Tierra del Fuego National Park | The Land of the Magellan Penguin

Tierra del Fuego is the most southerly national park in Argentina. Awarded national park status in 1960, the park borders Chile and many choose to cross the border from here. Located in Argentinian Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego is characterised by its rugged mountains, sweeping forests and glacial valleys.

Travellers are advised to time their visit with the summer season in the southern hemisphere. This is between October – April, however, be aware that rainfall is at its highest levels in the latter couple of months. The benefits of visiting at this time of year include more daylight hours, warmer weather and good accessibility of trails. Tierra del Fuego is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream destination. It offers some of Argentina’s best hiking trails, sweeping vistas and numerous wildlife spotting opportunities. Keep an eye out for guanacos and otters!

Landmass: 630km²
Entrance fee: $14USD ($1160AR) for foriegn nationals
Best time to visit: October-April

How to get to Tierra del Fuego National Park 

Getting to Tierra del Fuego National Park from Ushuaia

If you are going to visit Tierra del Fuego National Park, you should know that it is very close to Ushuaia city, about 10 km along National Route 3 is the entrance portal.

You can get there by car, rental car, taxi, remis, in the tourist vans that make the journey or by bicycle rental. Public transport is very limited to reach this area, you must consult timetables and prices beforehand.

Before arriving at the entrance portal and throughout the entire journey through the interior of Tierra del Fuego National Park, the road is unpaved, so it’s mandatory to use chains for snow in winter and low-speed traffic.

Places to visit in Tierra del Fuego National Park

Inside Tierra del Fuego National Park you can enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Tierra del Fuego’s forests, the Patagonian lakes, the walk along trails and the visit of the end of National Route 3, which marks the ending of the road at the southern tip of the American continent. Here are the main places to see and walk within the national park.

Alakush Visitor Center

The visitor center has a restaurant, gift shop, event room, public restrooms and an interpretive room with information about the park and the first inhabitants who resided on the island. In addition, there is a parking lot to leave the car and a viewpoint. It’s a good place to relax and have something to eat after a hike.

Lapataia Bay

It can be said that it is one of the highlights of the Tierra del Fuego National Park. The bay marks the end of route 3 and from here you can access several trails to visit the beavers area, lagoons and fuegian forests. The views of both the Beagle Channel and the city of Ushuaia are impressive.

Near the bay is the Zaratiegui inlet, where the famous Postal Unit of the End of the World works.

Lake Acigami (Roca Lake)

The main freshwater mirror of Tierra del Fuego National Park, which extends through Argentine and Chilean territory. From the Alakush Visitor Center you can quickly reach the viewpoint of Lake Acigami, surrounded by high snow-covered mountains. A dreamlike landscape.

Do some of the trails in Tierra del Fuego National Park

This is the map with the trails in the application Maps.me. You can also find the post office, the car parks, the campsites, the visitor centre and much more:

a) Trails to be made near the entrance to the park:

• Pampa Alta [red]: ascent to the hill of the same name at no more than 300 meters above sea level. The trail begins 3 km from the park entrance to the right of RN3. Although the hill is not so high, you can have beautiful views of the Beagle Channel, its islands and Cerro Guanaco. You can retrace the path or continue to Cañadón del Toro, where you can continue doing the Río Pipo Falls Trail.
  Length: 5 km (one way) | Difficulty: Medium

• Río Pipo Falls [blue]: To get here is very easy doing a short walk. You can get to the beginning by car, which is in the Cañadón del Toro, where you will find the Camping del Río Pipo (closed for the moment). The detour of the RN3 to reach the canyon is just at the end of the train station.
  Length: 300 m (one way) | Difficulty: Low

• Coastal Trail [purple]: one of the most beautiful and popular trails, because it runs along the coast of the Beagle Channel from Ensenada Zaratiegui Bay to Lapataia Bay. In the Ensenada Bay is where you will find the Postal Service of the End of the World, a stone beach and a parking lot. The trail ends at RN3, very close to Alakush Visitor Center. It takes about 3 hours.
  Length: 8 km (one way) | Difficulty: Easy

b) Long trails to the north, bordering Lake Acigami (Roca)

• Hito XXIV Trail [green]: it’s of little difficulty since it runs along the coast of Lake Acigami until it reaches the demarcation of Hito XXIV, the border between Chile and Argentina. The trail starts in the lake parking lot, north of the Alakush Visitors Center.
  Length: 5 km (one way) | Difficulty: Easy

• Cerro Guanaco Trail [yellow]: not suitable for everyone, as you have to climb a steep slope to reach the hill 970 meters above sea level. Part of the trail shares it with that of Hito XXIV. It usually takes up to five hours to complete it.
  Length: 8 km (one way) | Difficulty: Difficult

c) Trails to the west and south

• Paseo de la Isla Trail [yellow]: this trail is of short duration. It starts in front of the Gendarmería post and reaches Laguna Verde. On the way, part of the Cormorants archipelago is crossed.
  Length: 1.5 km (one way) | Difficulty: Easy

• Laguna Negra Trail [Brown]: This is a simple walk to reach the southern shore of Laguna Negra, where crystal clear water and mountains in the background await you.
  Length: 1 km (one way) | Difficulty: Easy

• Paseo del Mirador [blue]: It is part of the Lengas Circuit and reaches the Lapataia viewpoint, the Arias Port and the end of the RN3.
  Length: 2 km (one way) | Difficulty: Easy

• Paseo del Turbal [pink]: It is also part of the Lengas Circuit, it enters the forest and can observe peat bogs and reaches the Castorera.
  Length: 2 km (one way) | Difficulty: Easy

• Beaver Dam [orange]: the path begins at the end of RN3 and on the way active beaver dams are seen.
• Length: 2 km (one way) | Difficulty: Easy
• La Baliza Trail [Purple]: also starts at the end of RN3 and lasts 20 minutes bordering Lapataia Bay.
  Length: 1.5 km (one way) | Difficulty: Easy

Carry out some activity in the lakes and rivers

There are several paid activities that can be done inside Tierra del Fuego National Park. Among them, there is the option of renting canoes to navigate around Lake Acigami and the Lapataia and Ovando rivers.

Admission fee to visit Tierra del Fuego National Park (2024)

The entrance fees to visit Tierra del Fuego National Park are as follows:

• Adults (foreigners): 5.500 pesos
• Argentines: 1.500 pesos
• Children from 6 to 16 years: 750 pesos
• Residents in the province of Tierra del Fuego, students with student notebook: 600 pesos
• Children from 0 to 5 years old, Argentine pensioners and residents in Ushuaia: free of charge.