Tierra del Fuego National Park: which tour to choose

The three tours compared

Which one to choose?

• If you have half a day: the classic tour. It is the shortest (about 4 hours) and visits Ensenada Zaratiegui Bay, Lake Acigami (Roca) and Lapataia Bay, with admission included.
• If you want to ride the End of the World Train: the train tour (about 6 hours). It adds the train, which runs through the park’s forests and valleys, to the route through Ensenada Zaratiegui Bay, Lake Acigami (Roca) and Lapataia Bay.
• If you want to hike and paddle: the hike and canoe tour (about 8 hours). It is the most active: 7 km on the Coastal Trail and inflatable canoes to Lapataia Bay, with lunch. Park admission is not included.

What you see on each one

Classic (about 4 hours)

Three stops. At Ensenada Zaratiegui Bay there are views of the Beagle Channel and Redonda Island, and a hike through the native forest of lenga, ñire and guindo beech, adapted to the day’s conditions. At Lake Acigami (Roca) you see the international border with Chile. The last stop is Lapataia Bay, where National Route 3 ends, with a walk among ancient Yámana shell middens, traces of the first inhabitants.

With the End of the World Train (about 6 hours)

After pick-up, the first stop is the train station. With the classic ticket you ride for about 1 hour through the park’s forests and valleys, with a 20-minute stop at Cascada La Macarena station and an audio guide in 10 languages. The tour then follows the classic route: Ensenada Zaratiegui Bay, with its post office, Lake Acigami (Roca) and Lapataia Bay, with its viewpoint. What the train is like and its history are covered in End of the World Train: route, history and how to get there.

Hike and canoe (about 8 hours)

It starts with 7 km on foot along the Coastal Trail, following the Beagle Channel through forest and local wildlife. Then there is lunch with drinks out in nature, with vegetarian and gluten-free options, and the day ends in inflatable canoes on rivers and lakes to Lapataia Bay. The canoe gear is included.

What is included and what is not

All three include private transport and a guide in Spanish, English or Portuguese (a Chinese-speaking guide is available on request), and they pick you up from your accommodation. What causes the most confusion:

• Park admission: included in the classic and train tours; on the hike and canoe tour you pay it separately.
• Train: the combined tour includes the classic ticket; the premium ticket is not included.
• Lunch: only on the hike and canoe tour. The classic and train tours do not include it.
• Time: on the classic and train tours, the meeting time is around 8:00 / 8:30; on the hike and canoe tour, it is confirmed when you book.

Is the End of the World Train worth it?

It depends on what you are after. Compared with the classic tour, the train tour adds about two hours and the train ride through the park’s forests and valleys, and it visits the same places: Ensenada Zaratiegui Bay, Lake Acigami (Roca) and Lapataia Bay. Both include park admission and neither includes lunch. What there is at each spot in the park is in Tierra del Fuego National Park.

Good to know about the park

The park lies about 12 km west of Ushuaia and protects more than 68,000 hectares of Patagonian forest. If you plan to go to the train on your own, keep in mind that its ticket does not include park admission, which is mandatory: our combined tour includes both.

What is confirmed when you book

The programs do not cover everything, and we do not fill in the gaps: these questions are answered when you check availability.

• The meeting time for the hike and canoe tour.
• The dates on which each tour runs.
• Whether there is a minimum age: none of the three programs states one.

If what you want is Lapataia Bay

All three tours reach Lapataia Bay, the end point of National Route 3. What changes is how you get there: by vehicle, with stops on foot at Ensenada Zaratiegui and Lake Acigami (Roca), on the classic tour; after the train, Ensenada Zaratiegui and the lake, on the combined tour, which adds the bay’s viewpoint; or paddling in inflatable canoes at the end of the day, on the hike and canoe tour.

What to combine it with

With the classic or the train tour, which start early, you have the afternoon free for a short outing in the city, such as the city tour of about 2 hours, if it runs that day: check availability. The hike and canoe tour takes the whole day. To spread the park, the Beagle Channel and a hike over several days, see Ushuaia in 3 or 4 days.