The Tierra del Fuego National Park is the southernmost national park in Argentina and is located in the south of the main island of fire land, right on the border too Chile.
The park protects a mountainous, wooded area and bogs (turberas) traversed coastal area, but stretches north to Lake Fagnano down. The southern part is by far the most visited and is only 12 km away from the Ushuaia to be reached from the national road 3.
background
history
The Tierra del Fuego National Park was founded in 1960 and was then Argentina's first and for a long time the only coastal national park. In the course of the growing population of Tierra del Fuego Island, it became a popular travel destination, and the number of visitors is still growing strongly today, so that they are now professionally managed, for example by expanding the camping facilities and hiking trails to focus too much on a few Avoid bodies.
landscape
The park extends over 63,000 hectares and offers a very diverse landscape. So is the southern part of the mouth of the Río Lapataia which meanders through the mountain range of the last Andes foothills and forms various basins, lakes and moors. The coast here takes the form of a cliff with small sand and pebble beaches.
The north of the park, on the other hand, is dated Lake Fagnano shaped, the fifth largest lake in Argentina. It was originally an arm of the Strait of Magellan, but was cut off from the sea during the ice ages by the formation of moraine and is therefore a pure freshwater lake today.
Starting points are Ushuaia for the south and Tolhuin for the north, although the infrastructure in the south is much more touristy.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation of the park follows the climatic zone of the subantarctic wet and rainforest. Among the tree species are the most common Lenga (a tall beech species) and the evergreen beech, called Coihue or Guindo to find that standing in the wind can take the form of a flag and therefore also árbol bandera (Flag Tree) is called. Shrub plants of the region are the Calafate, the Michay and the Chaura. At higher altitudes, this vegetation changes into the Andean flora.
The fauna is not very rich in species. There are twenty species of mammals, of the larger representatives only this Guanaco, a wild and relatively small llama, is endemic. Among other things, the gray fox and the beaver were introduced, the population of which is now kept under control by nature conservationists. They are accompanied by around 90 species of birds. Various geese (cauquenes), Ducks and herons inhabit the areas by the water, while the imposing Andean condor with a wingspan of up to 3 m is at home in the high altitudes of the Andes.
climate
The cold ocean climate of Tierra del Fuego is particularly humid in the National Park, as the highest mountains in Tierra del Fuego hold the rain clouds here. Clear days are rare, especially in summer, but the weather usually changes very quickly. Temperatures are around 2 ° C in winter and around 10 ° C in summer.
getting there
The 1 Park entrance by far the most visited southern part is 12 km west of Ushuaia. There are several ways to get here from the city:
- Guided tours are expensive (around AR $ 150-200 per person) and are offered by various travel agencies. You usually go through the standard paths, but you already get to see a lot.
- Tren del Fin del Mundo: This narrow-gauge railway currently starts from a train station 5 km west of Ushuaia, the 2 Estación del Fin del Mundo. 3 final destination is in the national park. Its biggest advantage is that it drives through a little-visited part of the park, stops briefly along the way and therefore allows wildlife observation on the route. The train runs three times a day. Currently, the round-trip price is AR $ 850. (As of March 2018)
- Taxi: A taxi ride is only worthwhile for 4 or more people. Depending on the starting point you want to go to in the park, the prices vary between AR $ 1,000-1,350 per one-way trip, because the second "empty trip" must be paid for.
- Linea regular: These mini buses run between the National Park and Ushuaia every hour. A single trip costs AR $ 300. Unfortunately, you can usually not get on the road. Therefore it is best to get on at the stops: Ushuaia vis á vie tourism center at the harbor, National Park Visitors Center Alakush, National Park Acigami Lake.
- Rental car: The best option for independent travelers, you are of course completely free to plan. Prices start at around AR $ 120 per day for a small car.
- Bicycle: Probably the cheapest option. However, there are many trails that cannot be ridden on a mountain bike, so it should be connected to a safe place (visitor center, camping administration).
Those who want to go to the northern and eastern parts of the park are on their own. There are both from the Río Pipo valley and from Lake Fagnano (the small town is recommended as a base Tolhuin) Trekking trails in the park.
Fees / permits
The fees are staggered, the bad habit of stealing significantly higher prices from foreigners is also given here (as of Nov. 2017):
- General admission price: AR $ 350
- National Bonus Prize: AR $ 120
- Children and adolescents aged 6 to 16: AR $ 60
- Citizens of Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, students / pupils: significantly cheaper
mobility
There is no public transport in the park itself, but there are several private bus companies that go to all important points (tickets are usually available at the accommodation). There is a main driveway that is the last stretch of the road Ruta Nacional 3 represents and leads with about 1 km distance from the coast to the Bahía Lapataia. There are cul-de-sacs for Lago Roca (the visitor center is located there), to Bahía Ensenada and to Estación del Parque of the Tren del Fin del Mundo.
