Nos Aventures
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HIKES IN USHUAIA
Ushuaia was a big hit for us! It's not just the city at the end of the world, moreover, that's not true. Let's immediately establish the truth, the city at the end of the world is Ushuaia, on the other hand the southernmost village in the world is “Puerto Williams” located in Chile. Well if you are a little fussy, there is also a mini-village even further south called "Puerto Toro", also in Chile. So is it worth going all the way to Ushuaia? Yes because you really have to want to go there anyway, it's far from everything, and you have to cross the border twice when you arrive from Argentina by road... We don't just recommend you to go there, but to go for it! Hiking fans will be rewarded! Lagoons, glaciers, forests… the Tierra del Fuego National Park. We liked it so much that we stayed there for 15 days! Luckily, we met an ultra friendly Couchsurfing host with whom we went on a few hikes. We tell you what we were able to do in Ushuaia in summer.
OUR TOP 5 HIKES IN USHUAIA
Du top 5 à notre coup de cœur
Localisation
Other travelers have often asked us, what did we think of Ushuaia. Most are hesitant to go to the end of the world (well almost)… Our means of persuasion was the few photos we had on our cell phone. Today we bring you the big game, with the photographs of the camera, and our little top of the hikes to do in Ushuaia.
Difficult to make a choice between all these superb hikes! But we thought that our readers will have a small preview of the landscapes to see and will be able to decide for themselves. All of the hikes we've done are 1 day, so if you see beautiful blue skies and then threatening gray skies, it's Patagonia. The four seasons in one day, it's not a myth, it's lived experience. A friendly advice, be a minimum equipped and do not try to wait for a big blue sky to go out, it changes very quickly!
5. CERRO DEL MEDIO
We arrived in Ushuaia and we just want to see a little more! The Cerro del Medio has two major attractions. The first is to see a turquoise colored lagoon, and the second is to get a panoramic view of the city “at the end of the world”. Which is already not bad! In half a day, you can do this short hike. Its departure begins in the heart of the city.
We let ourselves be guided by the traces of yellow paint on the trunks of the trees and we discover the vegetation that surrounds the city of Ushuaia. If there is one thing that catches our attention, it is the Cyttarias. These are parasitic mushrooms that grow on the branches of trees, it gives them a Christmas tree look. After spending more than an hour and a half in the forest, we climb on a stony path indicated by several mounds of stones. We are quickly rewarded by the lagoon with turquoise colors
How to get to Cerro del Medio?
This short trek starts from the city of Ushuaia. It is certainly the easiest hike to access, ideal to start hiking in the area. Very quick to access, it is not necessary to take a bus, unless you are staying quite far from the center of Ushuaia. The start of the Cerro del Medio hike is at the crossroads of Alem and Lasserre streets. We then take a small bridge and we go through a private property that still has a passage for hikers. If in doubt, we advise you to take a look at the Maps.me application (free). This application is one of our best friends after water for hiking.
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Profil de la Randonnée
Difficulté : facile/moyenne (saison estivale)
Remarque: Il est préférable d’y aller par un temps clair pour obtenir une vue sur Ushuaia.
4. TIERRA DE FEULU NATIONAL PARK
The Tierra del Fuego National Park (Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego) is obviously a must in Ushuaia. Within the national park, there are several hiking trails. Most of the paths are flat and without particular difficulty. Only the Cerro Guanaco trail requires more effort (1,000 meters of elevation gain).
We opted for the Cerro Guanaco trail. This path allows you to have a beautiful view of the park with in particular the Bahia Lapataia, the Laguna Negra, and Lake Acigami. In reality, the major difficulty of the Guanaco trail is explained, in our opinion, by two things. On the one hand there is a good elevation gain and on the other hand very slippery ground. More slippery after several days of rain… which is not uncommon in Ushuaia. It didn't make it easy for us. In addition, you should know that Ushuaia is surrounded by peat bogs… Long live waterproof hiking boots! The ground is a real sponge and it is not uncommon to have mud up to your ankles. This is especially the case on this trail. You have been warned :). After a good hour, we get a first point of view of the park, then after an additional hour of walking, another more open point of view. Then, between the bogs and the snow, we decided not to continue the hike. We weren't well enough equipped.
