Visiting Tierra del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia in 2025
Overview
The Tierra del Fuego National Park is one of the most popular destinations for tourists visiting Ushuaia, the city known as ‘el fin del mundo’ or the city at the end of the world. The question is, with a steep 40 USD entry fee attached, is it worth the visit?
This national park is located 12 km outside of Ushuaia, about a 20-minute drive from the city. The park has a number of hiking trails catering to all levels of fitness. It is a huge park consisting of forests, the Fuegian Andes mountains, rivers, and lakes distributed across 63,000 hectares. It boasts being the end of the Pan-American Highway that connects Ushuaia all the way to Alaska.
Famously, it also has the southernmost post office in the world (though it’s almost always closed). The national park in Ushuaia provides the opportunity to ride on a steam train called the Train at the End of the World. If you are interested only in hiking, you can spend a half day here easily. If you want to see the train or restaurant as well, allow for 6-8 hours. Pack lunch!
The caveat is that it can make for a very expensive day. National park tickets have drastically increased in price since 2024. I will break down how to get there, the entry and activity prices, the various hiking routes, and how to explore as cheaply as possible. And, if it’s worth the visit.
Price
As of January 2025, the cost of entry to Tierra del Fuego National Park is a whopping 40,000 ARS or 40 USD.
I was advised by a local that if you arrive before 7:30 am, the gate is unmanned, and you can get in for free. Then you won’t pay entry, but you’ll likely still have to pay a taxi fee of 15,000 ARS, or 15 USD each way.
I don’t normally mind paying park fees. However, having just dropped 250 USD on the Ushuaia Walking with Penguins on Isla Martillo, this was well out of my budget.
Know before you go
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- Decide your route before you arrive. Depending on the route, the start points are very widespread throughout the park (see more under Routes). There are many one-way trails, meaning your pickup may be different from your drop-off.
- There’s no phone reception in Tierra del Fuego National Park, so make sure you know how and when you are getting back to Ushuaia. Alakush restaurant has Wifi.
- Arrive before 9am to avoid the buses of tour groups.
- Go before 7:30am to avoid paying the 40 USD entry fee (guards tend to arrive between 7:30 and 8am).
- You do not need to be part of a tour to visit the national park; in fact, I doubt it would be worth it.
- The mosquitos here were no joke. In fact, they were the worst I’ve experienced in all of Ushuaia, bring repellent.
- As always in Ushuaia, go with the weather, especially if you are opting for the more challenging Cerro Guanaco hike.
How to get from Ushuaia to Tierra del Fuego National Park
- Car Rental
If you have rented a car, you can drive from Ushuaia to Tierra del Fuego National Park. It will take 20 minutes to get to the park entrance.
- Taxi
Uber works super well in Ushuaia. Right now, an Uber to the Tierra del Fuego National Park from Ushuaia is 12,000 ARS or 12 USD one way. It’s actually cheaper than the shuttle bus. If you are a group, this is the most affordable option. A local taxi will cost you around the same.
Note: If you are taking a taxi, you have the option of starting at the park entrance or getting the taxi to drop you off at Bahía Lapataia at the far side of the park.
- Shuttle Bus
There are multiple shuttle buses that will bring you to the entrance of Tierra del Fuego National Park. Go to the bus station in Ushuaia and take one of the many shuttle buses to and from Ushuaia to Tierra del Fuego National Park. The bus costs 20,000 ARS (20 USD) if you pay by cash and 25,000 ARS (25 USD) if you pay by card. The first bus leaves at 9am, and there is one every one to two hours.
- Hitchhiking
Here would be a good starting point from the town to begin hitchhiking to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Normally I hitchhike to keep things cheap; however, I wanted to beat the guards and arrive early, so I opted for a taxi.
I hitchhiked back to the city and got picked up nearly immediately by the park entrance by a lovely Dutch girl who had camped in her van there.
Tierra del Fuego National Park Hiking Routes
I personally found the layout of the national park incredibly confusing during my research. It is super important to decide which trail you plan to take before arriving. The trailheads are widespread throughout the park. You can also link multiple trails into one another, which is what I did.
