When to go to Tierra del Fuego
Discover the changing faces of Tierra del Fuego throughout the seasons of the year, where the extreme southerly latitudes mean short summers and snowy winters.
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Highlights of Tierra del Fuego
- Base yourself in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, for hiking, adventure activities and access to Tierra del Fuego National Park
- Cross the Beagle Channel to Navarino Island, and explore its wilderness from an ecolodge
- Trek deep into the Fuegian Andes or the Dientes de Navarino mountains on some of Patagonia’s remost trails
- Cruise to the very edge of the map Cape Horn, a place feared by mariners during the age of sail
- Discover small town Tierra del Fuego on a visit to South America’s only colony of king penguins in Porvenir
Where is Tierra del Fuego?
The archipelago of Tierra del Fuego is at the very bottom of the map of Patagonia. Its main island, Isla Grande, is South America's largest island at 18,530 sq mi (47,992 km²), or roughly the same size as Pennsylvania, and is divided between Chile and Argentina. Tierra del Fuego name means 'Land of Fire' – so named by the first European explorers for the many fires lit along the coast by its indigenous inhabitants.
Its main city is Ushuaia, the capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego Province. Chilean Tierra del Fuego is part of the Magellanes region. Its provincial capital of Punta Arenas sits across the Magellan Strait from Tierra del Fuego proper, and is also the gateway to Torres del Paine. Tierra del Fuego's largest Chilean town is Puerto Williams on Navarino Island, which sits across the Beagle Channel from Isla Grande.
Chilean Tierra del Fuego – one half of the region
Places to see in Tierra del Fuego
Ushuaia
The southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia sits between the steep mountains of the Fuegian Andes to the north and the Beagle Channel and Navarino Island to the south. It's the main entry point for travellers in Tierra del Fuego, as well as being the major port of call for Antarctic cruises.
There is plenty to do in and around Ushuaia, whether you put on your hiking boots to explore the beautiful (and largely empty) mountain trails, enjoy outdoor adventure activities, or want to watch wildlife along the Beagle Channel. Adventure cruises also leave from here to explore the region's glaciers and Cape Horn .
Ushuaia also has a fascinating history, brilliant seafood and the best selection of accommodation in Tierra del Fuego.
Ushuaia
Fuegian Andes
The Fuegian Andes are the immense mountain range that rise up from the Beagle Channel behind Ushuaia and stretch east to Tierra del Fuego’s steppe and west into the Chilean part of the island, where they become known as the Cordillera Darwin.
These mountains offer excellent hiking. From Ushuaia, there are a host of superb day hikes to locations such as Laguna Esmeralda, and Ojo del Albino, the only glacier in Patagonia you can hike to from a major town.
Those looking for true adventure will be rewarded with some epic multi-day hikes in mountains you'll have almost entirely to yourself, on trails like the Torres del Río Chico traverse and the deep trek through the Sierra Valdivieso range.
Trekking in the Fuegian Andes
Swoop says
Seen from the air, Tierra del Fuego is a parade of snow-capped mountains and lakes, with the blue ribbon of the Beagle Channel running along its crinkled coastline. You'll have to look closely to see even a hint of a road: this is a place of true wilderness.
Peter StanleyJones Patagonia Specialist
Mitre Peninsula
Eastern Tierra del Fuego is no less alluring than its mountainous heart, and almost completely undiscovered by travellers.
Hiking along the Mitre Peninsula is an experience like few others in Patagonia. It involves bushwhacking through open country, fjording rivers in forests and tramping the sands and rocks along a windswept coastline. Along the way, the landscape reveals a history of abandoned goldmines and the occasional penguin encounter.
This is true wilderness. You'll camp on the beaches and won't see another person the whole time, unless perhaps you encounter a lonely gaucho with his herd.
Mitre Peninsula coastal hike
Tierra del Fuego National Park
Argentina's southernmost national park is located a short drive from. Here, well-marked trails wind in and around the dense forest, and the views of the Beagle Channel, rivers, lakes and bays are spectacular. There is a host of short day hikes that can be done, including looking for historic traces of the region's indigenous Yaghan and Selknam people. There is also a railway from the early 20th century when the area was used as a penal colony.
Day tours can take you to some of the more secret gems, more adventurous excursions or on specific birding tours – the birdwatching in the national park is particularly good.
Tierra del Fuego National Park
Navarino Island
Navarino is Chilean Tierra del Fuego's largest island, lying across the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia. It's easy to be humbled by the vastness and wonder of the wilderness here, which can be explored from Puerto Williams and one of Patagonia's most pioneering ecolodges.
