Ushuaia : the city at the end of the world

It is often an ultimate dream to reach the city at the end of the world : Ushuaia. But going there will take lots of time either by land or by air. So is it worth to go literally at the end of the earth ?

How to go to Ushuaia ?

By land

The bus journey was endless for me. I went to Ushuaia from Puerto Madryn. Only, there is no direct bus. You have to go through Rio Gallegos. There, there is only one daily departure. Then, you need to cross a part of Chile which means going through immigration twice and crossing a river by boat. All of it in 10 hours for the quickest.

By air

Usually, you can take a flight from Buenos Aires and it lasts 3 hours. You can also come from El Calafate in 1 hour. This is the easiest and fastest way but not always the most affordable one.

What to do in Ushuaia ?

Take the train of the end of the world

For that, you have to go to the train station to take the famous steam train. 2 possibilities : taxi or shuttle. Some of you can hitchhike as well. And then, you have departure every 30 minutes in the morning. This train will go through the Tierra del Fuego National Park. This is a great option for those of you who don’t want to hike or don’t have much time in Ushuaia.

With the same ticket, you can come back to the starting point or continuing your journey at the arrival, but usually with tours.

Price : AR$ 1800 (october 2019)

Hike in Tierra del Fuego National Park

The park is located 1 hour away from Ushuaia. Same, you can take a taxi or a shuttle from the terminal. This round trip shuttle will cost you AR$ 850 (October 2019) and it can be combined with the end of the world’s train.

The idea is to take off at the last stop of the shuttle and then come back towards the information center while walking through the park. It is very easy to hike, paths are not difficult. The landscapes are fantastic but it depends of the season. For example, at mid-October, the trees didn’t get their leaves yet. It might be possible you get some snow as well. Weather changes very quickly even inside the park itself. The wind blows easily and can make the walk very annoying.

Price : free (due to a system problem at this time)

Go to the Martial Glacier

This is a very nice hike from Ushuaia. You get the hiking path that will make you go through the forest. Or if you don’t want to, you can just take the normal car road. As for me, I didn’t get to the glacier because at mid-October, everything was frozen. And it was very difficult to hike without crampons (but you can rent them) ! The hiking path was covered by snow, I recommend you to have waterproof clothes, or changing clothes. So, I just stopped at the cutest british style Casona de Te … super expensive !

Do not hesitate to ask your accommodation about more informations and advises about what can be done at your period !

Hiking to Laguna Esmeralda

This is an other must-do hike in Ushuaia … that unfortunately I didn’t do for the same reasons than Martial Glacier. To go to the laguna, you have the same 2 options : taxi or shuttle. Round trip shuttle price was AR$ 550 (October 2019). Or you can try to hitchhike. You will get off at the beginning of the trail. It had snowed few days before my arrival which had made the path all covered by snow, sometimes at knees height ! Adding to that, some mud ! And all that to finally arrive in front of the frozen laguna !

Again, check with your accommodation for what can be done !

Navigate throughout the Beagle Canal

For that, you need to go with an agency. The price is often the same and includes the same stops : the cruise, the Eclaireurs headlight, the birds’ island and depending of the price, the penguins’ island. All those agencies are located at the pier. This is, by the way, here that you can find the Ushuaia sign !

Ushuaia has been a nice discovery with a true feeling of the end of the world. The landscape is unique between its sea side, its surrounding mountains and all the tiny typical houses. The weather was pretty clear when I was there, the lights were beautiful ! My experience has been a success and you can feel some kind of proudness to getting there ! I really recommend it !