Day hiking in Tierra del Fuego

Laguna Esmeralda is a beautiful milky blue glacial lake ringed by snow-covered mountains, and is Ushuaia's most popular and accessible day hikes.

The hike is 5.5 miles (9 km) round trip from the trail head just outside, and is suitable for anyone with a moderate level of fitness. A well-marked trail takes you through a succession of different landscapes, through lenga forest and across peat bogs until you reach the loose moraine that marks the final approach to the turquoise lake itself.

Along the way, look out for the numerous dams created by beavers: escapees from a short-lived fur farming industry in the mid-20th Century.

The Vinciguerra Hike, which starts from the Andorra Valley is one of the more challenging day hikes on offer from Ushuaia, and requires a good level of fitness.

The 7 mile (11.5 km) hike takes through the peatlands of the valley before climbing stiffly through the woods. After passing through open country, there is a further steep climb along a rocky trail to reach the Laguna de los Tempanos, a stunning mountain lake fed by the Vinciguerra Glacier.

The route is a deservedly popular one in high summer, but snow and ice can make some of the trails difficult to follow in spring and autumn, so a guide is recommended.

The Ojo del Albino is an extension of the Laguna Esmeralda hike, creating a longer 10 mile (15.5 km) hike for those with a good degree of fitness.

After hiking to Laguna Esmeralda, a rough trail continues climbing through the valley before winding up the slopes of Cerro Bonete. The target is the very face of the the Ojo del Albino Glacier: the only glacier cliff front you can hike to from a city in all of Patagonia.

If you want to hike with crampons on the Ojo del Albino Glacier itself, this day hike makes up part of the longer Sierra Valdivieso Circuit camping trek.

The relative shortness of the Laguna Turquesa & Carbajal Hike at just 5 miles (8 km) belies the spectacular scenery it offers.

The initial part of the hike, a short transfer from the centre of Ushuaia, climbs steeply to bring you out above the treeline. A rough trail leads you to the small and postcard-perfect turquoise lagoon, before continuing to the summit of Carbajal. From here, the views are simply sublime: you’ll feel like the entire Fuegian Andes are unfolding in front of you.

If you want to keep going, this hike is bundled into the longer Torres del Río Chico Basecamp Trek.

The 4 mile (6.5 km) Martial Glacier Hike from Ushuaia takes you from the city’s ski resort up a steep climb through beautiful wooded country to offer fantastic views across the Beagle Channel to Navarino Island, while placing you in the shadow of the Martial Glacier.

The boundaries of Tierra del Fuego National Park begin just a few short miles from the western edge of Ushuaia. It runs along the coast of the Beagle Channel on one side and stretches up into the mountains on the other. The landscape is dotted with picturesque lakes and thick forests of native coihue and lenga trees. 

The park has plenty of gentle walking trails and scenic viewpoints, and is particularly rich in birdlife. However, the park can get incredibly busy with day trippers from Ushuaia (particularly Antarctic cruise passengers), so while it holds plenty of general interest, it should only be considered as somewhere for a light walk to a view rather than a day hiking destination in itself

One of our favourite day hikes on Navarino Island is a long half-day hike from just outside Puerto Williams to the summit of Cerro Bandera.

The trail climbs some 2000 feet (600m) through thick forest until it breaks into the open, after which the walk offers constant views along Navarino’s own mountains, as well as across the Beagle Channel to the peaks of Argentinian Tierra del Fuego. At the summit, a huge Chilean flag reminds you of which country you’re in.

A longer version of this day hike continues to Laguna Robalo, a small lake in the mountains., but for those who’d like to keep going , the Cerro Bandera and Robalo hike make up the first day of the five day Dientes de Navarino trek across the island.