The things to do in Ushuaia, Argentina, are few enough to count and different enough that none of them replaces another. A national park, a channel full of islands, a glacier 7 km from the centre, a penguin colony more than 80 km away and the port where Antarctic ships sail from each take a different slice of a day, and the weather decides which ones you get. This guide sorts them by what they ask of you, with the distances, hours and fees from official pages.
Topics we already cover in depth stay in their own guides: where Patagonia sits and how far the bases are from each other and the best time to visit Patagonia. If you want the whole region rather than one town, read our guide to the things to do in Patagonia, and if you already know the places and need them turned into days, our day by day Patagonia itinerary does that part.
What are the best things to do in Ushuaia? Seven options side by side
Most visitors combine three or four of the options below. Each row shows where it happens, what it asks of you and the fixed cost on paper, using the official pages named in each section.
| Experience | Where | What it asks of you | Fixed cost on paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tierra del Fuego National Park | 12 km west of the city, on Route 3 | Most of a day, open until 21:00 from December to February | Entry ARS 40,000, about US$26 |
| Beagle Channel cruise | City docks | About 1 hour for the classic cruise, longer with a landing | The operator’s price |
| Penguins at Isla Martillo and Estancia Harberton | 82 to 90 km east, by Route 33 | A full day, with penguins from early October to April | The operator’s price |
| Martial Glacier | 7 km from the centre | 75 minutes on the glacier viewpoint circuit | Its own entry, confirm at the gate |
| End of the World Train | Station 2 km before the park entrance | About 7 km of track to the park station | The operator’s fare |
| Museums in town | City centre | Hours set by each museum, a wet day option | Ticket at the door |
| Antarctica departures | The port | November to March, or April by one source | Not shown here |
The dollar figures are reference values, converted from pesos at the official rate of the Argentine central bank (BCRA) of 1,513 pesos per dollar on 15 October 2026. The rate moves, so the amount at the gate is the one that counts.
Tierra del Fuego National Park: the road that ends at Lapataia Bay
The park covers 68,909 hectares and was created in 1960, according to the provincial tourism board (Infuetur), and it is the only national park in Argentina with a coastline. National Route 3 ends inside it, at Lapataia Bay, which Infuetur calls the only fjord in the Argentine sector of the island. The national parks administration (APN) puts the park entrance 12 km from the centre of Ushuaia, and both sources were consulted in October 2026.
Southern Argentina: The Pocket Guide
Know how many days each stop deserves before you book: the must sees in El Calafate and El Chaltén, Ushuaia, Bariloche and Puerto Madryn, suggested pace, verified park fees and seasons, and how they connect by air and road.
You can reach it three ways: by your own vehicle on Route 3, with the speed limit set at 40 km/h; by the regular shuttle that leaves from Fadul and Maipú streets in town and makes seven stops inside the park, ending at the Lapataia parking; or on the End of the World Train, whose station sits 2 km before the entrance and runs about 7 km to the park station. Without a vehicle you need transport for the way back from the train.
The hours change with the season, according to APN: from 8:00 to 21:00 between December and February, from 8:00 to 20:00 in March, October and November, and from 9:00 to 18:00 between April and September. Entry is ARS 40,000 for a general adult ticket from 1 June 2026, about US$26, and the second day is 50% off if you enter within 72 hours, which in Tierra del Fuego applies only to tickets bought online. The 3 day Flexipass costs ARS 80,000, about US$53, and the 7 day one ARS 140,000, about US$93. APN does not define the general column on its tariff page, so confirm it when you buy.
Inside, the park lists five trails: Baliza, Hito XXIV, Laguna Negra, the coastal trail and Cerro Guanaco, and APN says hikers can do two or three trails a day. There is no electricity, internet or phone signal, and drones, pets and bikes on trails are not allowed. In winter, snow chains or studded tires are required on the road.
The Beagle Channel: what the cruise shows and how long it takes
Infuetur lists the classic Beagle Channel cruise at an average of one hour, returning to the city docks through the Bridges Archipelago and Paso Chico. A version with a landing on Karelo Island or H Island adds a short trail of 160 m, about 10 to 15 minutes. On these routes you pass Isla de los Pájaros and Isla de los Lobos, with sea lions, albatrosses, cormorants, skuas, gulls and petrels, and the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, which stands 11 m high. Most operators leave from the tourist dock on Avenida Prefectura Naval.
The durations in this section come from the provincial listing, which says it is being updated, and operators run their own versions of the route. Ask for the exact length and the landing when you book. Our 3 day trip to Ushuaia pairs the park and the End of the World Train in the morning of its second day with the Beagle Channel in the afternoon.
Penguins: Isla Martillo and Estancia Harberton
The penguin trip is the longest outing from town. The Ushuaia tourism secretariat places Estancia Harberton 82 km from the city, and the provincial protected areas page says 90 km, so allow about 85 km each way on Route 33, and plan a full day. Infuetur says Magellanic penguins are on Martillo Island from the beginning of October until April, with most between November and February. The reserve page adds that gentoo penguins stay all year and that king penguins appear only occasionally.
