Ushuaia in 3 days: recommended excursions

Ushuaia in 3 days: recommended excursions

Ushuaia is located in the extreme south of Argentina, considered the southernmost city in the world. It is three and a half hours by plane from Buenos Aires.

The combination of mountain scenery, rivers, lakes, glaciers and the Beagle Channel make it an international tourist destination.

Although there is a great diversity of excursions, here we share with you how to get the most out of a short or long weekend stay.

ENJOY TO THE FULLEST

If you don't know this place yet, here we recommend the traditional excursions to get a first impression of Ushuaia and to make you want to come back.

They can start the first day by doing the National Park in the morning. It is an excursion of approximately five hours and you can take the optional End of the World Train. It includes a visit to Lake Acigami and Lapataia Bay where National Route 3 ends.

They finish at midday in the city centre and in the afternoon they can make the navigation three hours a day Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse passing through the colony of seabirds and marine mammals.

On the second day they can take the excursion to the Lakes Escondido and Fagnano (Khami). This tour is by bus and travels along the National Route 3 in a north-easterly direction through inland valleys surrounded by mountains, forests and peat bogs until crossing the mountain range through the Garibaldi Pass to enjoy the best views of these lakes formed during the last glaciation.

Finally we stop at a winter centre for lunch, the typical dish is lamb "fueguino a la estaca". You will finish the tour in the afternoon so that you have time to explore the city and the museums.

On the last day we recommend you to do the tour to Puerto Almanza, is a small fishing post. It is located seventy kilometres away from Ushuaia along a provincial gravel road. The only way to get there is by car or on excursions. This town has been booming in the last few years, as tourists come in search of tasting the most exquisite dish in the area: the spider crab. You will have the possibility to stop and walk around the surroundings.

IMMERSING YOURSELF IN NATURE

If you prefer to travel slowly, connect with nature and experience local traditions, I recommend this programme:

You can start by taking a full day tour at the National Park with trekking and canoes. We take a walk through the forest of Tierra del Fuego and while we can enjoy the sounds of nature, such as the birds, the wind swaying the branches, the sound of a stream or the waves lapping against the shore.

You will also have the chance to paddle like the nomadic canoeists of the region, but don't worry! You will do it in inflatable canoes and with appropriate clothing to avoid getting cold. In addition, we will share an energetic meal in exclusive shelters for our passengers.

To recover from the previous day, we suggest that on the second day you do the Lagos 4×4 excursion The adventure in this case is on top of a four-wheel drive truck. We will do the same circuit to the Escondido and Fagnano Lakes (Khami). But this time you will enter through a track inside the Fuegian forest where only this kind of excursions have access. Here you will be able to learn about the activity of old sawmills, peat extraction and the work that is done in the area with cattle. We will reach the shore of the imposing Lake Fagnano. As it is so immense, its waves resemble those of the sea. The highlight of the tour is lunch in a refuge in the middle of the forest just for you.

By the last day they will have regained the energy to be able to finish their journey with a trekking to Laguna Esmeralda. The milky green colour is due to the fact that it is fed by the Ojo del Albino Glacier. It is surrounded by mountains in the shape of an amphitheatre. There you will have time to take pictures, enjoy your snack to regain energy and go back down to the beginning of the trail.

FIRST CLASS PASSENGERS

For those of you who are looking for exclusive experiences at the End of the World, here are some ideas.

On the excursion to the National Park, you will be able to hire the Train with Premium Service. You start with a differential boarding and will board a class-only carriage and a meal will be waiting for you on board. Breakfast includes local delicacies accompanied by hot and cold drinks. You will also receive a set of sweets and souvenirs exclusive to the End of the World Train as a gift.

If you choose to visit Ushuaia during the summer you will be able to take the navigation to the Penguin Colony, The only place in Argentina where you can observe two different species of penguins: the Magellanic that inhabit the coasts of Patagonia and the Papua or headband that inhabits the Malvinas, Sub-Antarctic Islands and Antarctica.

Most of these animals arrive in summer to breed, nest and stay until the chicks hatch and change their feathers to be ready to go to sea.

During the winter season we recommend you to do the night-time experience of the Snow & Fire A tour that takes place at the bottom of the Tierra Mayor Valley where you can combine snowmobile rides and dog sledding until you reach a shelter where you will be welcomed with mulled wine and a typical meal for these low temperatures accompanied by a guitarreada in the warmth of the campfire.

The helicopter overflight is the tour of choice for the luxury tourists we receive in Ushuaia. We recommend the 45-minute flight over the Andes, which includes a landing in the mountain range and a toast from the peaks of the Andes. In this impressive trip you will be able to fly over the city of Ushuaia, the Beagle Channel, the area of the Tierra Mayor Valley and Laguna Esmeralda.

Here are some ideas for your next holiday. For more detailed information about the excursions you can consult our website or write us your query here. We always recommend you to book the excursions before you travel to make sure you get your place. Which programme would you choose for your experience at the End of the World?