Some hostels also rent bicycles with which you can get through the park quite easily with the appropriate stamina.
Tourist Attractions
The main attraction is the nature of the park. Those are worthwhile goals Lago Rocathat can also be reached by car Isla de los Cormoranes, an island in the middle of the Río Lapataia with good bird watching opportunities, the Lapataia Bay, a natural harbor, and the Laguna Negra, a bog area; for trekking fans also the one a little to the north Pipo River Valley. See also the section activities.
In addition, there are those popular with tourists 1 Post Office from the End of the World(Correo del fin del Mundo) at Bahía Ensenada, where you can have letters and postcards stamped. The post office is privately operated and is not always manned, opening times can be found at the tourist information office in Ushuaia. By the way: The postage cost was US $ 10 per postcard.
The neighboring archaeological sites usually attract less interest.
It is worth seeing for tourists 2 End of the Ruta Nacional 3(Fin de la Ruta Nac. 3) at Lapataia Bay, marked by a sign, in front of which almost all visitors can be photographed.
activities
The hiking trails mainly run through the southern part of the park. However, they are often well attended during the season. The following routes are particularly recommended:
- Senda de la Isla. Very short (600 m) path on an island in the Río Lapataia, with good bird watching opportunities and beautiful rocky landscapes. The starting point is the RN 3, the route can easily be started from the visitor center.
- Senda de la Baliza. The path leads through forests to a beacon on the west coast of the Río Lapataia (950 m). The starting point is the parking lot at the end of the RN 3.
- Senda Costera. The most demanding of the short tourist routes leads from the Bahía Ensenada to the Río Lapataia (6.5 km) and has some short climbs.
- Senda Hito XXIII. The path leads along Lago Roca to the border with Chile (2 km).
- Senda Cerro del Guanaco. Path to one of the mountains, the Cerro del Guanaco (950 m), which dominates the scenery of the Bahía Lapataia. Spectacular view of the park.
Numerous activities such as canoeing in the Río Lapataia and rubber dinghy tours on Lake Roca are offered by travel agencies in Ushuaia.
Wildlife viewing on the islands in the Beagle Channel: Between Ushuaia and 4 Puerto Arias Catamarans operate in the Bahía Lapataia.
If you want to be out in the park for several days, it is advisable to take the bus all the way to the end of the park and use the existing network of day trips with a detour over the Paso de la Oveja to combine (detailed directions in Lonely Planet Trekking in the Patagonian Andes). The Paso de la Oveja is much less busy than in the touristic southwest part of the park. A sign coming from the direction of Ushuaia indicates that the route over the pass is closed for an indefinite period of time because windbreak has partially blocked the path with thick trunks, but is still used by many people (if you climb around the affected sections). The semi-wild "guard" dogs in the valley of the Arroyo Grande (eastern side of the pass) on the way back to civilization, which have already bitten some hikers (have pepper spray ready), are more dangerous.
shop
in the 1 Alakush Visitor Center there is a small souvenir gallery.
kitchen
There is a restaurant / café in the visitor center with simple dishes.
accommodation
Hotels and hostels
There are no hotels in the park itself. The outskirts of Ushuaia but pull up to Estación del Fin del Mundo of the narrow-gauge train, near which several hotels and holiday complexes can be found.
camping
There are four campsites (except for Lago Roca, use is free, but entry to the National Park is required every 48 hours):
- Lago Roca. Just east of the lakeshore, behind the visitor center. The site is in the forest and offers plenty of shade, and is the only one with showers.
- Río Lapataia. On the riverside, opposite the Cormoranes Island. The area offers little shade and is almost treeless. There are sanitary facilities in the visitor center.
- Bahía Ensenada. Free camping area with toilets on the Bahía Ensenada.
- 1 Río Pipo: About 1 km north of the Estación del Parque, simple toilets and fire places available.
security
There are no particular dangers, with the possible exception of the unpredictable weather, which you should always be aware of on mountain tours. There are no large predators, poisonous snakes or disease-transmitting mosquitoes. Thefts are very rare due to Tierra del Fuego being isolated.
trips
literature
Web links
- Tierra del Fuego National Park, also in German
- Info page tierradelfuego.org.ar
