Ushuaia, at your own pace
We live here and we have been hosting guests since 2019. This is what we answer every day when someone asks what to do with their days at the End of the World.
What to see and do
Ushuaia unfolds in layers: first what is within walking distance, then what takes a full day, and finally what almost nobody does.
The classics
Sail the Beagle Channel. Boats leave from the port, 900 metres from the apartment: Isla de los Lobos, the cormorant colony and the Les Éclaireurs lighthouse.
Tierra del Fuego National Park. 12 km along Route 3, with trails for every fitness level.
End of the World Train and Maritime Museum. The train enters the park along the old prison line; the museum tells the story of how the city began, inside the original cell blocks.
Hikes, by how far you want to walk
Easy. The Coastal Path in the National Park follows the Beagle for about 8 km with almost no elevation gain, and the Laguna Negra and Isla walks take an hour on boardwalks.
Moderate. Laguna Esmeralda is the most requested: about four hours round trip through forest and peat bog, muddy most of the year, with an impossibly coloured lagoon at the end. The Martial Glacier trail is short but all uphill, and it starts fifteen minutes from downtown.
Demanding. Cerro Guanaco, inside the National Park, climbs steeply to a wide-open view of the Beagle and Lake Roca: a full day. Laguna de los Témpanos, at the foot of the Vinciguerra Glacier, also takes all day. And Paso de la Oveja, crossing the range from south to north, is a two-day trek with camping.
For the demanding ones, go with a guide, start early and always tell someone where you are headed: the weather here changes in minutes.
Tolhuin, the heart of the island
A little over 100 km along Route 3, across the Garibaldi Pass, lies Tolhuin, the only town in the middle of Tierra del Fuego. On the way you pass Lago Escondido, about 60 km out of Ushuaia, hemmed in by mountains and forest. A bit further on, Lago Fagnano opens up — the Selk'nam called it Kami — the largest lake on the island: long enough to reach into Chile and wide enough to look like the sea. It is a full-day trip, ideal if you have rented a car, and it works in winter snow too.
Cabo San Pablo, off the map
If you are after places few people reach, from Tolhuin it is about 120 km northeast, much of it on gravel road, to the island's Atlantic coast. That is Cabo San Pablo: the rusted remains of the Desdémona shipwreck stranded on the beach, a lighthouse, pebble beaches and a short trail up to the viewpoint. It is the other ocean, the one almost no visitor to Ushuaia ever sees. Bring a high-clearance vehicle, a full tank, and check the tide table before walking out onto the beach.
Puerto Almanza and the road to Moat
About 75 km from Ushuaia, first along Route 3 and then on the gravel of Route J, lies Puerto Almanza: the southernmost fishing village in Argentina, looking straight across at Puerto Williams, on the Chilean side of the Beagle Channel. This is the place for king crab straight out of the water, and it is worth booking a table before you set off. The turnoff to Estancia Harberton is on the same road. If you keep going east on the gravel, past beaver dams and pebble beaches, the road ends at Estancia Moat: that is where the road stops and the silence begins.
When to come
There is no bad season: there are four different cities in the same place.
Summer (December to March).
The best time for hiking, trail running and cycling. Daylight stretches past ten at night, every trail is open and the boat trips run full. It is also the busiest season, so book well ahead.
Autumn (April and May).
The season when the city and the forests around it turn magical. The lenga beech goes red, orange and yellow all at once, there are fewer people everywhere, and the low light is what suits Ushuaia best. If you are coming to take photographs, come now.
Winter (June to September).
Snow, skiing at Cerro Castor and Cerro Martial, ice skating, winter centres and long nights. The city works exactly the same, the heating never goes off, and coming back to a warm apartment after a day in the snow is rather the whole point.
Spring (October and November).
The thaw, days that stretch out again and calmer rates. The city starts to bloom with lupins and calafate, and the trails open up little by little. It is the best balance of price, weather and crowds.
Ushuaia is cool all year round; even in January, bring a warm layer and something waterproof.
Getting here and getting around
Malvinas Argentinas International Airport is 6.4 km from Gobernador Paz 157: a few minutes by taxi or remise. If you arrive overland, National Route 3 enters the city from the west.
Once you are here, downtown is walkable. From the apartment you can reach Av. San Martín, the port (0.9 km) and the tour agencies on foot. Shuttles to Tierra del Fuego National Park and the Martial Glacier leave from downtown.
What to pack
A windproof and waterproof jacket, layers, comfortable shoes you don't mind getting wet, a hat and gloves (yes, in summer too), sunscreen and sunglasses. The weather changes several times a day.
Eating and cooking
There are supermarkets and restaurants a few blocks away. And since every apartment has its own equipped kitchen, you can buy king crab, lamb or whatever you find and cook it whenever you like, without booking a table anywhere.
Already know when you're coming?