Nature & Hiking near Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego

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This blog with more photos is available on my website . Say Hueque organized my tours in Ushuaia and did a fantastic job of finding the most environmentally responsible local tour operators. I highly recommend them for sustainable travel in both Argentine and Chilean Patagonia!

I spent three weeks in Ushuaia and got to do just about everything! Here are my favorite hikes and places to get outside and enjoy the spectacular nature that Tierra del Fuego has to offer!

Alarkén Nature Reserve

The easiest hikes with fantastic views leave from Arakur Resort. There are three trails, all clearly marked and easy to follow. They are public trails on the Cerro Alarkén Nature Reserve that you can access even if you’re not staying at the hotel. If you have a car, just drive up to the hotel. You can also go in a taxi or the Alarkén shuttle which leaves on the hour from Ramos Generales Restaurant.

Martial Glacier

Martial Glacier is a harder trail than Cerro Alarkén, but has even better views. There are several ways to do this trail. The long version starts in town near Altos Ushuaia Hotel & Restaurant. On the right side of the road, there is a trail that heads uphill through the forest. It’s very clearly marked with yellow signs and yellow paint on some trees. It took me about an hour walking slowly and taking lots of photos to get from the trailhead to the ski resort.

You can also drive or take a taxi up to the ski resort. At the parking lot there is the famous Cabaña de Té tea house and a the restaurant Refugio de Montaña which serves hot drinks, (including mulled wine), and hearty dishes like burgers and stews.

From the ski resort, you walk up a ski run to a wide viewpoint which is where most people stop. From there, the trail is much narrower and there are a lot of loose rocks. I recommend having good hiking boots if you want to continue past the viewpoint. I loved the hike but was disappointed to find that the trail doesn’t actually take you up to the glacier. It ends at a cliff that you could climb if you had climbing shoes and ropes. I was hiking solo without any climbing gear, so I didn’t actually get to see the glacier.

Tierra del Fuego National Park

If you have more than one day in Ushuaia, schedule a full day for the national park. The park entrance has an interpretive center with a great exhibit that explains the regions glaciers, past and present. This is the best place to learn about the geology of Tierra del Fuego.

I saw lots of birds in the forest and on the water. In the photos, the birds are Crested Caracara, Chimango (which are clearly not afraid of people), Magellanic Woodpecker, and a pair of Vapor Ducks with a duckling. I also saw king fishers, petrels, albatrosses, cormorants and lots of small birds in the forest that were too fast for me to identify.

Laguna Esmeralda

Laguna Esmeralda is one of the most popular hikes near Ushuaia. Only an 11 mile (18km) drive from town, the trail head is easy to find. Roundtrip, the hike is about 5.5 miles (9km) and goes through forest and past red peat bogs.

The Beagle Channel Coastal Trails

I love walking on the beach, even when there’s no sand or sun and the coast west of Ushuaia is perfect for walking. Rocky beaches have the advantage of more places for wildlife to hide among the rocks. There are several access points from the west side of town down to the coast, which is all public land. I recommend timing your walk with low tide so you can see what animals are trapped in the tide pools when the sea retreats. If you follow the Pipo River down to where it meets the Beagle Channel, you’ll be on a stretch of coast called Yámanas, after the native people of the area. West of that is an area of private land called Costa Susana which borders the national park. There are public access trails through Costa Susana to get you around areas where cliffs meet the coast and there isn’t a beach to walk on.

There are more photos below, so scroll down!

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Photos

Martial Glacier
This hike goes from the Martial Glacier ski resort up one of the ski runs and then even higher to the base of the Martial Glacier. It was my favorite hike that starts from town and doesn't require a car to get to the trailhead.

Beagle Channel Islands
Tours of the Beagle Channel stop on at least one island so you can see the extraordinary flora and fauna that live in this inhospitable climate. Say Hueque organized my Beagle Channel tour and I highly recommend them as a carbon-negative company! https://sayhueque.com

Tierra del Fuego National Park
This is one of the coastal hikes in Tierra del Fuego National Park. The park has several great hiking trails plus lakes and rivers for kayaking and canoeing. If you have at least two days in Ushuaia, plan one of those days at the national park!

Cerro Alarkén
This nature preserve above Ushuaia has beautiful trails where I only saw one other group of people. It's the perfect place to enjoy a leisurely stroll in the forest.

Cerro Alarkén Trail Map
Even if you don't have time for a hike, to up to the view point on the blue trail. It's a short walk and you have a spectacular view of Ushuaia, the Beagle Channel, the Darwin Mountain Range and valleys that lead from Ushuaia north into Tierra del Fuego.

Cascada Lasifashaj
The hike to this waterfall takes about 45 minutes and is mostly flat. The parking area is easy to find on Google maps, near Puerto Almanza. The trail doesn't have any signs, but enough people hike there that the path is well worn and easy to follow.

Cascada Duende
The name of this waterfall translates to Dwarf Waterfall. It's not particularly small, so perhaps the name refers to forest spirits that inhabit the area. Regardless of where the name comes, from, this waterfall near Puerto Almanza is a lovely little walk.

Comments

[Dancing Dave]

Argentinian National Parks
No better kept or welcoming National Parks anywhere in the World we have found. The ones you hiked in look and sound awesome!