Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego Travel Guide: Explore Patagonia’s Southernmost City Secrets

Before boarding the ship in Antarctica, I had always wanted to book a lighthouse and Tierra del Fuego day tour after disembarking. However, I found that on the main street of Ushuaia, the travel agencies could not combine the post office and the little train in one package. The price for a package including the little train but not the entrance fee was around 60,000 pesos, and they required me to buy a local SIM card and use WhatsApp to stay in contact with them.

Since this app cannot be used in my country and I had bought a China Mobile service, I decided to give up on the local travel agency’s day tour. So, I checked Mafengwo (a Chinese travel website) and found that a day tour for one person cost about 1,000 yuan, which I also found too expensive. For the local tourist bus, the ticket office is located between the port and the gas station, but after the bus goes to the post office, you have to walk a few kilometers back, which was not suitable for lazy me.

In the end, I chose to hire a car! To the right of the port, there is a taxi stand. I told them directly that I wanted to hire a car to go to Tierra del Fuego. On February 8th, the price was 90,000 pesos per car, not including the entrance fee, and it took about 3.5 hours. Compared to the local or Mafengwo day tours, the price was very affordable.

We were four people, so it averaged out to 22,500 pesos per person. The drive took about 20 minutes, and we had to buy tickets at the park entrance, 12,000 pesos per person. Then the driver showed us a map and said he would take us to three places. The first stop was the post office. When we arrived, the driver uncle said we could play as long as we wanted, and he would wait in the car.

The second stop was by a lake. The uncle again said we could take our time and walk along the lake, and the scenery was indeed beautiful. The third stop was the sign in the picture, where there is a boardwalk to walk around, not long, but with great views. After that, we returned. When we were close to the city, the driver asked where to drop us off, and we chose to go back to the hotel.

At the hotel, we paid the uncle 90,000 pesos, and it really felt like a good deal. Oh, by the way, at the post office, we met a group of Chinese tourists who came by bus, and it really seemed much worse than hiring a car. When we went, there was almost no one at the post office, and we could write postcards on the spot, but with a tour group, the small room would be very crowded.

So, I suggest that those who want to go to Tierra del Fuego National Park can choose to hire a taxi, negotiate the price first. I did not bargain with the driver, and since the exchange rate of pesos changes daily, 90,000 is just a reference.