Trekking Laguna Esmeralda: Ushuaia’s most Popular Hike

Laguna Esmeralda is inarguably the most popular hike in Ushuaia.

It is officially classified as a moderate trail but, in reality, it’s fairly easy with minimal elevation gain.

With minimal effort (as far as hikes go) you reach immense beauty. It is easy to see why thousands flock to this trail every year.

The trail winds through iconic Tierra del Fuego landscapes like lenga forests and across peatbogs before you reach the emerald lagoon.

I have done the Laguna Esmeralda hike on both of my Ushuaia trips and seen how the trail has evolved over the years.

This post is a complete guide to the trail so you know what to expect, how to get there, and what to bring with you.

Trekking Laguna Esmeralda: What to Know

• Length: 9 km round trip, there and back trail
• Time to complete: 4-5 hours
• In summer, start no later than 3 pm
• In winter, start no later than 12 pm noon. Winter can be extreme in Tierra del Fuego, I do recommend going with a guide in winter.
• Drones and dogs (always leashed) are allowed as it’s not within the national park

What to wear and pack

• Pack out all of your garbage, down to every tissue. Bring a plastic bag to collect everything and pack out easily.
• Pack or rent hiking poles or big up a stick at the trailhead (hundreds are piled up at the second trailhead that is right off Ruta 3 just around the corner from the parking lot trailhead)
• Wear waterproof hiking boots (I’ve lived in my Danner boots for 5 years and counting). This is not the place for hiking in your Converse unless you want to ruin them in the mud and have wet and cold feet all day.
• 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 here.
• Snacks or picnic to enjoy by the lagoon or along the way
• Enough water for the duration of the trail

When to hike to Laguna Esmeralda

Laguna Esmeralda is the most popular hike in Ushuaia and you can tell just from the trailheads parking lot.

The huge parking lot is full of cars, minibuses and the occasional bus. And where there are people, there is commerce. You’ll see a few opportune vendors renting out hiking poles and boots and selling snacks and choripan to tired hikers. There was even a barista preparing specialty coffee.

With this popularity come crowds (I said buses), so if you want to have a bit more peace on the trail then I highly recommend leaving early.

If you left at 7 am you’d have all of Ushuaia to yourself, let alone Laguna Esmeralda. Argentines are notorious late risers, so the early bird really does get the worm here.

It is also best to hike this trail in the summer and shoulder seasons. Think October through March (but still expect to see some snow and ice in October).

For winter, it is best to go with a guided Laguna Esmeralda excursion.

How to get to Laguna Esmeralda, Ushuaia

The trail is about 20 minutes from downtown Ushuaia on Ruta 3 and you have a few ways to get here.

My recommendation is to rent a car to get around Ushuaia. It’s by far the best way, in my opinion, as you can fully optimize your days and not have to wait on timed transfers or taxis (which aren’t exactly that cheap to begin with).

This is an easy half-day hike, if you have the freedom of your own car you can easily do another activity before or after your hike to make full use of your day. Remember that in summer you have a LOT of daylight hours. You can hike in the morning and in the afternoon do the 3 pm departure of this Beagle Channel cruise, for example.

Otherwise, if you want to flexibility to go whenever you want take a taxi. Arrange a pick up time in advance for them to come back for you. There is no cell signal here for you to call them when you’re done.

There are also shuttlebuses that depart regularly from the bus terminal near tourist information in the port. They typically leave every hour in the morning and return in the afternoon. Here is one shuttle option, but there confirm all your options, current hours and costs at tourist information when you arrive.

And finally, there are organized excursions like this one if you prefer to go with a guide. But the hike is very easy, well marked and highly trafficked so you really don’t need a guide.

However, there is an option to extend the hike to reach the Ojo del Albino Glacier that is perched above Laguna Esmeralda. If you want to do that hike, I do highly recommend a guide – like this one. The final scurry over the rocks is tricky and if you want to actually trek ON the glacier you need the safety of a trained guide and the right equipment.

Trekking Laguna Esmeralda: The Trail

The trail easily divides into four sections featuring distinct landscapes.

The beginning of the trail is very easy through a lenga forest. If its windy, listen as the trees sway and creak.

I love this eerie sound, as if the trees are talking to each other.

There are some muddy patches here and there but nothing too you can’t avoid with some clever hops from rock to rock or along a strategically fallen log.

When the forest ends you’ll be in a small clearing that opens up to the Carbajal-Tierra Valley, where you’ll see peat moss spread in every direction and enjoy spectacular views of the mountains in the distance.

This portion used to be extremely muddy, then they laid down logs to create a barrier between you and the mud.

And in recent years they have improved the trail even more, with a slightly elevated wooden pathway crossing the most difficult portions.

At the end of this valley clearing you’ll reach the Esmeralda River, with the same bright turquoise color as the lagoon. Notice the massive beaver dams, an invasive species that has (for better and mostly worse) changed the landscape of Tierra del Fuego.

Here you’ll enter the third section and landscape – native primary forest. Whereas the first forest you passed was full of towering lenga trees, this one is mostly old-growth coihue and beech trees.

There are more steep inclines as you ascend up from the river, but it wasn’t bad overall. I found this forest to also be muddier.

Read next: A Complete Guide to Tierra del Fuego National Park

When you exit the second forest and reach the river yet again you’re in the home stretch.

You are crossing more mossy peatbog here but you would never know it thanks to the wooden pathways across the worst parts.

The final part of the trail borders the river. It is rocky and not as muddy as the rest of the trail but you need to pay attention as you scurry over the rocks.

Laguna Esmeralda is hidden from sight until the final moment, after you climb up a rocky hill you are rewarded with the epic view.

The lagoon owes its bright color to the sediments from the Ojo del Albino glacier.

Bring a picnic or snack (like the decadent Australis alfajores with calafate berry jam) to enjoy as a reward. The beach is a great picnic stop but if it’s windy or rainy, head to the right to sit under the trees for a bit of cover.

If you want you can walk around the lagoon to the other side for more peace and unique views.

You’ll see the trail continue up to Ojo del Albino Glacier, this is for experienced hikers with the proper gear, go with a guide like this.

Keep Reading

• A Guide to the best hikes in Ushuaia
• About the hike to Laguna Turquesa, Ushuaia
• Things to do in Ushuaia, A Guide to the End of the World
• Las Loicas: An Epic Estancia in Tierra del Fuego
• Hiking in El Chalten: Everything You Need to Know
• El Calafate, Argentina: A Complete Travel Guide