Tierra del Fuego National Park: A Complete Guide

Exploring Tierra Del Fuego National Park is one of the best things to do in Ushuaia.

It is the only park in Argentina to combine marine, mountain, and forest environments. You’ll also see lakes, valleys and peat bogs.

You’ll experience authentic Tierra Del Fuego landscapes along the rocky coast of the Beagle Channel, lush sub-Antarctic forests, and imposing Lago Acigami along the Chilean border.

You can even drive to the end of the Pan-American Highway.

It’s a destination that must be included in any Ushuaia itinerary but how you visit and how long you spend there can vary on what you want to do.

This post a guide on how to visit Tierra del Fuego National Park, whether you’re tight on time or want to spend days on the park’s beautiful trails.

Visit Tierra del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia

Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego is rather small as national parks go.

Correction, it’s a large park but most of the park is an undeveloped reserve. What you can visit is small and concentrated along the Beagle Channel.

This means it’s incredibly easy to visit, whether by guided tour or on your own.

In the center of the park there’s a visitor center, Alakush Visitor Center, open from 10 am to 5:30 pm, with a restaurant, informational center, gift shop, and restrooms.

Tierra del Fuego National Park Entry fee

Here are the current rates at time of writing (March 2026), confirm rates here.

• $30,000 pesos for international visitors
• $9,000 pesos for Argentine nationals and residents
• $5,000 pesos for Tierra del Fuego residents
• Children 5 and under are free of charge
• Receive 50% discount for the second day which must be within 72 hours of first entry. And for Tierra Del Fuego this discount is only applied on tickets purchased online here.

How to Get to Tierra del Fuego National Park

Car, train, tour – here is how to get to Tierra Del Fuego National Park.

And once in the park, how to get around? If you’re getting dropped off by a taxi or shuttle, you’ll be hiking around the park. Keep reading until the end of this post for a route of connected trails to follow.

• Rental car: We already rent a car to get around Ushuaia. Comparing it to the costs of taxis and tours it always comes out to be of good value and it allows to better maximize our days. Check rental rates here.
• Shuttles: There are shuttles/minibuses that depart at a set schedule from the intersection Avenida Maipu and Juana Genoveva Fadul Sur. Confirm schedule with tourist information upon arrival. They have 7 stops within the park at all the entrance, the main trailheads, the visitor center, and Lapataia Bay.
• Guided tour of the park: This small group tour shows you all the main sites and includes an easy hike.
• Take a taxi: You can take a taxi to a trailhead to hike across the park and be picked up later at a prearranged time (more on that later). Taxis can also spend half a day taking you around the park to see the main photo spots and highlights. As of February 2026 they were charging the equivalent of $100 US for this.
• Take the Fin del Mundo Train: Train enthusiast? Take the historic End of the World Train to the park. You can take a short stop exploring the station before returning or choose the option to return later in the day after spending your day in the park (more recommendable)
• Canoe & Hike: For active travelers looking to get away from the crowds, this excursion involves a beautiful 3 hour hike and a canoe trip across Lapataia Bay.

4 Main Areas of the Park to Explore

Here are the main areas and highlights of the park to visit.

Overall, the park is easy to navigate and it’s impossible to get los. Ruta 3 (the road you take from Ushuaia) crosses the entire park and famously ends in the Lapataia Bay.

There is a road that intersects with Ruta 3 early on in the park. It leads to Ensenada Zaratiegui (the post office and the Costera trail) in one direction, and Rio Pipo in the other.

Then immediately after the Alakush Visitor Center there is a road that leads to Lago Acigami (trailheads for Hito XX19 and Cerro Guanaco).

Finally, Ruta 3 famously ends in the Lapataia Bay, passing a number of short hikes along the way.

That is really it, check the official park map below and click here to download it as a PDF.

The End of the World Post Office

In Bahia Ensenada Zaratiegui, before you embark on the Senda Costera, pay a visit to the End of the World Post Office.

