Tierra del Fuego may be wild, remote, and windswept – but it’s far from empty. At the southern tip of South America, this isolated archipelago is split between Chile and Argentina, with the Argentine sector home to the world’s southernmost city, Ushuaia. From here, you’ve got options. You can hike through subantarctic forests, sail past sea lions in the Beagle Channel, or explore historic estancias that once sheltered missionaries and Indigenous communities. The landscape is raw – all jagged peaks, icy lakes, and howling winds – but that’s exactly what draws people in. This is the end of the road in every sense, where nature dominates and weather dictates your pace. If you’re looking for the best things to do in Tierra del Fuego, the Argentine side delivers big: unforgettable wildlife, eerie shipwrecks, and a deep, often unsettling history.
Just 12km from Ushuaia, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego delivers exactly what you'd hope for at the edge of the world – beech forests, glacial lakes, coastal trails, and barely a crowd in sight. The public section of the park is compact, but packed with variety – from windswept beaches at Bahía Ensenada, to dense woodland around Lago Roca, and the trail-lined fjords of Bahía Lapataia, the end of Argentina’s Ruta Nacional 3.
Wildlife’s part of the deal here – you’ve got a good chance of spotting condors, steamer ducks, guanacos, and foxes. It’s wet year-round, so bring gear that can handle sideways rain. You can visit by bus, boat, taxi, or ride the Tren del Fin del Mundo. For many, this is one of the absolute best things to do in Tierra del Fuego – easy to reach, hard to forget.
Sailing the Beagle Channel is about more than wildlife, though there’s plenty of that. It’s about the feeling of floating at the edge of the continent, where mountains fall into the sea and clouds hang low like smoke. Boats leave from Ushuaia’s port and head west, passing islands where sea lions sprawl across black rocks and imperial cormorants cluster like penguin decoys. You’ll often see albatrosses, and if you’re lucky, whales.
The scenery is absurd – jagged peaks, distant glaciers, and occasional lighthouses breaking the silence. Some tours stop at Isla Martillo, where you can walk among penguins in season (October-March). Others make a loop past Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, mistakenly thought to be “the Lighthouse at the End of the World.”
Tours range from two hours to half-day trips – choose smaller boats for fewer crowds and closer wildlife. If you do just one outing from Ushuaia, make it this one.
The Beagle Channel, Argentina @ Shutterstock
It’s not the easiest place to reach, but Estancia Harberton is worth the journey. Set on a sheltered bay about 85km from Ushuaia, this is one of Patagonia’s oldest and most storied estancias – built in 1886 by Anglican missionary Thomas Bridges, who lived among and recorded the language of the Yámana people.
A visit here offers a layered story of colonization, survival, science, and loss. You can tour reconstructed Yámana dwellings, walk through the old shearing sheds, and visit the cemetery where members of the Bridges family and Indigenous residents are buried.
One of the best parts? The Museo Acatushún, which displays skeletons of dolphins, whales, and seals found in local waters. It’s an intimate, hands-on collection run by marine biologists – not a polished tourist attraction, but all the better for it. Combine this with a Beagle Channel cruise or day trip for a deep dive into the region’s past and present.
Yes, it’s a tourist train – but this one comes with real history. The Tren del Fin del Mundo (End of the World Train) runs along the route once used by Ushuaia’s prisoners, who harvested timber for the penal colony. Today it’s all about the scenery – lenga forests, rivers, waterfalls, and distant mountains.
The train departs from a station 8km west of Ushuaia and travels 7km into Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, stopping near Río Pipo. It’s not a long journey – under an hour – but the views from the open-air platforms and the old steam engines make it a photogenic detour.
Get off and hike in the park, or just enjoy the novelty of riding the southernmost railway on earth. If you’re traveling in Argentina with kids – or are just a sucker for trains – this is one of the more relaxed things to do in Tierra del Fuego.
Ushuaia, Argentina @ Shutterstock
Ushuaia is scrappy, scenic, and often windswept – but it’s also undeniably compelling. Wedged between the snow-capped Andes and the Beagle Channel, this self-declared “End of the World” mixes down-to-earth energy with rugged good looks.
You can stroll the waterfront, explore quirky museums like the Museo Marítimo y del Presidio (housed in the former prison), and feast on centolla – king crab – pulled fresh from the channel.
Shops here sell everything from duty-free electronics to locally crafted knives, and the port buzzes with tour boats heading to Antarctica or Isla Martillo. If you’re here in winter, you’ll find decent cross-country skiing nearby and a few beginner-friendly downhill runs.
Don’t expect perfect weather or boutique charm – but that’s part of Ushuaia’s appeal. It’s a real place, full of real people, and for many, it’s the start of something bigger.
