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Tierra del Fuego National Park and Train of the End of the World

Tierra del Fuego National Park & Train of the End of the World

When you visit Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, located in the south portion of Patagonia in Argentina, one of the highlights is Tierra del Fuego National Park and of course the incredible and unique Train of the End of the World, a historical railway that´s the origin of the city, because it was used for the old prison. But, let me start from the beginning.

 

Tierra del Fuego National Park: General Information

Location: Province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands
Ecoregion: Patagonian Forests
Surface: 68.909 ha
Creation: 1960 (Law No. 15.554 / 60)

An impressive landscape formed by lakes, valleys, extensive peat bogs and an exclusive site in our country where the Patagonian forests reach the marine coast. In this, Lapataia Bay, the only Argentine fjord of the Beagle Channel, and Ensenada Zaratiegui stand out.

The forests of the Park are mainly made up of lengas, which are stained in intense red in autumn. In more humid sectors, they are integrated with cinnamon and cherry or Magallanes cohiue, whose leaves do not fall in winter. At the edges of the moss bogs ñires develop. Mammals like the guanaco, the huillín, and the Fuegian red fox live there. Associated with the water and its coasts inhabit the caranca, the black-browed albatross, the quetro, oystercatchers, seagulls and macaes. In the forests and surroundings, the cachaña, the giant woodpecker, the rayadito and the Patagonian thrush are some of the species present.

 

Tierra del Fuego National Park: Fauna and Flora

The southernmost protected area in Argentina is located in the Patagonian Forests ecoregion. There, the foothills of the great mountain range take less height and meet the sea in the Beagle Channel. Marine coastline, lakes, valleys, extensive peat bogs and magnificent forests are part of a unique setting in our country. On the coast, the Lapataia Bay, the only Argentine fjord in the channel, and the Ensenada Zaratiegui stand out.

 

Weather in Tierra del Fuego National Park

Wet cold. Low annual thermal amplitude (7.5 ºC), with an average annual temperature of 5.6 ºC. Uniform and low intensity rainfall during all seasons (200 days a year). Heavy snowfall (in mountains and inland valleys the snow remains from May to September). The ideal season to visit it is from late October to April; during the rest of the year the snow makes walking difficult.

 

Flora

The important forests that the Park conserves are mainly made up of lengas, which in autumn give a characteristic intense reddish color to the place where they are located. In more humid places it is combined with the sour cherry associated with cinnamon. At the edges of the peat bogs of the moss Sphagnum magellanicum ñires develop.

 

Fauna

As for the fauna, among the mammals we can mention the guanaco, the huillín and the Fuegian red fox, exclusive to the island. The assemblage of birds is remarkably rich due to the encounter between land and sea. Associated with the water and its coasts, the caranca, the sea-goo symbol of the National Park; the black-browed albatross; the quetro or austral steam duck; oystercatchers; gulls and macaes are some of the species found. While in the forests and their surroundings the cachaña, the giant woodpecker, the rayadito and the Patagonian thrush are the main species.

 

 

 

 

Train of the End of the World

After forty years without working, in 1994 the End of the World Train resumed part of the old route made by the prisoners’ train, which left from the Ushuaia prison, located in the center of the city, towards the slope of Mount Susana with the aim of obtaining materials (wood and stone) for its construction.

 

Train of the End of the World: Estacion del Fin del Mundo

The train station is located just eight km from the city of Ushuaia, and it is where our guides and guards will invite you to relive the last seven km of the route. On board the train you will be able to listen to the story of the prisoners who came to cut wood every day to this area, and enjoy the magnificent landscapes, made up of the zigzagging river Pipo, the La Macarena waterfall, the tree cemetery and the majestic forest of lengas. In this way you will visit an inaccessible part of Tierra del Fuego National Park, where you can enjoy this experience aboard a vintage railway, with its steam locomotives and elegant cars that have large windows and an individual audio system, the which offers the possibility of listening to history in 7 different languages, in order to be able not only to appreciate the nature that surrounds it, but also to know a very important part of the history of Ushuaia.

 

Train of the End of the World: Puente Quemado

The train crosses the Cañadón del Toro and crosses the Río Pipo on the so-called Puente Quemado, where the wooden remains of the old bridge are found under the new tracks. When crossing the Bridge, you access the first stop; La Macarena Station, as well as the changing Pipo River, a typical river formed by meltwater that descends from the mountains and empties into the Beagle Channel.

