Ushuaia Things to Do Tips by galy Top 5 Page for this destination

Train to the END of the WORLD

To link the prison to a timber area, the convicts built the world's southernmost railroad. Today the Train to the End of the World offers daily steam-driven excursions in replicas of English passenger wagons. During the journey, a bilingual guide (Spanish-English), recount the history of the "Convict Train".
The train goes through the Pipo River across the Quemadon Bridge and makes its first stop at the De la Macarena Cascade. Here you can either go down the steps to the Indian campsite reconstruction of one of the four native tribes that lived in Ushuaia, or go up the steps to see the Macarena Waterfall whose source is in the Le Martial mountain range.
After fifteen minutes, the train continus on its journey to a sub-Antarctic forest. It crosses different sites where the prisoners worked every day for 50 years cutting down trees.
After skirting the "Turbal", a raised sphagnum moss bog typical of Tierra del Fuego, the train arrives at the "Estacion del Parque".
There is a bar and toilet.
From here you can either return by train to the Estacion del Fin del Mundo or continue your excursion deeper into the Tierra del Fuego National Park.To do that you have to pre-book a tour bus.
The cost is 17 USD return and 16 USD one way.
In season, first train at 9:00 last at 17:00

Directions: located on the national road n°3 on the way to the Tierra del Fuego National Park.
By taxi approximately $14 return

Tierra del Fuego National Park

12 km to the west of Ushuaia is the access to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. You can reach it by the national route no. 3 and take it up to Bahia Lapatia, or leave the car at the entrance and go with the ?Train to the End of the World.
The park is also one of southern Argentina's easiest to walk around, and offers several relatively unchallenging though beautiful trails, many of which are completed in minutes. Recommended is the Senda Costera (Coastal Path) connecting Bahia Ensenada with Lago Roca or Bahia Lapataia
The ancient inhabitants of this region were the yamanas who lived in huts. Their food was mainly seafood. Nowadays it is possible to spot the "concheros", circles where mollusks accumulated meaning that there were settlements around.

Directions: 12 km to the west of Ushuaia

Isla LOBOS Navigation

An excursion that could be considered as classic is the one called Isla de Los Lobos navigation. This voyage passes the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse that shows the entrance to Ushuaia's bay to the navigators. The landscape is a combination of sea and mountains, and the mounts Olivia and Five Brothers can be seen
Towards the Seal's Island, it is possible to observe the games of these sea mammals. The catamaran sails in complete silence around the island for about 20 minutes. It is a wonderful scene. Then the catamaran goes towards the Birds Island to see the Magellanic Cormorants, the Imperial Cormorants, the Giant Albatrosses, and may different species of sea birds. Back to Ushuaia, sailing through Paso Chico, and the view Le Martial Mount and its glacier.
The navigation takes about 3 hours.
The sea in the beagle channel is calm, so even those who suffer usually from sea sickness can take it with no fear.

Directions: A few operators do this navigation. They all have ticket boots at the Tourist Pier in the harbour. We took it with rumbosur, but I guess theothers are as good.

Website: http://www.rumbosur.com.ar/ingles/excursiones/rmaritima.htm http://www.argentinadiscover.com/tours_argentina/shorttours_ushuaia.htm

LAPATAIA BAY

One of the outstanding parts of the park is the Lapataia Bay. This is the final point of the only road that goes from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, 3300 km or if you want to go as fa as Alaska 17,848 km away.
The name "lapataia" means wooded bay, or wood bay in Yamana language

Lago ROCA

In the southern part of the park is beautiful lake Roca. Behind it you can see mounts Condor and Guanaco. Lake Roca drains the short but turbulent Lapataia river that flows into the sea through Lapataia bay.

The OLD PRISON

Prisons are not one of my favorite things, especially when I'm on vacation. Nevertheless in Ushuaia, it is a place you should visit.
On January 1896 the first group of 14 convicts arrived on board the naval ship "1° de Mayo" and were housed in wood and tin huts in a community with only 40 houses. The current building was started in 1902, and was completed in 1920. It remained in use until 1947. Although the 600 convicts that occupied the 380 cells were not exactly town citizens, their work was integral to the daily life of the city. Public works projects and houses were often built by prison labor, which also supplied the town with such staples as firewood, bread, and electrical power; prisoners and citizens relied on each other. And the city grew up around the prison.
After decades of disuse, it was restored and recently opened as a prison museum

Address: San Martin and Yaganes streets

Directions: You can't miss it, at the end of the main street of Ushuaia

Phone: (+54) 901-437481

The HEARTof the city

San Martin is the main street of the town. It accommodates the tourist information center, along with lots and lots of restaurants and souvenir shops. It's all live and vibrant, although it tends to get a bit quieter in the middle of the day (Siesta time??)
Even if you don't tend to buy souvenirs (which I doubt) take a walk along the street to feel the bit of the town.
If you are a mural fan (as I'm) you will enjoy very much the murals painted on the walls along the street. Some of them are really good.