Parque Nacional Tierra Del Fuego

Introducing Parque Nacional Tierra Del Fuego

Banked against the channel, the hushed, fragrant southern forests of Tierra del Fuego are a stunning setting to explore. West of Ushuaia by 12km, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, Argentina’s first coastal national park, extends 630 sq km from the Beagle Channel in the south to beyond Lago Fagnano in the north. However, only a couple of thousand hectares along the southern edge of the park are open to the public, with a min­uscule system of short, easy trails that are designed more for day-tripping families than backpacking trekkers. The rest of the park is protected as a reserva natural estricta (strictly off-limits zone). Despite this, a few scenic hikes along the bays and rivers, or through dense native forests of evergreen coihue, canelo and deciduous lenga, are worthwhile. For truly spectacular color, come in the fall when hillsides of ñire burst out in red.

Birdlife is prolific, especially along the coastal zone. Keep an eye out for condors, albatross, cormorants, gulls, terns, oystercatchers, grebes, kelp geese and the comical, flightless, orange-billed steamer ducks. Common invasive species include the European rabbit and the North American beaver, both of which are wreaking ecological havoc in spite of their cuteness. Gray and red foxes, enjoying the abundance of rabbits, may also be seen.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009