We begin with the premise that Tierra del Fuego could, without a doubt, be one of the capitals of South American trekking. It has more than 1000 km of marked and unmarked trails, wild and urban trails that go through valleys, peat bogs, glaciers, lakes, sea coast, National Parks, Provincial and Municipal Reserves, inhospitable terrains and places where it has never happened before… and we are only talking about the Argentinean side of Tierra del Fuego! Imagine what it is like on the Chilean side! It will be for another occasion…

Finally, we leave you with the 5 best Trekkings that we believe (after more than 30 years of experience), that can enrich your visits, get away from the daily routine and fill eyes and hearts.

Están simplemente numerados del 1 al 5 pero no es por mérito, ¡porque todos son increíbles!

1 Laguna Turquesa and Monte Carbajal

An unmissable trek for its views, accessibility and duration. Steep access at the beginning but with good reward as it leaves you high up to enjoy the views from the first hour. After passing through the Turquoise Lagoon you have to access mountain terrain so it is recommended to know the trail or hire a certified mountain guide to follow. Continue along the ridges until you reach the summit of Mount Carbajal, where you will be treated to one of the best 360º views of the area. We will be able to see the Esmeralda Lagoon, the Ojo del Albino glacier, all the mountains of the Sierra Alvear with its homonymous mountain, the Cinco Hermanos Mountain, Olivia Mountain, Beagle Channel, Darwin Mountain Range, the city of Ushuaia, the Carbajal Valley and all the surrounding glaciers and lagoons… without a doubt, the best view!

One of the most important things is that you will meet very few people!

Duration: 6/7 hours

Recommendation: Go with good weather, avoid windy day as it is a very exposed area to wind gust due to the orography

👍 Access to incredible views in a short period of time

👎: Steep and very wet trail before the lagoon. The trail after the lagoon is not marked.

2 Glacier Vinciguerra

Undoubtedly a Fuegian classic that you cannot miss. This trail has been marked since the early 90’s and has been modified several times. This resulted in one of the most requested trekking, because it gives you the possibility to access a glacier in only 3 hours of walking… something unprecedented in Patagonia and the world considering that glaciers are slowly disappearing. You have to take advantage of it!

This trek crosses a typical Tierra del Fuego Valley with peat, forest and river and then ascends steep trails to the vegetation limit. This leaves us with good views from here to the glacier. One last climb and there it is, the imposing Vinciguerra glacier cirque and its Laguna de los Tempanos (so called because until the 90’s the glacier fell on its lagoon and left icebergs floating in the water, then the glacier retreated more than 300 meters to its current position). The glacier is best reached by its northern flank, obviously with all possible precautions because we are talking about unstable material when walking. If you want to walk on the glacier, a certified mountain guide is recommended, as well as knowledge of glacier trekking, crevasse rescue and all the equipment. In summer you can walk on it and it is recommended to access the caves in winter or when temperatures are below 0. 

Duration: 6/7 hours

Elevation gain: 800 metros

Recommendations: wear good footwear and leave early

👍 Access to a glacier in a short time

👎 Generally muddy trail.

3 Glacier Ojo del Albino

This trek combines two classics, the famous Laguna Esmeralda and the Ojo del Albino Glacier. It is recommended to leave very early to take advantage of the day, to have many hours of daylight since the trek is long and you will cross with few people. After crossing the valley of Tierra Mayor by a well consolidated path and after crossing the footbridges by an easy path we will arrive at the Esmeralda Lagoon. It is recommended to flank the lagoon on the right side since the trail is better marked. After about 40 minutes we will leave the forest and enter mountain terrain. Special attention in this place because there is no marked trail, there is no signage, and there are some random pyramids of doubtful origin that should not be trusted 100%. It is recommended to hire a certified mountain guide or know the trail. We will access the glacier after crossing some orange rock passes. The glacier is spectacular in every sense of the word, so pay special attention to the descent!

Duration: 8 hours

Elevation gain: 900 metros 

Recommendations: Start very early and go with good training, flashlight and good footwear.

👍A unique place framed by impressive mountains.

👎 Undoubtedly the amount of people that arrive to the lagoon makes this trek lose points.

4 Monte Susana

Trekking de medio día con vistas únicas. Si se combinan los senderos adecuados esta salida puede marcar significativamente tu estancia en Ushuaia. 

Accessing through the Costa Susana neighborhood, through a path that was created and well designed by this complex, we will ascend until we find ourselves, after about 1 hour, at the Mirador del Susana. An unexpected deck right on the edge of the vegetation, hanging over the forest that will give us the view of Ushuaia Bay, Beagle Channel and all the surrounding mountains. It gets really good from here!

We continue west along a network of well-marked trails to approach the summit in just 30 minutes. From here the surprise of having a 360º view! Everything mentioned above in the deck view, plus views of the entire Tierra del Fuego National Park, Gordon Island, Murray Channel, Navarino Island, Cordillera Darwin if it is clear, and Canadon del Toro! Here the trick of the mountain, to go down, we recommend to continue to the West and go down a path of ancient and peaceful forests to the entrance of the National Park. It is really a trekking that we consider to go out with the family, enjoy it and make the most of a half day outing.

Duration: 4 / 5 hours

Elevation gain: 500 meters 

Recommendations: carry water because there is no water along the entire trail.

👍Incredible views in a short time, little slope and low technical level.

👎No water and poorly marked in certain upper parts of the mountain.

5Trekking to the viewpoints of the city of Ushuaia

If you are looking for a quiet Trekking, for half a day or less, for the whole family and good enjoyment with views, this option is perfect!

It starts right behind the Wyndham Hotel (on the other side of the street) on the road that leads to the Martial Glacier of the homonymous urban reserve. You go through the forest trails combining cross-country ski trails (a sport that is widely practiced in Tierra del Fuego) until you arrive after 1 hour at the head of the first alpine ski slope in the province. The difficult thing here is to be able to find the correct entrance to the corresponding trails since there are many combinations that can be made. If you don’t get to the Wallner trailhead you can stop in the middle of the peat bog of the lagoons to enjoy a good view of the Martial Mountains. There are hundreds of combinations! It is only necessary to remember where to return

Duration: 2 hours

No significant elevation gain

👍Little slope, trail in good condition and good views.

👎 Many trail combinations make it easy to get lost.