How to spend four days adventuring in Ushuaia, Argentina
The Southern most city in the world. Ushuaia feels wild, remote, and like you truly are at the end of the world. Come here to see penguins, visit Tierra del Fuego, explore the Beagle Channel as many world explorers have done before, and hike through desolute, but beautiful landscapes. Here is how to spend four days in Ushuaia hitting the major highlights.
How to get there:
Ushuaia is at the southern end of the world, you are going to devote some time to getting there no matter where you are coming from. In fact it is considered the southern most city in the world and the gateway to Tierra del Fuego and Antartica. It is located along the Beagle Channel in Argentina. Unless you are already in Patagonia and wanting to travel by bus, the best way to get there is by flying. There are daily flights from Buenos Aires. They usually stop once along the way because the distance is so far, such as in Calafate, where my flight stopped. I found flying to Ushuaia and then working my way north through Patagonia a good route, but you could also do it the other direction.
Unless you are trying to ski and enjoy the snow, the best time to go to Ushuaia is during their summer from December - February. The days will be long with almost 17 hours of daylight, so lots of time for exploring. The weather will be the warmest it will be, which is still not warm, so bring warm clothes and know it isn’t going to be a warm summer beach vacation. When I was there in January (the middle of their summer) it did lightly snow on one of my hikes.
Where to stay:
Budget: Oshovia Hostel and El Refugio Lodge Hostel are nice cozy hostels with kitchen facilities.
Midrange: Ushuaia Lodge Las Margaritas 430
Luxury: Los Cauquenes Resort + Spa, Arakur Ushuaia Resort & Spa
Where to eat:
Ramos Generales El Almacen: A super cute restaurant in the old general store, it has delicious pasteries, but also a great menu if you want to sit down and eat. Great food and great vibe, if you are anything like me you’ll come here multiple times in a couple days.
Bodegón Fueguino: Good food and a cute little place downtown. Good size portions and reasonable prices. Nothing super fancy, but it worth a stop.
Dublin: A bar and restaurant that is pub style. It’s a laid back place to spend the evening eating and drinking if you want a break from the typical Argentian food.
La Cabana Tea House: A cute little English style tea house at the base a glacier martial hike, its a great spot to stop and grab tea and a sweet after hiking to the glacier.
Day 1: Glacier Martial & Exploring town
Arrive midday and get out and stretch those legs after flying with an afternoon hike to Glacier Martial. You can take a taxi up the hill to the very start of the trail to cut down on the walking time. Then head up the trail for some great views of the city and the channel and you get up close to the glacier and surrounding mountains. When you get to the bottom of the trail stop at the teahouse for a cup of tea and a pastry to recharge before walking down the big hill back to the city. Chances are if you are walking on the road someone will offer to pick you up too, so if you’re legs are tired don’t worry chances are you will find a ride. This is relatively easy hike especially if you get a ride to the starting point and a great way to start your time in Ushuaia to give you a taste of nature and orient you as you look down on the city below.
Day 2: Tierra del Fuego National Park
The next day head to the iconic Tierra del Fuego National Park. It is a bit out of the city so you will need to arrange a bus or shuttle. Most hostels/hotels can book one for you easily. There are many hikes in the park to choose from of varying difficulty depending on what level of activity you are up for. I headed up Cerro Guanaco a demanding climb and one of the longer hikes in the park, but so worth it for the 360 views. Be prepared for lots of mud and climb up scree at the end, but don’t let that scare you away. The whole hike up is beautiful as you get closer to the mountains. Just make sure you double check what time the last bus picks up, so you don’t miss it. The park pamphlet says the hike will take 7 hours, but if you are quick hiker it can be done in much less than that. If you have more time you can spend the night in the park camping or at the refugio and be in place to do another hike the next day. But if you aren’t in the camping mood, have no fear there are several other great hikes just outside Ushuaia that don’t even require an entrance fee.
Day three: Hiking outside the national park
Get in another hike today, but this time check out the area outside the park. The area around Ushuaia is full of beautiful nature without having to pay to enter the park more than once. There are two great hikes hat are easy to get to from Ushuaia and can easily be done in a day. Both Laguna de Los Tempanos and Laguna Esmerelda are highly rated and not overly crowded. I only had time for one hike and opted for Laguna de Los Tempanos, which I highly recommend. It is a decent climb and can be very muddy, but is easily done in an day out and back. You hike through beautiful forests and grasslands before a final steep climb up rock to a glacial blue lake with a glacier directly behind it that you can walk right up to. Despite it raining some while at the lake, it did not detract from its beauty. Many other travellers also recommended Laguna Esmerelda which is a little bit shorter hike, but also has some amazing views. It is also a little further from the city, but accessed right off the main highway so many budget travelers will just hitch hike to the trailhead. If that isn’t your style don’t worry, there are even guided hiking options for both trails so you can be sure not to get lost.
Day 4: Beagle Channel and penguine boat tour
For your final day give the legs a break, but still get outside and hop on a boat tour of the Beagle Channel. There are many options for tours, only one company has access to take you for a walk on the island with the penguins, but other tours have boats that get right up on the beach so you can get a close look. The cruise out is also gorgeous. You get to pass by the iconic Les Eclaireurs red and white lighthouse and see a lot of birds and sea lions. Most of the tours only last the morning, but you can add other parts to the tour like hiking or taking the train back. Otherwise you will just be dropped off back in town at the marina where you embarked. After disembarking I highly recommend heading to Ramos Generales for a great lunch. The restaurant is the old general store and the interior is so cute, not to mention their food is fantastic.
