The De Agostini Lookout is located at Spegazzini Base, at the end of 350 meters of walkways along the shores of Lake Argentino, facing the Spegazzini Glacier, the tallest in Los Glaciares National Park. It is named after Alberto De Agostini (1883-1960), an Italian Salesian priest who explored and photographed the ice and mountains of Patagonia for decades. We have been taking our passengers on this walk since its opening.
We have been sailing Glacier Bay since 1980, and few names seem as fitting for a viewpoint facing the ice as that of the person who dedicated his life to showing it to the world.
Who was Alberto De Agostini?
Alberto María De Agostini was born in 1883 in northern Italy and died in 1960 in Turin. He was a priest of the Salesian congregation, which had missions in southern Patagonia, and reached the southern tip of South America at the beginning of the 20th century.
His religious duties coexisted with a passion that made him famous: exploration. For decades he traveled through Tierra del Fuego, the Fuegian channels, and the Patagonian Andes, including the Great Lakes region and the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. He climbed mountains, mapped almost unknown areas, and, above all, took photographs.
The priest who photographed the ice
What distinguishes De Agostini from other explorers of his time is his photography. He carried heavy photographic equipment through terrain with few trails, producing a vast archive of photographs of glaciers, mountains, forests, and indigenous communities in the south. He also filmed, at a time when carrying a movie camera into the Andes was a feat.
- Books. He published accounts of his travels illustrated with his photographs, among them Patagonian Andes, a classic reference on the southern mountain range.
- Historical document. His images show what glaciers looked like almost a century ago, and today they serve to compare how much they have changed.
- Legacy. On the other side of the mountain range, in Chile, a national park in Tierra del Fuego bears his name.
For those who navigate these waters, this documentary value is enormous. The old photographs clearly show the retreat of glaciers like the Upsala, which we discussed in our article on the retreat of the Upsala Glacier.
What is the De Agostini Lookout like?
The De Agostini Lookout is the endpoint of the Spegazzini Base walkways, inaugurated in December 2024. The walkways run 350 meters along the shores of the lake and lead to a frontal view of the Spegazzini Glacier, with walls up to 135 meters above the water.
| Date | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Spegazzini Base, Glacier Bay, northern sector of Lake Argentino |
| Access | Only by water, with disembarkation on the All Glaciers Navigation |
| Tour | 350 m of walkways along the lake shore |
| Opening | December 2024 |
| Main view | Spegazzini Glacier, the highest in the Park |
In March 2025, we added an extension with a new viewpoint, even closer to the glacier and at a higher altitude than the De Agostini Glacier. Both can be visited on the same hike. We provide details in our article about the Spegazzini Glacier walkways.
What can you see from the De Agostini Lookout?
The star attraction is the Spegazzini: a wall of ice that descends from the mountaintop to the lake. From the viewpoint, you can see the crevasses, the blues of the more compact ice, and, with patience, the occasional calving icefall into the water.
Along the Base trail, other viewpoints offer panoramic views of the bay, including the Heim and Peineta glaciers alongside the Spegazzini. If you'd like to learn more about these two neighbors, read our article on the Heim and Peineta glaciers.
Spegazzini and De Agostini, two Italians in Patagonia
There's a beautiful coincidence in that corner of the park. The glacier is named after Carlos Spegazzini, an Italian botanist who studied Argentine flora, and the viewpoint commemorates another Italian who dedicated his life to Patagonia. One studied plants; the other, ice. Both are now united in front of the same cliff face.
How to get to the De Agostini Viewpoint
The De Agostini viewpoint is only accessible via the All Glaciers Navigation tour , which departs from Puerto Punta Bandera, 47 km from El Calafate. After passing the Upsala, Seco, Heim, Peineta, and Spegazzini glaciers, the boat disembarks at Spegazzini Base. Time on land allows you to explore the walkways, viewpoints, and reach the Spegazzini Refuge. The base is accessible, with a floating dock, trails, and viewpoints. Check availability and current rates on the tour's website.
FAQ
Where is the De Agostini Lookout?
It is located at Spegazzini Base, in the Bay of Glaciers of Lake Argentino, at the end of 350 meters of walkways on the shores of the lake, facing the Spegazzini Glacier.
Who was Alberto De Agostini?
He was an Italian Salesian priest (1883-1960) who explored Tierra del Fuego and the Patagonian Andes for decades, and left behind a huge archive of photographs of glaciers and mountains in the south.
How do I get to the De Agostini viewpoint?
Only by water, with the All Glaciers Navigation, which departs from Puerto Punta Bandera 47 km from El Calafate and includes disembarkation at the Spegazzini Base.
When was the De Agostini Lookout inaugurated?
The walkways leading to the De Agostini viewpoint were inaugurated in December 2024. In March 2025, a new viewpoint was added, closer to the glacier and at a higher altitude.