I will also note the trails are not all particularly well marked or maintained. In parts they are boggy and muddy, with inconsistent markers and paths. Given the price tag, I was surprised it was so rugged, but a lot of it is due to natural erosion.
The most popular, and longest, hiking trails in Tierra del Fuego National Park are as follows:
Hike 1: Senda Costera (coastal trail)
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- Duration: 4 hours
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- Distance: 8 km
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- Type: One way (or 16k m out and back)
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- Difficulty: Easy
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- Elevation gain: 70m
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- Starting point: Zaratiegui Bay
You can start this trail from either side.
Start option 1: Most folks begin the trail at Zaratiegui Bay, which is typically the first shuttle stop and is where the famous post office is located. You finish the trail here, right by the Alakush visitor centre and restaurant and a shuttle pickup spot.
Start option 2: You can start here, by the Alakush visitor centre, and finish at Zaratiegui Bay by the post office.
I needed an easier hike this day, so I opted for a longer variation of the Senda Costera trail where I also included Senda la Mirador (1 km extra) and Senda Paseo de la Isla (1.3 km extra), starting from Bahía Lapataia.
This meant it was easier for me to hitchhike back to Ushuaia as I finished near the park entrance/exit. However, if you want to have lunch at the Alakush visitor centre, you should start from the post office side. This way the trail then ends right by the restaurant.
This trail itself was lovely and marked throughout with two yellow posts. Starting from Bahía Lapataia, there is a wooden boardwalk that, after a while, opens up to Laguna Verde (green lagoon). You soon pass Alakush and see a sign on your right for Senda Costera.
Here there are a few boggy and peaty kilometres with not much to look at. After about 2 km, you reach the bay with gorgeous green-blue waters and a white stone beach. The rest of the hike hugs the bay all the way to the post office at the end (sadly, it was closed!).
Be warned: the mosquitos were brutal in the boggy sections! Bring repellent.
Hike 2: Hito XXIV Trail
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- Duration: 3 hours
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- Distance: 7.5 km
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- Type: Out and back
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- Difficulty: Easy
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- Elevation gain: 100 m
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- Start point: Alakush visitor centre
One of the most popular and beautiful trails in Tierra del Fuego National Park, the Hito XXIV Trail, begins from the Alakush visitor centre. It then heads north along Lago Roca until you reach the Chilean border!
You pass through a shallow root forest and continue hugging the scenic lake with some wooden bridge crossings. Hug the path to the left until you reach Hito XXIV marking the border with Chile. There’s no way to cross—I checked.
The trail is marked with two yellow posts, with plenty of opportunities for birdwatching along the lake. This is an example where you can add on some extra short trails around Bahía Lapataia.
Hike 3: Pampa Alta Trail
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- Duration: 2 hours
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- Distance: 10 km or 7.4 km (depending on start point)
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- Type: Out and back
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- Difficulty: Medium easy
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- Elevation gain: 300 m
Start option 1: You can begin at Zaratiegui Bay, which makes for a 5 km hike one way.
Start option 2: Alternatively, you can start from Route 3 and walk 3.7 km up the hill each way.
If starting from the bay, this trail will bring you through a forest trail. You will cross Route 3 and head upward with views of the Beagle Channel, Rio Pipo (Pipo River), and Cerro Guanaco.
You can expect a quieter trail with significantly fewer people and fewer mosquitos, as the trail doesn’t run alongside the water.
Hike 4: Cerro Guanaco Trail (the big hike!)
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- Duration: 7 hours
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- Distance: 14 km
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- Type: Out and back
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- Difficulty: Difficult
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- Elevation gain: 960 m
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- Starting point: Alakush visitor centre
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- AllTrails Route: Route link
The Cerro Guanaco Trail would have been my preference to hike in the park. Energy-wise, I was not up for it on the day, but it’s a great pick if you are looking for a more rigorous and rewarding hike. This hike provides stunning panoramic views of the forest, the Andes, the Beagle Canal, and Ushuaia in the distance.
The most challenging route in Tierra del Fuego National Park is Cerro Guanaco, which also begins from the Alakush visitor centre heading north. You can do this hike between November and April.
