Ushuaia in 2 days
Two days at the end of the road — one in the park where Route 3 stops, one on the channel that points at Antarctica.
- How long
- 2 days
- Getting around
- Buses to the park and the ski area
- Book ahead
- The penguin landing at Martillo
Ushuaia takes two days and both depend on the wind. The park and its paths work almost always; the channel boat is cancelled without notice. So put the boat on day one if it is clear and the park on day two — the other way round risks not seeing the channel at all.
The Beagle Channel and the town
The Beagle Channel, by boat from the town pier. Three hours: the sea lion island, a cormorant colony and the Les Éclaireurs lighthouse — the one from the postcards, often wrongly called the lighthouse at the end of the world.
Lunch at the port; king crab is local here and dearer than it looks, but it is why people choose the restaurant.
The prison museum, €25.23 a head, the ticket valid the next day too if time allows. Five wings of the 1902 penal colony, one left exactly as it was found. It works in any weather, which matters here.
A walk through town: San Martín street, the outdoor shops and the agencies selling Antarctica. You can see the town lives off two trades — tourism and the port.
Dinner; Fuegian lamb, roasted slowly, is what people actually eat here.
Tierra del Fuego National Park
The bus from town to the park, seventeen kilometres west; several morning departures from the bus terminal. Entry is €22.93 for foreign visitors, paid at the gate or ahead on the park service's site.
The Senda Costera — eight kilometres along the shore, three hours, between Ensenada bay and Lapataia. This is the best thing Ushuaia has and it works in any weather short of ice.
Lapataia bay: the end of National Route 3 and the sign saying it is 17,848 kilometres to Alaska — the final point of the Pan-American road system, five minutes' walk from the car park.
Back; either by bus, or on the tourist train Tren del Fin del Mundo, €40–46 without park entry, on the old prison line. The train is dearer and slower, but the line is part of the story from the museum.
If time remains: the Martial glacier, a chairlift above town and ninety minutes on foot to ice that is retreating.
If there is a third day
- Penguins on Martillo island — a Magellanic colony with a landing licensed to one operator. Season October–March, booked weeks ahead.
- Lakes Escondido and Fagnano, ninety minutes north by road, over the Garibaldi pass.
- Antarctica — the world's main departure port for Antarctic expeditions; the crossing is two days through the Drake Passage each way, and it is a separate trip rather than an excursion.
Three things to know
- Wind is the forecast here. Temperature matters less than wind speed; layers and a shell do work a coat cannot.
- The day is a different length. In December it is light until eleven at night, in June dark by half past four.
- The museum and the train are separate costs. A train ticket does not cover park entry, which is paid separately at the gate.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
How many days does Ushuaia need?
Two, with a spare day if you can. One for the Beagle Channel boat and the town, one for the national park. A third is only for the Martillo penguins, in season from October to March.
Do the boats get cancelled?
Often, in wind, and it is decided the same morning. Which is why a boat trip never goes on the last day before a flight — if it is cancelled there is nowhere to move it to.
Is Ushuaia the world's southernmost city?
It presents itself that way, but the claim is disputed since Chile officially recognised Puerto Williams as a city in 2019 — Puerto Williams sits further south and now meets the same criterion, even though it is far smaller.
Ready for Ushuaia?
Where to next
Ushuaia
→The world's southernmost city — disputed, but this is the world's main departure port for Antarctic tours
Bariloche · 1535 km
→An alpine town on an Argentine lake, chocolate in every second window and a ski area above it
How well does Ushuaia suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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