Hiking in Tierra del Fuego

Tierra del Fuego is a land of extremes. Swathes of isolated steppe are punctuated with windswept trees, endless peat bogs and craggy outcrops crowned with glaciers. Here is Patagonia's most challenging and remote trekking, don your boots and step out into the rugged wilderness at the end of the world.

Day hikes Multi-day hiking Challenging treks FAQs

Reasons to hike in Tierra del Fuego

Forge your own path across islands that are largely unexplored
Conquer diverse and challenging terrain, from sparse steppe-land and dramatic mountains to deep forested valleys
Choose a one day hike or embrace a multi-day trek
Hike the 'southernmost trek in the world', the breathtaking Dientes de Navarino
Base yourself in bustling, historic Ushuaia, in a wilderness lodge on Isla Navarino, or a boat that takes you from hike to hike

On Ojo del Albino Glacier

Walking to the Beban Pass

Traversing the turba on the final day

Walking between the seven lagoons

Beban Dome

Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego

Dientes de Navarino Trail, Tierra del Fuego

Day hiking

Around Ushuaia: If you have a day or two to spare in the city, you can hike into the Tierra del Fuego National Park or the Tierra Mayor valley, and there are gentler hikes to Glacier Martial or along the coast. The trails are well marked and trailheads easily accessible by road out of Ushuaia.

Isla Navarino: A short boat ride across the Beagle Channel lies Isla Navarino, a wilderness island with trails around the Navarino range and Wulaia Bay. Base yourself at the peaceful Lakutaia Lodge, set right on the shore, for a bit of comfort after being exposed to the elements all day.

Sail, cruise and hike: Explore the magnificent Chilean Fjords by sailboat or on an expeditionary cruise, stopping off at secluded bays to hike along the shoreline and up to remote glaciers.

Lapataia Bay in Tierra del Fuego national Park, Patagonia, Argentina

Lapataia Bay, Tierra del Fuego National Park

Multi-day hikes

The Montes Martial Circuit is a remarkably remote hike given it's proximity to Ushuaia. The trail circles around Montes Martial and Glacier Martial, through idyllic valleys and the mountain pass of Paso de le Oveja. It's total length is 26km and takes three days to complete, so although being a shorter hike, it is still quite physically demanding.

The Sierra Valdivieso Trek will give you a great sense of wilderness; camping wild and climbing deep into the mountain range bordering the mighty Lago Fagnano - Tierra del Fuego's largest lake. The trail is 51km in total and takes four days to complete, but it's largely off-trail hiking through wet and rocky country.

Challenging treks

The Dientes de Navarino Trek is a Patagonian classic, and one not to be underestimated. This 53km trail can be completed in four days, but our itineraries allow for five days as the weather conditions can be extremely challenging. The mountain passes are often covered in snow, even during the summer months.

The trail is slowly becoming more established but is still demanding with boulder fields, precarious scree slopes and scrambling over felled tree trunks. Hiking the toothy ridge of Navarino Island feels somewhat like a moonscape; a terrain dominated by scorched rock and forests stripped bare by beavers.

Yendegaia National Park is another barely visited area of Tierra del Fuego, which would make for an epic adventure. The Chilean government are building a road that will open up this mysterious corner of Tierra del Fuego.

Dientes de Navarino Trail, Tierra del Fuego

Trek Deep into Tierra del Fuego

Embark on this epic multi-day trek to experience the most unspoilt, spectacular and pristine settings of Argentine Tierra del Fuego. Along the way you'll crosses lush valleys, windy mountain passes, azure glacial lagoons, making you feel like a real pioneer.

You'll spend the nights sleeping under canvas, or in remote refuges on this fully-guided off-the-beaten-track circuit that will enable you to reach places that very few people ever get to.

See the full trip description.

Trekking to the Ojo del Albino Glacier

Sarah says

I was blown away by the immensity and wilderness of Tierra del Fuego’s Andes. Just a short drive from Ushuaia you can be trekking in what feels like really remote, stunningly beautiful glacial valleys… during five days of trekking I hardly saw another soul.

Sarah Schneider Patagonia Specialist

Multi-day hikes in Tierra del Fuego

What our customers think of Hiking in Tierra del Fuego

Hiking in Tierra del Fuego trips scored 4.8/5 from 6 reviews

In Tierra del Fuego we walked through beautiful forest in sunshine. Fallen trees often blocked the path and there were rivers to cross - rock hopping or balancing across on a log. There was a definite path but we couldn't always stick to it.

Travelled: April 2016

Kim -

Fantastic - the variation in the topography was incredible from snow, to desert like, to lush green - an amazing amount of wildlife diversity as well. Absolutely beautiful which was probably helped by great weather Read the full review

Travelled: February 2023

Catherine Drury - USA

I loved trekking in Tierra del Fuego, it was so different from Los Glaciares. We saw a bunch of animals and it was nice how remote everything was, it felt rugged.

Travelled: January 2017

Carrie -

With the peat bog valley floor, lakes and surrounding mountains, I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever about going down to Tierra del Fuego. It's all so different to Torres del Paine and El Chalten, it was worth every penny.

Travelled: November 2016

Michael -

Review:

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FAQs about Hiking in Tierra del Fuego

Can I hike self-guided in Tierra del Fuego?

There are a few day hikes that you can do self-guided - get in touch and we'd be pleased to talk you through the options.
You cannot camp overnight within Tierra del Fuego National Park without a guide. Outside of the National Park, we highly recommend that you use a guide as the trails are often unclear, poorly marked and hard to follow. If anything were to go wrong, you wouldn't want to find yourself miles from civilisation with no way of asking for help.
Are there any hut-to-hut hikes, or do I need to camp?

There are small, basic mountain huts dotted around Tierra del Fuego which offer refuge when the weather turns against you. They do not having any running water, heating or other facilities so are really just a dry place to rest up. You'll always need to carry a sturdy, 4-season tent with you.
Will I need to carry camping equipment?

On multi-day hikes you will need to carry your own sleeping bag, sleeping mat, clothing and personal belongings, which will weigh around 10-12kg. Your food and group camping equipment are provided and carried by a porter unless you specifically ask to carry them yourself.
On challenging treks you will need to be able to carry a fully-loaded pack of 18-20kg, with your own camping equipment, clothes, personal belongings and a share of your group's food and camping equipment.
How do I get between Ushuaia and Isla Navarino?

There is a new boat service that operates daily between Puerto Williams and Ushuaia. The journey takes just over 1 hour and costs around US $120. If the weather is bad, the boat will disembark at Puerto Navarino further west along the island and closer to Ushuaia - this shortens the journey to 20 minutes.

Swoop says

If you are in Ushuaia, get out into Patagonia's wildest corner; let the wind scream through your hair and the rain drench you. You'll feel alive, and you'll wonder how people have survived in this land of extremes since 8000 BC.

Hiking in Patagonia

Patagonia offers a huge range of day hikes and multi-day treks through a variety of spectacular landscapes. As well as the famous National Parks of Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares, there's also remote Tierra del Fuego, The Chilean Lake District in the north and miles of lesser-known trails across the region.

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