Most people come to Tierra del Fuego for the coast, but inland, the pace slows and the landscape opens up. Lago Fagnano (also called Lago Kami) stretches over 100km toward the Chilean border, flanked by forests and low hills. It’s wild, windy, and often completely deserted.
Base yourself in Tolhuin, a strange but likeable town at the eastern end of the lake. It’s not scenic in the usual sense, but it’s a great place to break up the journey between Ushuaia and Río Grande – and to stock up at Panadería La Unión, a bakery famous across Patagonia.
You can drive around the lake, stop at viewpoints, hike into the forest, or – if you’re a dedicated angler – cast a line into the cold, trout-filled waters.
Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Argentina
This one’s for the explorers. Drive east from Tolhuin down the RCa, one of Tierra del Fuego’s gravel backroads, and you’ll eventually hit the wind-blasted headland of Cabo San Pablo. The landscape here is stark and weird – burned-out forests, wetlands, and distant views of beaver dams.
The highlight? The Desdémona, a cargo ship that ran aground in the 1980s. At low tide, you can walk right up to the rusting hulk. The ship’s skeletal frame looms out of the shallows – eerie, cinematic, and perfect for photos.
The area’s mostly visited by fishermen and curious road-trippers – there’s not much signage and almost no services, so bring food, fuel, and waterproof boots. It’s one of the best things to do in Tierra del Fuego if you're chasing that far-south, post-apocalyptic mood – and don’t mind a bumpy ride to get there.
Off the main RN-3 highway, a loop of gravel roads – RCf and RCh – winds through quiet forests, high meadows, and lonely estancias. This is the backcountry of central Tierra del Fuego – full of silence, sheep, and the occasional soaring Andean condor.
The route passes Lago Yehuin, a peaceful lake backed by pyramid-shaped peaks, and loops around Mount Atukoyak and Mount Yakush, both local landmarks. You won’t find cafés, fuel, or phone signal – just open skies and a sense of space.
Come with your wheels and supplies. If you're staying at a local estancia, ask about horseback riding – it's one of the best ways to feel connected to the steppe.
Wulaia Bay, once the site of the region’s largest Yamana aboriginal settlement, Tierra del Fuego
Long before ships, sheep, and settlers, the lands and waters of Tierra del Fuego were home to the Selk’nam and Yámana peoples. Their presence shaped the region for thousands of years, and though their cultures were nearly erased in the 20th century, their stories live on in place names, museums, and memorials.
You can learn more at Estancia Harberton or local museums in Ushuaia, but you’ll also see echoes of their legacy in the land itself – shell middens, reconstructed dwellings, and old routes followed by guanaco hunters and seal-gatherers.
Keep in mind that history is dark. European settlers brought disease, violence, and displacement. The story of Lola Kiepja, the last full-blooded Selk’nam, is particularly haunting.
Acknowledging this past is essential to understanding the region. It’s not always highlighted in tour brochures – but it should be.
If you’re a fly-fisher, you already know the name: Río Grande. This cold, remote river is home to some of the world’s largest sea-run brown trout, with record-breaking catches over 14kg.
The season runs from December to April, and you’ll need permits and – ideally – deep pockets. Most of the good stretches are on private land managed by high-end lodges. But what you get is pristine water, expert guides, and serious fish.
Non-anglers might find Río Grande a bit bleak – the town is functional, not charming. But for those with a rod in hand, this is bucket-list territory.
Tierra del Fuego penguin colony, Chile © Shutterstock
From Ushuaia, your two most extreme travel options lie in opposite directions. To the north, you can cross into Chilean Tierra del Fuego, visiting Puerto Williams or the bleak coasts of Isla Navarino. Overland travel is limited, so this usually means boats or flights.
To the south, you’ve got Antarctica. Cruises leave from Ushuaia during the austral summer (November-March), and they don’t come cheap – but for many, it’s the trip of a lifetime.
Even if you’re not going, it’s hard not to be swept up by the buzz in town – every other storefront seems to be selling parkas or polar expeditions.
Neither is for everyone, but for die-hards, they’re the ultimate things to do in Tierra del Fuego. Just be prepared to part with serious cash.
The easiest way to reach Argentine Tierra del Fuego is by flying into Ushuaia’s international airport, with regular connections from Buenos Aires and other major cities. If you’ve got more time than money, you can travel overland by bus – though this involves crossing into Chilean territory before looping back into Argentina. It’s a slow but scenic route, especially if you're interested in getting around Argentina overland and seeing how the landscape shifts on the journey south.
For many travelers, the best option is to fly in and take the bus or rent a car out, especially if you’re planning a tailor-made trip through Patagonia. Either way, make sure to book transport well in advance during summer.
written by
Olga Sitnitsa
updated 23.06.2025
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