A visit meaning take a photo in front of it. Unfortunately, it has been closed for a couple of years. It is very much missed!

This corrugated iron building sits on a precarious dock over the water.

In 2021 we visited while it was still operating, writing a postcard to family back in the US. They stamped it with official end of the world stamps (and a few novelty penguin stamps for good measure).

The people working there gave my toddler paper to draw on and gifted him a penguin keychain. Hopefully one day it will re-open to create more memories.

Río Pipo

The Río Pipo area is where the terminal for the Fin del Mundo Train is.

The Río Pipo Valley was part of the logging area where inmates from the Ushuaia penal colony worked cutting timber.

While here, hike the short and easy hike to Cascada Río Pipo that takes 15 minutes (900 meters/1.2 miles) each way.

There is a wild campsite here that is free (included in your entry fee) for a set number of nights depending on your fee. There are chemical toilets but no running water or facilities.

Lago Acigami/Roca

Take the immediate right after passing the Alakush Visitor Center to reach Lago Acigami.

The lake formerly known as Lago Roca is now known by its original indigenous name, Acigami.

You’ll find the trailheads for Hito XXIV and Cerro Guanaco here.

But you don’t need to enjoy hiking to love the rocky shores of the lake that’s co-owned by Chile and Argentina.

There are benches along the shores here that are ideal for mate drinking, picnic having, or sun-bathing (or resting your tired feet post-hike).

Big bus tours stop here intermittently, unloading their passengers en masse for a leg stretching photo op. If you’re trying to relax with your mate, don’t worry. They’ll leave quickly and you will have windows of peace.

Lapataia Bay/Fin de Ruta 3

The stretch of Ruta 3 from the Alakush Visitor Center to the literal end of the road is dotted with easy trails and viewpoints.

You can easily kill a beautiful afternoon picking and choosing from these short trails. It really is a gorgeous region of the park.

With such easy trails you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better effort/reward value of stunning views anywhere.

At the end of Ruta 3 take a picture with the sign commemorating the moment, marking the distance from Buenos Aires and even further, Alaska.

Hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park

The best thing to do in any national park is to hike the beautiful trails and Tierra del Fuego is no different.

🥾For a complete list of hikes in the park and elsewhere in Ushuaia, read my post about the best hikes in Ushuaia.

What to wear/pack:

• Pack out all of your garbage, down to every tissue. Bring a plastic bag to collect everything to pack out easily.
• Pack or rent hiking poles if you use them
• Wear waterproof hiking boots in Tierra del Fuego (I’ve lived in my Danner boots for 5 years and counting).
• Wear a base layer, fleece, puffer coat, and beanie. It’s better to have too much and carry it than not to have enough
• Pack a wind/rain jacket, the weather can change quickly in Ushuaia.
• Snacks or picnic to enjoy along a picnic along the way (know you can make a lunch pitstop in Alakush)
• Enough water for the duration of the trail

Short & Easy Trails

Towards the end of Ruta 3 in the Lapataia region, from the Alakush Visitor Center to the end of Ruta 3 (and the end of the park) there is a series of short, easy trails suitable for all ages.

They vary from 30 minutes to an hour, all are very easy in difficulty.

Here is a list of all the Lapataia hikes, also mentioned in my Ushuaia hiking guide.

They are all grouped one after the other towards the end of Ruta 3 and it’s easy to do one right after the other. Of these trails, my favorite of these was Paseo de la Isla.

• Senda de la Baliza – A short hike at the Bahia Lapataia, you’ll see the trailhead fork off from the main boardwalk, great views of the bay.
• Paseo de la Isla – 0.4 miles/800 meters – This was one of my favorite hikes in the park. It was gorgeous. The trail borders the Lapataia and Ovando rivers and the Cormoranes Archipiélago.
• Paseo a la Laguna Negra – 0.6 miles/950 meters – An easy hike to a laguna in a peatbog, the lagoon’s dark coloring comes from the peat.
• Mirador Lapataia – 0.6 miles/950 meters – Good views of the bay and since it connects to Turbal it’s a good way to reach Lapataia Bay on foot.
• Paseo del Turbal – 1.2 miles/2 km – Easy walk across a peatbog, it connects to the Castorera trail.
• Paseo de la Castorera – 0.2 miles/200 meters – This short walk is mostly on a boardwalk viewing the effects beavers have had on this ecosystem. There are information plaques about the invasive species (brought in from Canada) and how they’re being controlled. Definitely worth doing.