 

Train of the End of the World: Cascada La Macarena

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. At this stop it is possible to ascend to a viewpoint that offers an unparalleled view of the Pipo River Valley, Cerro Guanaco, Cerro la Portada and Mount Susana. Ascending towards the top, it will be possible to arrive at the source of the La Macarena waterfall in the Le Martial Mountain Range, which is formed by thawing that is born at the top of said mountain. In addition, here you will find the prisoners who will offer them the photographic service and also a store, which has souvenirs and memories of our railway. After a few minutes, the whistle of the guards will call everyone to calmly return to the train and it will restart its march towards the Tierra del Fuego National Park.

 

 

TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK AND TRAIN OF THE END OF THE WORLD GENERAL MAP

 

 

Train of the End of the World: Tierra del Fuego National Park border

Once on board the train again, the journey continues to the National Park Station, contemplating the magnificent landscape offered by mountains and valleys in the vicinity of the border with it. The Tierra del Fuego National Park was created as such in 1960, by order of the executive power, with a surface area of ​​63,000 ha, and this being the only National Park in Argentina that has maritime coasts, forests and mountains. Throughout the tour, you will be accompanied by an audio guide system, which will illustrate you about the history and the surrounding landscape. On board each training our guides, professionals in tourism, will be able to inform you about everything related to the history of the original prisoners’ train and about the different geographical characteristics of flora, fauna as well as what can be appreciated during the tour in case that there is any doubt about it.

 

Train of the End of the World: Cemetery of Trees

Bordering the Pipo River, we find traces of the daily routine of the prisoners after almost half a century of cutting down forests to supply the town with firewood. This is a place where you can fully appreciate the daily work of the prisoners. Here you can find the so-called “stumps” (remains of logs that do not exceed 50 cm in height above the surface) as a sample stopped in time of the work carried out by the prisoners. Nearby you can see the bases of a former local sawmill, called Lombardich, which operated in the area prior to the decision to transform the sector into a natural protected area.

You can also see a type of Fuegian ecosystem called peat. This type of soil characteristic of Tierra del Fuego is composed of compacted organic and mineral material.

 

Train of the End of the World: Natinoal Park Station

Arriving at the National Park Station, our last stop, that passenger who meets a travel agency or hired excursion, their guides and transports will be waiting for them to continue their visit through the Tierra del Fuego National Park and for those passengers who came in a private way will return with us on the same train to the Main Station.

 

 

 

Train of the end of the World:  A bit of history

Starting in 1902, with the arrival of the engineer Catello Muratgia, the construction of the Ushuaia prison began. At that time, the first xylocarril was also inaugurated, which consisted of wooden tracks and a steam locomotive with flat cars pushed by oxen, horses and in some cases even by the prisoners themselves.
In 1910, the xylocarril was replaced by a “decauville”, which is a type of narrow metal railroad, becoming the most important means of transport in operation in the city of Ushuaia. At that time, it had 2 locomotives to transport the prisoners who made the journey on a daily basis in order to load the material collected during the working day.
The End of the World Train left in the morning from the prison, bound for Mount Susana. At the end of the day, the train would return, in some cases with the prisoners on the load they were carrying or in other cases, with the prisoners pushing it.

In 1947, under the presidential mandate of Juan Domingo Perón and the National Director of Penal Institutes, Roberto Pettinato Senior, requested the closure of the prison for humanitarian reasons. During the following years the train continued to operate for the production of the local sawmills. In 1949, a strong earthquake, which took place in the city of Ushuaia, caused a collapse that left the train tracks impossible and its subsequent abandonment for many years, until the 90s, in which the recreation of the train began.
In 1994, the company Tranex Turismo S.A. He decided to revive this legend and founded the famous “End of the World Train” as it is known today, beginning its activities on October 11 of that same year. In this opportunity for tourist purposes, counting on tourist class and First Class, with service on board. Currently, it has replicas of the old steam locomotives, the passenger cars have heating and a modern audio system to relive the route and the history of the End of the World Train.

The tour begins at the “End of the World Station”, which is located just 8 km from the city of Ushuaia, rescuing the last 7 kilometers of the original route.
with an intermediate stop at “La Macarena Station” where passengers can enjoy a great panoramic view and then continue the tour, to enter the National Park, Tierra del Fuego, from where you can continue visiting the same walking or board another ground transportation to continue enjoying the landscapes and charms of the National Park.

