I took the day-trip to Estancia Cristina in my last visit to El Calafate, in January 2002.
It is not an usual Estancia day. The property lies across the Argentino lake, beside Upsala glacier. There is not any other ranch beside the glaciers, in the Nationeal Park.
It is not just a Estancia, because ther is not any real commercial countryu activity.
To get there you take a ship in Puerto Banderas, "near" (in patagonian scale) from El Calafate. From there, the sailing rides in front of the Upsala glacier, between massive ice pieces, floating around you. The Upsala is unbelievebly big. It is a wall of ice, floating on the lake, about 100m (300 ft) tall and a mile front, wich comes from the mountains. Then the ship "parks" in a bay nearby. It is the place where Estancia Cristina is. A green plain, a valley between some small pikes. Ther you get some unimogs (all-road trucks), croos those pikes and see it: The Upsala, from its side. Wonderful. Even with bad weather. You walk on the surfaces where the ice was a few years ago.
After seeing that, you go back to the Estancia, to enjoy an amazing meal: and real asado, goats from Patagonia, with lots of salads, ending with sweet cakes. Everything was perfect. The service, the best. People that really enjoyed helping you to enjoy.
I know it is expensive, but it worths both the money and the time it takes.
Sorry for the quality of the photos, I didn´t have a digital camera then.