Harberton itself is an estancia founded in 1886 by the missionary Thomas Bridges, declared a National Historic Monument in 1999, and it covers about 20,000 hectares. Admission includes a guided visit to the Acatushun Museum of Birds and Marine Mammals. For other colonies and months, see our guide to South American penguins.
Martial Glacier and the mountain trails
The Martial Glacier is 7 km from the centre and sits at about 1,000 m above sea level, according to the Ushuaia tourism secretariat. Its trails start at the Refugio Base. The page lists them with duration, distance and climb:
| Trail | Duration | Distance | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest circuit | 30 minutes | 1,400 m | 100 m |
| Glacier viewpoint circuit | 75 minutes | 2,500 m | 220 m |
| Lakes viewpoint circuit | 150 minutes | 5,500 m | 270 m |
| Clouds circuit | 150 minutes | 6,200 m | 520 m |
The page also lists a fifth route, the Winds circuit of 7,200 m and 665 m of climb, marked as not open when we consulted it. The site is open daily from 9:00 to 19:30, with skiing and snowboarding in winter and hiking in summer. The provincial trekking page names longer day treks, such as Laguna Esmeralda and the Ojo del Albino and Vinciguerra glaciers, with the operators that run them, but it publishes no distance or duration, so we do not give one here.
Rain, wind and cold: what the weather does to a plan
Ushuaia has no calm season. The table uses the climate normals of Argentina’s national weather service (SMN) for the Ushuaia airport station, covering 1997 to 2020.
| Month | Daily high | Mean temperature | Rainy days | Snow days | Strong wind days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 10.1 °C | 6.2 °C | 6.9 | 5.5 | 27 |
| December | 12.5 °C | 8.6 °C | 9.2 | 1.4 | 28 |
| January | 13.6 °C | 9.5 °C | 8.6 | 0.2 | 28 |
| March | 12.2 °C | 8.4 °C | 7.9 | 1.0 | 26 |
| July | 4.6 °C | 2.3 °C | 8.1 | 10.6 | 21 |
Every month has between 7 and 9 rainy days, and the windiest are December and January. The warmest highs, 12 to 14 °C, come from December to March, and the park keeps its longest hours, until 21:00, from December to February. Winter brings about 11 snow days in July, and skiing at Cerro Castor, which argentina.travel lists among the city’s activities. For wind, sun and snow month by month, use our best time to visit Patagonia guide, and for what to do when the wind turns, our guide to safety on the ground in Patagonia.
Our reading of the numbers is to put the exposed options, the Martial trails and the coastal walk at Lapataia, on the clearest day of the forecast, and keep the museums and the train for the day it rains. The museums are the End of the World Museum, the Maritime Museum and the Presidio Museum, which argentina.travel says was a high security prison about 100 years ago.
How many days does Ushuaia need?
The official pages do not agree: one page of argentina.travel recommends 2 to 4 days in Ushuaia and another says 4 to 7. This table is our recommendation, built from the distances above, and operations validates it for each season.
| Nights | What fits | What you leave out |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | The park day and the Beagle Channel cruise | Harberton, the Martial trails and any weather margin |
| 3 | The above, plus Martial or a museum day and one spare day for weather | The penguin colony |
| 4 | The above, plus the Harberton and Isla Martillo day | A long trek |
| 5 or more | The above, plus a full trek day from the provincial list | Not applicable |
Getting there is part of the count. According to the Ushuaia tourism secretariat, the flight from Aeroparque or Ezeiza takes about 3 hours, and the airport has no public transport, so you need a taxi, a remise or a transfer. By road it is 3,084 km from Buenos Aires along Route 3, according to argentina.travel, and the last stretch crosses Chile and the Strait of Magellan by ferry, according to the Ushuaia tourism secretariat. For how Ushuaia connects with the rest of the region, see our guide to where Patagonia is.
Ushuaia and Antarctica
Ushuaia is where most Antarctic ships sail from. The city’s tourism secretariat says the Antarctic season runs from November to April, with about 250 operations a year and 95% of the world’s Antarctic tourism, which are the city’s own figures. Our Antarctica guides use the November to March window of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), so confirm the dates of your ship. If your trip continues south, read our guides to the best time to visit Antarctica, Antarctica weather and the Patagonia and Antarctica itinerary, and, as our own recommendation, arrive at least a day before you sail.
Planning your things to do in Ushuaia on one page
- Count the nights first. Three nights hold the park, the channel and a spare day.
- Order the days by weather. Exposed trails on the clearest day, the museums and the train for the wet one.
- Budget the fixed part. The park is about US$26 a day, and cheaper per day with the second day discount or the Flexipass.
- Check the penguin calendar. Magellanic penguins from early October to April, most from November to February.
- Leave a margin before Antarctica. We recommend arriving at least a day before the ship sails.
If you already have dates, tell us when you travel and who is coming, and we will check which of these fit your days.
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