 

 

TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK: The excursion

The visit starts from your hotel when the guide stops for you at the lobby in your hotel. It will be around 8:30 in the morning, to start a short ride to the first stop which is the End of the World Station, the first step in our ride today. The station is the starting point for the southern railroad in the world. Yes, the FAF, Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino, or Fueguin Austral Railroad, which´s the best know as the Train of the End of the World starts there. The visit is optional, but a highlight. I suggest going and start this unique ride in the same trails as the prisoners who were looking for wood, to heat the old presidio.

This ride would be in an incredible landscape composed of forest, rivers, peatlands, and the ruins of an Indian settlement. But full of history too. A first stop is on the Macarena´s waterfall before going into the Tierra del Fuego National Park. Yes, the trail crosses the border and continues now into the national park. The last stop is the National Park Station when the train ends. You can take a the return ticket to the End of the World Station, or not. What I suggest is to take only a one-way trip and continue by bus, to see other areas in the park.

Once in the park, and back to your bus, you are going to see different species of vegetation for our pretty characteristic forest, something as bushes, beech trees, ñires, Indio’s beard, and flowers in an extension of 63.000 hectares. During our trip we will make different stops, to enjoy the panoramic views and take pictures.

 

 

The National Park was created in 1960, but in 1990 most of it was used as a protected reserve. Of the total of 63,000 hectares that make up the park, only an area of ​​2,000 is assigned for tourist use, the rest having the category of the strict nature reserve. There are many animals and vegetal species in the park. As in many of these southern Andean forests, lenga and ñire predominate in the place and dye everything green. Of course, if you travel in the autumn months, the landscape will turn reddish, and if it is in winter you will see it covered in snow. Tierra del Fuego is different all year round. Various animals live in the area, such as the fox, the guanaco, the incredible Andean condor, and a great diversity of birds and insects. During the 20th century, specimens of fauna from the northern hemisphere, such as muskrat, rabbit, and American beaver, were introduced to the island and have been acclimatized in an excellent way; the last two species cause serious disturbances in this national park. The Beaver was brought in to develop a strong furrier industry, but some factors did not allow it to be a success. The cold is not as cruel as in the northern hemisphere, with which the Beaver’s coat did not have the necessary quality, so the idea was abandoned sometime later, with the terrible idea of ​​freeing the pairs of beavers, which reproduced quickly, causing a lot of damage to the flora of the park. The introduction of exotic trout was extremely detrimental to native fish as well, which were preyed upon by these species. The lakes and lagoons of the park have a remarkable salmonid population. The most important species is rainbow trout, which is why sport fishing is also an interesting attraction for lovers of this activity, which is strictly regulated within the park.

 

 

From there, we are going to go to Verde Lake and then to Lapataia Bay, places where you could see beaver dams and peatlands. Lapataia will be the last point of our visit and one end of the national park. Upon arrival, a sign indicates that it is the last point on National Route Number 3, which begins in Buenos Aires and ends there, after 3079 km of travel. A path allows to cross the area and to have a view of the Beagle Channel and a small port where some boats arrive. Indeed, it is also possible to reach the park by the sea. Etymologically, Lapataia comes from the Yagan language, and means “forest bay” or “wood bay.” Hunters, shellfish gatherers, and gatherers, of the Yámanas or Yagan ethnic groups, occupied its coasts, exploiting its biological resources

On our way back, we will stop on La Roca, to enjoy the wind of Patagonia and see a wonderful landscape. Then, the return to Ushuaia is around 1:30 pm approximately, so you have some free time for lunch and may combine the excursion with a good Beagle Channel Boat Navigation.

 

Book the excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park and Train of the End of the World

If you want to book the excursion, please click here:  Book this amazing Tierra del Fuego National Park with Train of the End of the World excursion!

 

 

 

Patagonia Tours: complete tours to visit Ushuaia and Patagonia

Now, if you have time, and what you want is to have a complete experience in Patagonia, we have the most complete Patagonia tours!

 

The Amazing Tour of Patagonia – 25 nights

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Patagonia Tours combined with other destinations in Argentina

We have many tours available. Check our complete list of tours to visit Argentina!

 

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For more information and bookings, email us at info@ripioturismo.com 

 

 

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