Moderate Trails

• The Senda Costera: This is the most popular hike in the entire park (and what I recommend if you only have time for one hike). It is 8 km one way, ending at Alakush Visitor Center and takes 2-3 hours (more if you stop for a picnic on the many rocky beaches).
• Pampa Alta: This hike starts near the Fin del Mundo Train station in the Río Pipo area and ends at Ensenada Zaratiegui 
• Hito XXIV: Hike to the border with Chile along the shore of Lago Acigami (formerly Lago Roca). This 7 km out and back (3 hours) trail is officially moderate but I found it to be fairly easy. It is doable even on misty days as most of the hike is under cover of the forest.

Difficult Trails

For a difficult hike ascend Cerro Guanaco.

It takes at least 4 hours and is 8 km out and back.

The trailhead is the same as Hito XXIV at Lago Acigami, you’ll see a quick fork in the path. It’s easily marked.

The trail is a steep uphill schlepp for the entire ascent up Cerro Guanaco, rewarding you with panoramic views of the mountains and the Beagle Channel.

Part of the trail crosses peat bogs (turbera in Spanish) so definitely wear waterproof hiking boots and use hiking poles.

Once you pass the tree line you exposed to the harsh elements. Pack your puffer/warm layers and rain shell.

How to Cross Tierra del Fuego National Park on Foot

No car? No problem.

Many of these hikes are one way and interconnect, making it not only possible, but ideal, to traverse the park on foot.

Hire a taxi to drop you off at your chosen starting point. Arrange a pick up time and place in advance. Usually taxis pick passengers up at Bahia Lapataia at the end of the day.

If you want to hike and know you can handle a full day on your feet, this is a very fun option.

If you don’t think you can do a full day, perhaps set your sights lower and have them pick you up closer (like the Alakush Visitor Center). Then they could drive you down to Lapataia Bay before leaving the park.

I mention that only because I picked up two exhausted older hitchhikers at Alakush who were too defeated to hike the rest of the way to Lapataia to meet their taxi.

Cross the Park on Foot: The Route

• Start your day at Bahia Ensenada Zaratiegui at the post office.
• First hike the Senda Costera (8 km) which ends on main road, Ruta 3. Walk down the road past the Alakush Visitor Center.
• Optional lunch pit stop and bathroom break in Alakush.
• Keep on Ruta 3 and cross the small bridge to reach the Paseo de la Isla Trail (just over 1.3 km). This trail ends at the Laguna Verde Mirador/Viewpoint, stop, enjoy, take pictures, then…
• Continue on Ruta 3, option to hike out and back to Laguna Negra
• Take the Mirador Lapataia trail through a deciduous beech forest to reach panoramic views of Lapataia Bay and your destination – the parking lot.
• Optional: connect to Turbera Trail on the way which also leads you to the Castorera Trail. The Castorera trail is a short 200 meter walk to beaver damns. But if you’re asking my option, you can skip it.
• From Lapataia Bay you can hike the Senda La Baliza (1.5 km), great for birdwatching and views of the bay.

Read More about Tierra del Fuego

Enjoy your time at the end of the world!

To keep exploring Ushuaia and its epic province, Tierra del Fuego, keep reading:

• Ushuaia Travel Guide
• Laguna Esmeralda Hike Guide
• Laguna Turquesa Hike Guide
• The best hikes in Ushuaia
• Estancia Las Loicas: A Remote Estancia in Tierra del Fuego