It was once the third-largest glacier in South America by area. Over the past century, and especially since 2000, it has retreated several kilometres, breaking up into massive icebergs that drift through the lake. It is the standard "look how fast glaciers retreat" example in Patagonia.
Geography
The Upsala flows roughly southeast for about 50 km from the mountain divide to Lago Argentino. Its surface area was around 870 km² in the early 2000s; today it is smaller. Two large tributaries (Cono and Bertacchi) feed the main trunk. The calving front is roughly 5 km wide.
Retreat
The Upsala retreated by roughly 8 km between 1990 and 2020 alone — one of the fastest retreats documented on any temperate glacier. The cause is partly atmospheric warming, partly the lake-glacier dynamics: once a glacier starts calving into deep water, retreat can accelerate well beyond what mass balance alone would predict.
How to visit
The Upsala can only be approached by boat. Day trips leave from Puerto Bandera near El Calafate, crossing Lago Argentino to the north arm. Most tours include the Upsala face, the smaller Spegazzini glacier, and sometimes the Onelli for shorter zodiac excursions. There is no land-based viewing area.
Comparison with Perito Moreno
Both Upsala and Perito Moreno drain the same Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Perito Moreno has been stable or slightly advancing; Upsala has been retreating sharply. The contrast is one of the clearest demonstrations that climate is not the only variable — ice-bed geometry, lake depth and calving dynamics all play a role.
Icebergs
Upsala produces some of the largest icebergs in Patagonia. They drift south down Lago Argentino's north arm and often beach near the boat routes, where they are slowly weathered to fantastic sculptural shapes.
Scientific interest
The Upsala is intensively monitored by Argentine institutions and international satellite missions. Its retreat is documented in detail and the rates feed into projections of Patagonian ice loss this century.
Why visit anyway
For all the bad news, the Upsala remains a stunning sight — the huge calving face, the icebergs, and the surrounding wilderness of the Glaciar National Park. The boat trip itself is a half day of glacier-rich scenery, and it pairs well with a Perito Moreno day trip from the same base.
From reading to planning
The interactive map shows the Upsala, Spegazzini and Onelli, the standard boat routes, and historic ice extents so you can see how the glacier has changed.