Nevertheless, despite the high attendance of the park, we were able to appreciate an omnipresent fauna. Caiquenes (Goose or Magellanic Goose), rabbits, swallows, an owl, bandurrias (Ibis), and that was quite unexpected. Plus, for people limited by time, the park allows for a combo of pretty scenery. That is to say, snow-capped peaks, lakes between the mountains and a coastal area, a mix that is still visually unpleasant
Profil de la Randonnée
Difficulté : moyenne/difficile
Remarque: les chaussures de randonnées imperméables et hautes sont plus que conseillées pour le sentier Guanaco
3. GLACIER VINCIGUERRA
We climb in switchbacks in the woods, the terrain and the exposed roots of the trees are very slippery. Several large walks put our physical condition to the test. Once out of the woods, the view is clear and it's really impressive. We are rewarded. We arrive little by little to the Laguna Tempanos and the Vinciguerra glacier plunging towards it.
How to get to Glaciar Vinciguerra (Glacier Vinciguerra)?
We took a taxi out of the town of Ushuaia to get to the trailhead which is on the edge of Ushuaia. This dropped us off at the end of the “Camino del Valle” road. This is where the walk begins, giving access to the start of the hike itself. We walked about thirty minutes in a superb setting to finally begin the hike. We tell ourselves that the place is frankly not unpleasant for a picnic if you don't want to walk further, but we didn't come for that 🙂
You then have to go around the lagoon for about thirty minutes, make your way over the snow, to reach the glacier caves. Suffice to say that in winter, it is not advisable to go there (avalanche, hidden crevasses, etc.). In summer, you have to take precautions and go quickly below the cave, since pieces of ice or rocks can slip. We also saw a rock weighing a good hundred kilos fall where we had passed a few minutes before… From small ice cavities one meter high to gigantic caves measuring more than ten meters , we took full eyes. The constantly melting ice produces a continuous sound of streaming, the sun's rays pass through the ice and the blue is sometimes more intense. You could almost say it's an ice castle...
Profil de la Randonnée
Difficulté : moyenne (saison estivale)
Remarque: Voilà une bonne alternative économique pour voir un glacier et rentrer dans l’une de ses cavités sans devoir passer par un guide. On pense notamment au glacier du Perito Moreno.
2. LAGUNA TURQUESA AND LAGUNA BELGICA
This is a fairly short hike if you stop at Laguna Turquesa. Nevertheless, she tested us from the start. In the woods, we go up in switchbacks with some slippery passages. Several trees have markings allowing you to follow the path well. Also, when we were there, the ground was well marked. The climb takes a little less than an hour, then you walk about fifteen minutes on very spongy ground. Once again, it's a surprise, the lagoon with turquoise colors (laguna turcsa) is suddenly revealed. The lagoon is beautiful, but it is by gaining height that the color is fully revealed. It's just wonderful !
We continue to climb, because our objective is to reach the laguna Belgica. From there, the path is very difficult to follow. In fact, it is almost non-existent. We went up the mountain pass, where you can sometimes guess a few piles of stones indicating the way. We have a nice view of the valley where a few streams flow. Compared to the photograph above, we continued to the right.
We continue on the side of the mountain along the stream. Then there are a few tricky sections to descend, as it's quite steep. Little by little we guess that the lagoon is perched on the mountain from where the main streams leave.
Profil de la Randonnée
Difficulté : facile/moyenne (saison estivale)
Remarque: Maps.me indispensable. Les associations de randonnée étaient en train de baliser ou rebaliser les sentiers du coin lors de notre venue. On espère que les randonneurs ont pu depuis, améliorer la signalisation de cette superbe randonnée !
