Tierra del Fuego National Park

Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur

This is the only place in Argentina where Patagonian forests and the Andes range meet the sea, creating a unique landscape of mountains, bays, fjords, and a large binational lake called Roca on the Chilean side and Acigami on the Argentine side.

You can visit the park all year round. The visitors’ centre and access to Acigami Lake and Lapataia Bay are only open from May to September. An entrance fee is charged.

What to see

Trails and excursions

The park offers unforgettable views from its viewpoints and some short-distance easy trails. For trekking lovers, there are 4 long trails and 6 other shorter paths (40km in total). They are all marked and offer different difficulty levels.

You can explore the park during the day, have a picnic, and also camp there. In the Alakush visitors’ centre, you will have the chance to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. Here, you will find a post office where you can send letters and postcards from the End of the World.

You may also take canoe trips around Acigami Lake and Lapataia and Oyando rivers. This excursion must be previously arranged in Ushuaia.

Route 3 and Lapataia bay

At Lapataia Bay, you will find a classic spot for taking photographs: the sign indicates the end of National Route 3, a route that cuts across half of the Argentine territory and goes through Patagonia from side to side. Breathtaking viewpoints overlook the Beagle Channel.

End of the World train

Another option to explore the park is to take the Austral Fueguino Railway or End of the World Train that runs for 7 km, borders Pipo River and passes by Macarena Cascade, the trees cemetery and the majestic lengas forest, arriving at the final station inside the park. You may continue this experience on your own, or get on a tour bus.

Fauna

A whole range of birds, geese (the park’s emblem), black-browed albatrosses, Magellanic woodpeckers and Austral thrushes can be discovered where the mountains and the sea meet. As for mammals, you may spot Southern River Otter huillins, and Southamerican foxes.

In several sectors of the park you can see the impact generated by beavers, introduced in the 1940s from Canada and becoming a big problem.

How to get there and move around

It is a 12 km stretch from Ushuaia on National Route 3 (the second portion is a gravel road, as well as the internal roads). You can get to the area by car (in winter, snow chains or winter tires are compulsory) or you can take the Austral train, take a tour or regular buses that leave from the city centre at scheduled times and have 6 stops inside the park.

Where to stay

The park has 4 wild camping areas. With chemical toilets and enabled between November and April (they do not have other services): Río Pipo, Ensenada and Laguna Verde/Cauquenes. Without chemical toilets: Laguna del Caminante (on the Andorra-Cañadón de la Oveja path, an 8-hour walk from the beginning of the path). The visitor center has a restaurant-cafeteria service.

Ushuaia, the closest city, offers a wide variety of accommodation options, including 5-star hotels, and a large number of restaurant options.