There are plenty of day adventures to be had on Navarino Island, from hikes and horseriding to kayaking. For those looking for something more however, there is the Dientes de Navarino trek, a multi-day wild camping hike through some truly wild mountains on the southernmost trek in the world.
Navarino Island
Swoop says
It may just be the tiniest speck on the map, but there's an undeniable thrill at landing at Cape Horn. When you step ashore here you feel like the most adventurous of sailors, connecting with centuries of maritime myth and legend.
Sydney Miller Patagonia Specialist
Cape Horn
A small ship adventure cruise through the Beagle Channel will bring you to one of the most iconic places in South America – the tiny island of Cape Horn. Now part of Cabo de Hornos National Park, this craggy spit of land overlooks the point where the great currents of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet – and struck fear into the hearts of generations of mariners.
Raised walkways take you to the iconic Cape Horn monument, and you can visit its famous lighthouse, or simply stop and appreciate that ahead of you lies nothing but sea until Antarctica.
Tierra del Fuegos' wild coastline contains more than just Cape Horn: adventure cruises here explore remote glaciers, penguin colonies and more.
Cape Horn
Porvenir
Porvenir is a sleepy, rural town on a sheltered harbour on Bahía Inutil (the unfortunately named Useless Bay), just across the Magellan Strait from Punta Arenas.
Porvenir is a good palace to get a taste of small town Tierra del Fuego. It was founded during the 1880s gold rush and now makes a living from wool, but most people visit today to visit the only colony of king penguins in South America. They live in a private reserve near the town that is open between November to May.
The coastline is also home to the Laguna de los Cisnes reserve, which has excellent birdwatching, and guanacos and wild foxes are often seen. Porvenir can be reached by ferry from Punta Arenas or a short hop in a light plane.
King penguins at Porvenir
Other national parks
The rugged, forest-clad Cordillera Darwin mountains of Alberto Agostini National Park are only accessible by boat, but they're home to the highest mountains in Tierra del Fuego, complete with icecaps and creaking glaciers. It remains an option for experienced trekkers and climbers only
Yendegaia National Park is an important wildlife corridor between the Tierra del Fuego and the Alberto Agostini national parks. If you want to explore its mountains, glaciers, forests, lakes and rivers, you should be prepared to be out in the wilderness with few resources.
Karukinka National Park has a number of day hikes and challenging multi-day treks. The scenery is stunning, with mountains, valleys, glaciers, meadows and peat bogs, but getting there remains a bit of a challenge.
Karinka National Park
Swoop says
The eastern part of Tierra del Fuego is relatively visited, but its open steppe offers a striking contrast to the mountains that attract most travellers. This is still a land of gauchos and sheep ranching, a lifestyle that can be explored on a road trip or seen while travelling overland between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas.
How to get to Tierra del Fuego
The main gateway to Tierra del Fuego is Ushuaia (airport code USH), which has flight connections to Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires and El Calafate (FTE) for Los Glaciares National Park. Ushuaia is also a port of call (along with Punta Arenas) for adventure cruises around Tierra del Fuego, as well as cruises to Antarctica.
Chilean Tierra del Fuego can be accessed via Punta Arenas (PUQ), which has flights to Puerto Williams (WPU) on Navarino Island as well as excellent connections to the capital Santiago. Punta Arenas is well-connected by road to Torres del Paine National Park via Puerto Natales, as well as to Ushuaia. Ferries link Puerto Williams and Ushuaia.
Exploring beyond Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is ideally placed to fit into a larger Patagonia itinerary.
From Ushuaia, it's a short hop on to El Calafate, gateway to Los Glaciares National Park, for hiking in the FitzRoy mountain range from El Chaltén, and the spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier.
Punta Arenas, the springboard for Chilean Tierra del Fuego, is also the entry point for the majority of travellers to Torres del Paine, as well as some extraordinary whale watching in Francisco Coloane Marine Park. Puerto Natales, between Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine, is also the port of departure for the adventure cruises through the Southern Chilean Fjords.
Los Glaciares National Park
Discover more of Tierra del Fuego
What to do in Tierra del Fuego
The untamed wilderness of Tierra del Fuego is a haven for adventurers, whether you want to hike the southernmost trek in the world or sail past glaciers en route to Cape Horn.
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Adventure cruises in Tierra del Fuego
Adventure cruises around Tierra del Fuego can take you to remote and beautiful glaciers, penguin islands and Cape Horn on the tip of South America.
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Multi-day trekking in Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is home to some of Patagonia’s most remote and rewarding multi-day hikes, trekking in the Cordillera Darwin and Dientes de Navarino mountain ranges.
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