1. LAGUNA ESMERALDA
We will not have time to eat on the spot, in a few minutes, hailstones begin to fall! For the return, we decide to go by another way (well if we can say that like that). We follow the rivers, the ground is sometimes a little spongy, but rather quiet. We come across a few beaver dams that will take us around the body of water. But little by little a real path is emerging. It continues into the forest. We do then a well soaked break under the trees. At the end, we catch up with a car track, which actually runs along route 3.
Laguna Esmeralda is one of Ushuaia's classics. We quickly understand why! This trek is one of our favorites! We warn you, you will surely not be alone on the spot, but it's worth it!
This is a 5 hour round trip hike (about 10 kilometers). There is no real difficulty, a small climb of about fifteen minutes and then a false flat or flat plain. Especially since the trail is very well marked, impossible to get lost. The only downside is that there is a lot of mud at the start of the trail as you go through the forest. A priori, it is a bit like that all year round since it is a bog, but after the rainy days, it is even worse.
The scenery is absolutely stunning! The disasters caused by the beavers give an air of emaciated and chaotic forest. The beavers destroy the forests, they modify the passages of the rivers to build their famous houses. They can cut down a 400 year old tree in 4 days! It's an ecological disaster (the beavers were imported), but we're amazed at their engineering to build dams. Our first “castorera” or beaver dam:
We follow the path, we cross slightly more marshy areas and the grass turns into a real sponge. We go along two-three small lagoons due to the constructions of the beavers. Then, we go up a small stream for a while, the color of the water is really beautiful.
It rises slowly and, suddenly, we find ourselves face to face with the Laguna Esmeralda which was hidden behind the rocks. What splendor!
Profil de la Randonnée
Difficulté : facile
Remarque: renez de bonnes chaussures de randonnée imperméables et hautes de préférence. Préparez-vous à devoir leur passer un coup de savon à votre retour. Boue et glissades assurées ! Évitez de consommer l’eau de la rivière, elle est polluée par les castors.
OUR PRACTICAL ADVICE
How to get around Ushuaia and its surroundings?
To go out around Ushuaia, there are buses called “regular lines”. The buses are indeed regular, but private and are rather expensive… To go to the Tierra del Fuego National Park for example, it will cost you a little more than 20€ per person round trip (for only a few kilometers). An alternative would be to find other people to share a handover or a taxi, which drops you early in the morning (8am) in the park and agree on a time to return to one of the points in the park. It will surely cost you less, or hitchhike.
To get around the city of Ushuaia, there is a fairly good bus network allowing you to get around easily and inexpensively (less than €1 per trip). You will need to bring the “Sube” transport card which can be recharged at certain kioskos. Buses do not accept cash. Alternatively, ask other passengers if they can use their card for you in exchange for cash.
How to get to Ushuaia?
You can compare the prices of flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia by plane on Skyscanner . There are flights all day with Latam or Aerolinas Argentinas and the journey takes about 5 hours (honestly, the first company is better than the second for a very similar price). This is clearly the best solution if you are limited in time. If you find a good fare, it can even be cheaper than the bus!
To go to Ushuaia, there are also regular buses from Buenos Aires, but also from most major Argentine cities. Well, don't forget that there are still 3000km from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia… If you opt for the bus, you will have at least 2 full days.
Hitchhiking: Hitchhiking in Argentina is common and easy. We hitchhiked from Trelew, not far from Puerto Madryn (better known for the Valdes Peninsula and its marine animals) to Ushuaia. So we were already 1300km closer to Ushuaia than from Buenos Aires.
We hitchhiked in several stages to sleep in Comodoro Rivadavia, Rio Gallegos, Rio Grande where we stayed several nights and finally Ushuaia. Unless you're into oil, the coastal towns on Route 3 aren't of much interest. To see the map more closely, go to here.
Be aware that many trucks leave from Buenos Aires to go to Ushuaia. Some are very slow, others very (too?) fast. It all depends on the driver, and the weather conditions. Truck drivers are often on the lookout for hitchhikers to keep them company and prepare the mate while they are driving 😉
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