Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world and of course, there is a wide variety of activities to enjoy once you´re there. But which are the must-see places in Ushuaia? Well, let me talk about these visits and below, you will find some places of interest that could be nice to visit during your trip:
Must-see in Ushuaia #1: Tierra del Fuego National Park
Definitely, one of the most beautiful natural places in the Island of Tierra del Fuego. The park is located 12 Km from the city of Ushuaia. You will find the entrance to Tierra del Fuego National Park that was created in 1960, to protect and preserve 68909 hectares of nature. It’s the only park in Argentina combining marine, wood, and mountain environments with the shape of a marine coast, lakes, lagoons, peat bogs and great forests dominated by lenga, guindo and ñire (different Nothofagus species). These environments form a peculiar scenery with the purest air ever found. Its fauna, mammals species such as guanaco, huillín (Lontra provocax) and Fuegian Foxes are exclusive in the area.
The gathering of birds as a consequence of land and sea encounters is notably rich. Usually associated with water and its coasts, the kelp geese are a symbol of the National Park. The black – browed albatrosses; the flying steamer duck; oystercatchers and seagulls are a few of the species found in the area. Around forests and their surroundings, there are austral parakeets, woodpeckers, thorn-tailed “rayadito” and the austral thrush are the main species.
How to get to the Tierra del Fuego National Park? Well, there are many alternatives to get to the park. Hiring an excursion with a travel agency; or taxi/remis. You can also reach the park with a private car. There isn’t any public transport from town. What we suggest is to take a visit with a guide, to learn more about this unique environment.
Interested? Click on the image below and see more information about the visit to Tierra del Fuego National Park
Must-see in Ushuaia #2: Train of the End of the World
When you visit the park, you can include the ride to the Train of the End of the World. It´s a great experience, to learn more about the origins of the Ushuaia city, and the old prison that used the original train to collect wood from the forest.
After forty years without functioning, in 1994 End of the World Train took again part of the old route that made the prisoners train, which left from the prison of Ushuaia, located in the center of the city, towards the slope of the Susana Mountain with the objective of obtaining materials (wood and stone) for the construction of the same one. The train station is located only eight km from the city of Ushuaia, and our guides and guards will invite you to relive the last seven km of the journey. Onboard the train you can listen to the history of the prisoners who came daily to cut wood to this area and enjoy magnificent landscapes, composed of the zigzagging Pipo River, the Macarena waterfall, the tree cemetery, and the majestic lenga forest. In this way, you will visit an inaccessible part of the Tierra del Fuego National Park, where you will be able to enjoy this experience aboard a vintage railroad, with its steam locomotives and elegant cars that have large windows and an individual audio system, which offers the possibility of listening to history in 7 different languages, in order not only to appreciate the nature that surrounds you but also to know a very important part of the history of Ushuaia.
The train crosses the Cañadón del Toro and crosses the Pipo River over the so-called Puente Quemado (Burnt Bridge), where the remains of wood from the old bridge are found under the new tracks, with access to the first stop, La Macarena Station. From this bridge, you can see the changing Rio Pipo, a typical river formed by meltwater, which descends from the mountains and flows into the Beagle Channel.
La Macarena Station is a place of historical interest where the prisoners’ train used to stop to provide water to the tanks of the steam locomotive called La Coqueta. In this stop, it is possible to ascend until a viewpoint that offers an incomparable view of the Valley of the Pipo River, Cerro Guanaco, Cerro la Portada, and Monte Susana. Ascending towards the upper part, it will be possible to reach the source of the Macarena waterfall in the Del Martial Mountain Chain, which is formed by thaws that are born at the top of the mountain. You can also find our prisoners who will offer their photographic service and also a grocery store, which has a souvenir of our railroad. After a few minutes, the whistle of the guards will call all to quietly return to the train and the train restarts its march to the National Park Tierra del Fuego.
Arriving at the National Park Station, our last stop, the passenger who meets a travel agency or contracted excursion, your guides and transport will be waiting for you to continue your visit to Tierra del Fuego National Park and for those passengers who came in a particular way will return with us on the same train to the Main Station.
Book the visit to Tierra del Fuego National Park and combine with the magical Train of the End of the World:
Must-see in Ushuaia #3: Navigate the Beagle Channel
Another great activity is to navigate the Beagle Channel. It´s a strait in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the southern tip of South America. The channel, trending east-west, is about 150 miles (240 km) long and 3 to 8 miles wide; it separates the archipelago’s main island to the north from Navarino, Hoste, and other smaller islands to the south. The eastern portion forms part of the Chile–Argentina border, while the western portion lies entirely within Chile. The Beagle Channel became famous few decades ago, when the three islands at the channel’s eastern end, Picton, Nueva, and Lennox islands, were the subject of a territorial dispute between Chile and Argentina that began in the 1840s and which almost led to war between the two countries in 1978. The dispute officially ended on May 2, 1985, when a treaty awarding the three islands to Chile went into effect between the two countries. The Beagle Channel was named for the British ship Beagle, in which Charles Darwin explored the area.
Now, why is worth visiting the Beagle Channel? Well, there are many options available. You can see penguins in Martillo Island for example, or discover the sea lions island, the birds island or the unique Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, which is an icon of the area. Find two great options to visit the Beagle Channel when you arrive in Ushuaia.
These are three must-sees, but there are many other places of interest in Ushuaia. If you´re a history lover, a good place to visit is the Jail Museum or Museo del Presidio de Ushuaia.
As time went on in this jail, offenders were sent offenders of serious crimes, many of them sentenced to life or long-term sentences. The regime applied was based on paid work, primary school education, and severe discipline. The prison had 30 work sectors, some of them were outside of it. The workshops installed attended the needs of the prison and provided services to the entire city of Ushuaia. These were the first printing press, telephone, electricity, fire brigade, etc. Outside the jail, the convicts were used for jobs such as the construction of streets, bridges, buildings, as well as the exploitation of forests. In this way, with the convicts, the southernmost train in the world was enabled in 1910. This came to have an extension of 25 km and ran alongside Maipú street passing through the Monte Susana camp and dividing into two branches towards what is now the National Park. The jail also had several boats, the best-known being “La Godoy”. In 1947, with the National Territory already being a Maritime Government, the Presidency of the Nation ordered the closure of the jail. The facilities were transferred to the Ministry of the Navy and the Naval Base was installed in them in 1950.
Another great visit is the trip to Fagnano and Escondido Lakes, in the heart of Tierra del Fuego Island. You will leave the city of Ushuaia traveling along National Route No. 3 (Pan-American) towards the north of the island, to access the Fuegian Andes through valleys covered by peat bogs. During the tour, we will be able to observe the Carbajal, Tierra Mayor and Las Cotorras valleys and then reach the Garibaldi Pass (450 meters above sea level), crossing the Andes Mountains, with the beautiful view of the Escondido and Fagnano Lakes. At the head of Lake Fagnano we will make a brief stop to enjoy the scenery. From there we will begin the return to the city, stopping before to taste the typical Asado de Cordero Fueguino. Click on the image below for more information:
For more information, email us at info@ripioturismo.com
Thank you!
