El fin del mundo
After driving over three thousand miles, and exploring a wonderful selection of wild and beautiful places in eastern Argentina, we finally made it to Ushuaia, the most southerly city in the world, at the start of February 2025! The journey down through Tierra del Fuego was breathtaking, and for the most part such a contrast from the vast, and largely flat, Patagonian wilderness that we had become so accustomed to seeing. It felt quite surreal to suddenly see trees and rivers again, and of course the tall snow-capped mountains.
The cost of everything in Argentina, including tours, food and national park entrance fees, has skyrocketed in recent times, largely due to rampant economic inflation. As we are travelling on a relatively tight budget, we unfortunately therefore wouldn’t be doing a lot of the typical tourist activities in Ushuaia, such as a wildlife watching boat trip along the Beagle Channel as this is now a minimum $150 USD per person (or a cruise to Antarctica!). Luckily, we had already seen Magellanic penguins and South American sea lions in the past few weeks (see our blogs on Peninsula Valdes, Punta Tombo and Pingüinera Punta Entrada), so we didn’t feel like we were missing out too much! Additionally, we already knew that we couldn’t afford to visit every single national park that we would pass by during our trip, and made the decision that Tierra del Fuego National Park would be one that we would miss. However, we still wanted to explore this incredible location at the end of the world, so we were on the hunt to find budget-friendly activities in and around Ushuaia.
We had a slightly shaky start – on our first full day in Ushuaia we decided to hike up to the Martial Glacier, which had previously been free but as of a few weeks before our arrival was now $10,000 pesos (around $10 USD) per person! Having to unexpectedly pay for the hike did tarnish the experience slightly, however it was very pretty and gave us great views over Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. Being very accessible from Ushuaia, it seems to be a popular hike with visitors from cruise ships, so we can see why they have decided to capitalize on the regular flow of people wanting to see the glacier.
After the hike we found an incredible free park-up on iOverlander, right on the Beagle Channel and only 15 minutes outside of the city. We stayed at this park-up for 5 nights in total as the view was so beautiful, and after several weeks of spending only one or two days in each location we were happy to stay in one place for a longer period! Additionally, it was a super handy base from where we could explore the centre of Ushuaia, drive to trail-heads to start hikes, and also go to a local garage where Phil had his oil pressure sensor re-wired and crankshaft sensor inspected by the loveliest pair of mechanics, Edwin and Felix.
From our park-up, we also enjoyed walking and running along the Beagle Channel through the nearby Estancia Túnel, a historical ranch. In this peaceful patch of lenga forest next to the channel we heard numerous noisy thorn-tailed rayaditos, and enjoyed watching them flitting between the trees and scuttling up tree trunks. We also saw a pair of chimango caracaras with their chick, who was squawking at them for food!
Next up we hiked to the nearby Vinciguerra Glacier, which was a free activity and a beautiful hike. The trail starts off in gorgeous meadows filled with buttercups, and passes through internationally important peat bogs before climbing up the mountain to reach Laguna de los Témpanos and the Vinciguerra glacier. We didn’t see much in the way of wildlife (there are sadly no guanacos around here!), but it was a pretty hike with incredible views. There is also a local brewery, called Mak Shima Craft Beer, near the trailhead, which serves lager with popcorn or hot chocolate with biscuits, depending on your preference!
The final hike that we did in the Ushuaia area was to the Ojo del Albino Lagoon and Glacier, passing the popular Laguna Esmeralda. This was another free and stunning hike that we felt lucky to discover. Laguna Esmeralda is beautiful in itself, and there were lots of people undertaking the relatively easy walk to the lagoon. Whilst hiking to the lagoon we had a slightly unexpected wildlife encounter, as we came across a large beaver dam on the Rio Larsiparsabk, along with a beaver swimming upstream of the dam! North American beavers are an invasive species in Patagonia, and have had a large detrimental impact on the native wildlife and ecosystems1. We could see large areas of land where it appeared that the native lenga trees had died from being inundated by the beaver’s engineering work. However, having never seen a North American beaver before, and with the Eurasian beaver being rare and very difficult to spot in the UK, we must admit that we were still awe struck by the impressive dam and excited to see the beaver.
The hike from Laguna Esmeralda to Ojo del Albino Glacier was a real adventure and definitely our kind of hike! There isn’t much of a marked trail, and the after lagoon the route runs through a dense area of forest before heading sharply upwards on loose, rocky terrain. After this there is a final scramble on steep but mostly solid rock, where three points of contact are definitely recommended at all times! Fortunately, the weather was good and the rock was mostly dry, Furthermore, previous hikers have helpfully built cairns to guide the way, although some of these appeared to be red herrings or not necessarily the most efficient route! As we had set off early the only other people ahead of us at Laguna Esmeralda were a guide and a couple. We overtook the group shortly after leaving the forested area and were the first people that morning to reach the glacier – and wow what a stunning glacier it is!
The glacier runs right to the edge of the lagoon, where it must be at least 10 m in height. It is possible to walk up right up close to the glacier, see the differing shades of blue visible at the terminus, and hear the flow of melt-water entering the lagoon. Moments like these, where you feel like you somewhere truly wild, are the reasons why we love to travel and get off the beaten track! We stayed long enough for it to start snowing and for more hikers to arrive, and took that as our cue to head back down.
We really enjoyed our time exploring the areas around Ushuaia, and we didn’t feel like we missed out despite being on a budget. If you visit and are looking to explore outside of the national park, we highly recommend visiting Estancia Túnel and doing the hikes to Vinciguerra Glacier and Laguna Esmeralda. In addition, if you are of the more adventurous type, are sure-footed, are not afraid of heights, and are up for a long and strenuous hike, then the hike to Ojo del Albino Glacier is definitely one we would recommend, although only during dry weather during the summer time. If you are less confident but would still like to do this hike, it is possible to hire a guide to take you.
From Ushuaia, we will begin heading northwards up into Chile and western Argentina. Before we get too far north though, our next goal is to find a new species of penguin!
How to get there
It is possible to reach Ushuaia by car by travelling the length of Ruta 3 (with a brief detour onto Ruta 255 and 257 where you take the car ferry across the Strait of Magellan). It is also possible to get there by plane as there is an airport in Ushuaia.
When to go
If you are looking to go hiking then the best time to visit Ushuaia is during the summer months, between November and March when the weather is milder (highs of 12-14°C) and there is less snow cover on the mountains.
Sources
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research: https://www.cr2.cl/eng/effects-of-native-forest-cover-loss-from-forestry-activity-and-beavers-on-carbon-reservoirs-in-the-chilean-patagonia/