Hiking Laguna Turquesa, Ushuaia

Trekking Laguna Turquesa is relatively easy, with a short trail and high rewards beauty.

The experience rivals the much more popular Laguna Esmeralda trail, offering a less trafficked alternative.

And being rather short, you’ll be back in time for another excursion in the afternoon (like a cruise of the Beagle Channel).

Convinced? Obviously. Let’s get to it…

Laguna Turquesa: What to Know

Here’s a brief Laguna Turquesa 101:

• 4 km round trip (I see varying lengths, the trailhead sign claimed 3 km, the tourist board says 4 km)
• Time to complete: 3-3.5 hours
• 330 meters elevation gain, 100 meters more if you scurry up above the laguna
• Pack hiking poles for the descent to protect your knees
• Wear hiking boots (I’ve lived in my Danner boots for 5 years and counting)
• Pack a wind/rain jacket (among other warm layers). Once at the end of the trail there is no shelter from the elements

How to get to Laguna Turquesa

The trailhead (Google map pin) is on Ruta Nacional 3 is 17 miles from downtown Ushuaia, about a 20 minute drive. It is just under a mile before you reach Laguna Esmeralda’s parking lot just up the road.

If you have a rental car (check rates here) then drive yourself and park along the road, you will see space designed as a small parking lot just across the ruta from the trailhead.

Use the freedom of your own car to get an early start, because hikers in Argentina quickly learn that the early bird gets the worm.

Argentines are not early risers (to generalize) and if you go early enough then you can have the trail to yourself.

This is accurate advice for any of Argentina’s beautiful hikes. As a rule, most will probably hit the trail after 9-10 am.

Alternatively, take a taxi and arrange for a return pick up time (there is no signal here to call them later) or take a shuttle.

Shuttles leave regularly from the bus terminal near the tourist information office in the port.

Ask in person when you’re here for more options. It’s not the most organized operation online but trust that shuttles typically depart hourly starting around 9 am and returning around 4 pm.

Limited options do show up online, such as this one and this one. The transfer is to Laguna Esmeralda, ask them to be let off early at Laguna Turquesa.

Hiking to Laguna Turquesa, Ushuaia: The Trail

We arrived to the trail around midday, having gotten a late start with the kids and picking up a rental child carrier downtown.

Driving ourselves, we parked easily along the road and crossed over to the trail.

The trailhead marking and sign is set back from the road but you’ll see a wide cleared path in the trees to reach it.

From here the trail is up, up, up through a forest of towering lenga trees. It’s muddy but within the forest it’s compact and, at times, slippery.

It wasn’t overly difficult on the ascent, just a bit tiring.

Don’t worry – the return will be easy as we descend (I erroneously and arrogantly told myself the whole way up).

After we broke free of the forest the trail began to traverse an open valley with peatbogs (turberas).

This final part of the trail was easier, with a less aggressive ascent, but it was also muddier at times.

With peatbogs in the mix, portions of the trail were spongey, muddy and wet. I was grateful for my waterproof hiking boots.

The trail ends on the shore of Laguna Turquesa but from here you can keep walking for more views.

We saw a couple hikers border the laguna to the opposite shore, securing a quieter spot for a picnic.

Others scurried up the hillside to the rocky outcrop for birds-eye views of the laguna below.

Being a bit limited, having hiked with a 3 and a 5 year old, we took turns hiking up for better views (not daring to go all the way to the shale slope).

I couldn’t get over the views of Laguna Esmeralda in the distance.

You can see her right away as you enter the valley beyond the treeline, but the view is much more impressive from above Laguna Turquesa.

If you have already hiked Laguna Esmeralda then you can easily see the trail in its entirety from above.

We spent a long time enjoying the view with a picnic and, as expected, the descent was much quicker than the ascent.

The catch? Slippery mud is hard on the way down and I had the added risk of carrying my 3 year old on my back. I was kicking myself for forgetting to pack hiking poles.

Pack your hiking poles. If you don’t have any, buy some (we have these from Amazon that are so good for the price) or rent some in town. Cumbre Rental is the best, we rented our child carrier from them.

Without a child on your back, you’ll have an easier time. But the risk of falling in the mud here is never 0%, wear the right shoes and (yes, I’ll say it one last time) bring some hiking poles.

Was our Laguna Turquesa crowded? Not at all but it was more crowded than I’d have liked. But that’s our fault for leaving at midday.

Since so many hikers in Ushuaia get dropped off by taxis or shuttles, don’t judge the crowd you’ll find by the parking lot.

That said, it wasn’t bad. We didn’t cross paths with many hikers on our way up (just a couple hikers on their descent and another family that we passed).

But there was a steady arrival of hikers after we got to the top, never annoying but always someone, if that makes sense.

And all that said, it was much, much less trafficked than Laguna Esmeralda. But you’ll get an even quieter experience if you leave at 7 or 8 am (sorry, have I said that enough already).

Read more about Ushuaia and hiking Argentina

• A Complete Ushuaia Travel Guide
• The best hikes in Ushuaia
• Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego: A Detailed Guide
• Eating King Crab in Ushuaia: A Foodie’s Guide to Centolla in Ushuaia
• Things to do in Cafayate, Argentina
• Hiking in El Chalten: Everything You Need to Know
• The best hikes in Argentina