You must check in to do this hike. Do this in person at the Alakush visitor centre. They will only allow you to begin the hike before 12pm. You should also check out in Alakush upon your return.
The hike’s start is shared with the Hito XXIV trail until the route for Cerro Guanaco veers to the right, which is clearly marked.
This trail, like others in the park, has boggy, peaty sections that can be difficult if there’s been a lot of rain in the days previous.
Outside of these core trails, you can find many other shorter routes at the Tierra del Fuego National Park.
Click here to view the official Argentinian government site listing every single trail available within this national park.
Safety Tips
- The weather can be notoriously bad in Ushuaia. The summits of some of the hikes are very exposed. Be sure to check for wind and rain conditions and choose your day to hike accordingly. Waterproof clothing is necessary to at least bring in your bag.
- There is no phone reception on this trail. Have a good idea of how you will get home (bus pick-up spot, pre-organise a taxi, or hitchhike). The trails are not very well marked, so have offline maps downloaded and your way home planned. Alakush visitor centre has WiFi if you find yourself in a pickle.
- My top tip for navigation is downloading the AllTrails app on your phone. Even in offline mode, and without paying for membership, it shows all the hiking trails that are not visible on Google Maps. Honestly, this saved me!
- I hiked here as a solo female and felt very safe in the national park. I also hitchhiked back to town, which is a common practice in Argentina.
- There were quite a few mosquitoes in some sections of the trail (the boggy parts mostly and sometimes near the lake). Definitely not for the whole hike, but wear repellent and long sleeves and pants.
Other activities
1. Alakush Visitor Centre & Restaurant
Alakush is located 8 km into the park and is the start and end point for many of the hiking trails. It has a restaurant but apparently it’s not spectacular. However, if you are craving a beer or hot chocolate after a hard hike, it could be a great shout. There is also a gift shop, bathrooms, and WiFi if needed.
2) Hop on the Train at the End of the World
Official booking here. As of January 2025, tickets for non-Argentinians cost 62,000 ARS (62 USD). Note that this does not include the price of entry to the national park.
Initially used to transport prisoners in the late 1800s, now the train leaves from the Southern Fuegian Railway station and stops just inside the park entrance, consisting of forests, mountains, rivers, and lakes spanning nearly 70,000 hectares.
3) Camp overnight
Included in the price of entry, you can camp in Tierra del Fuego National Park. This gives you two days in the park for the price of one, making it worthwhile. Tents, cars, and campers are all welcome.
The campsites have basic amenities like bathrooms available between November and April.
4) Animal and bird watching
Bring binoculars if you have them. Keep your eyes peeled on all trails for incredible birds and other animals such as woodpeckers and hawks, beavers, and foxes.
5) Kayak or canoe on the lake or in the bay.
Click here to see a list of available kayaking tours, starting from $150 per person. Available from Canal Fun from October to May.
6) Helicopter ride
Click here to see a list of available helicopter operators in the national park, starting from $150 per person.
Useful links & map pins
- Tierra del Fuego National Park Entrance
- Alakush Visitor Centre (start/end for Cerro Guanaco, Senda Costera, and many other shorter treks around Bahia Lapataia—opens from 9 am)
- Argentina Government Site listing every single available trail in the park
- Shuttle bus ticket office
Spanish Vocabulary
El fin del mundo – the end of the world
El tren – the train
El boleto – the ticket
El parque – the park
La senda – the trail
La entrada – the entrance
Is Tierra del Fuego National Park worth it?
If you are budgeting and trying to decide if the high price point is worth it, personally I think you can totally skip the national park. The ‘post office at the end of the world’ was closed, and I wasn’t interested in the train. The hikes are nice but ordinary. I much preferred other free trails around Ushuaia, such as the Laguna Esmeralda, Glaciar Martial, or Glaciar Vinciguerra hikes.
The main thing Tierra del Fuego National Park offers that others do not is easier flat trails and the steam train if that rocks your boat. If you plan to combine it with other activities that interest you, such as camping, the train ride, or kayaking, then the combo would make it worthwhile.
