Winter in Ushuaia in 8 days

8 days - 7 nights

Day 1 - Ushuaia

Reception and transfer from Ushuaia Airport to the Hotel.

Day 2 - Tierra del Fuego National Park & Navigation on the Beagle Channel from Lapataia Bay

We start the day travelling to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. After we get onto the slopes of the Susana Mountain we can see the prisoners´trails of the ex penitentiary of Ushuaia. We can also appreciate the tracks of the Austral Fuegino Railway until it enters into the River Pipo Valley and then into the Ensalada Bay. We make a brief trekking to the surrounds of the Lago Roca, until we arrive to Laguna Verde and Laguna Negra. We will be able to see the dams that the beavers frequently build, but unfortunately their work is uninterruptedly destroying the National Park. Lapataia Bay is the last part of our visit to the Park and then we embark in Port Arias we embark in order to navigate the waters of the Beagle Channel while we see the Redonda Island, the Ensenada Bay and Golondrina. We also get to Isla de los Lobos, Isla de los Pájaros, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse and the Túnel Estancia as we cross the waters. We land on the port of the city.

Day 3 - Andino Experience with snow shoes until the Hachero Refuge, Rope Crossing and the Ice Waterfall

We depart from Ushuaia to go to the Tierra Mayor Valley. Before we start this new experience the instructor explains to us how to use the snow shoes. We begin the walk by entering the winter forest. We go to places that can only be accessed using snow shoes as in the case of the Alvear Ice Waterfall. From this spot we start descending until the gully of the Tierra Mayor River. From there we do an 'air' crossing formed by three hanging ropes, discovering the forest of lengas and ñires until we finish at the Hachero Refuge after visiting some unique places over the previous three hours. Here we have a good hot chocolate before returning to the Valley. In order to climb the ice, we will receive instructions in respect of natural or artificial ice falls; everything depends on the weather conditions.

Day 4 - Martial Glacier Trekking

Breakfast at the Hotel. This trekking is one of the most interesting walks on the Island. The Martial reaches almost the 1,000 metres and it is located very close to the city of Ushuaia, around 4 kms and is the biggest fresh water reserve in the Fuegino Region. In 1883 a group of French explorers arrived in Ushuaia led by Luis Martial whose name was given to the Glacier.

This Glacier offers the opportunity to reach the top in a relatively accessible way. We go by a snaking path until we arrive at the Martial slopes and from there we take a chair lift to ascend 1,100 metres from where we walk until the Cumbre Station. We climb up an easy slope until we enter a rocky area that is the real mountain side. The views are really special, typical of high mountain landscapes, not only can we see the City of Ushuaia but also the Beagle Chanel and the islands of Navarino and Hoste.

Day 5 - White Adventure: A ride in sleighs pulled by huskies and a walk using snow shoes

This is a very original program as we travel in handmade sleighs and pulled by huskies. Before we start this experience there will be an instructor, or the Muscher, who will explain to us how to manage the dogs and then we go to visit the breeding place that is in the Tierra Mayor Valley. After fitted with harnesses, the dogs are hitched up and we begin. The route starts at the breeding place and we sleigh across the snowy valleys of the Fueguino mountain chain. Depending on the weather the trip lasts about 30 minutes and is available during the winter season. The route of almost 7 kms is made in a winding way and passes through a legendary forest of lengas and ñires and over a ground that is covered in snow and without vegetation. We arrive at a log cabin called the Hachero Refuge where we leave the dogs and put on our snow shoes. The snow is normally above 1 metre of depth and we trek until the Alvear Ice Waterfall and the Valley Viewpoint. On our return we descend quicker because it is downhill and when we arrive back at the shelter we have a hot chocolate. Once we have rested we return walking to the Tierra Mayor Valley and then to the City of Ushuaia.

Day 6 - Optional Ski in Cerro Castor - Night bonfire

We leave from the Hotel at night to walk to the Centro Invernal Altos del Valle. The adventure begins with a trek by using snow shoes that takes us to the snowy valleys. After half an hour of hiking, helped by the moonlight and our torches, we arrive at the bonfire, where we await a dinner which revitalises us to get ready for the return in sleighs to the Centro Invernal. In general this program takes 5 hours, leaving at 18 hrs and returning at 23 hrs.

Note: During the day you can optionally go skiing at Cerro Castor. Consult on arrival or before you travel.

Day 7 - Off Road 4x4 Adventure to the Fagnano and Escondido Lakes

Breakfast at the Hotel. We begin our adventure to the Fueguino Lakes: Fagnano and Escondido. We go to the centre of the Grand Island of Tierra del Fuego where we can see the transition between the Andes Mountain Chain and the end of the rugged Patagonian Plains. We spend some time in the Alto del Valle Ski Centre to see the breeding and training of the Siberian sleigh dogs. We then continue to the north to cross the Andes Mountain Chain by the Luis Garibaldi Pass with its unique views of the Fagnano and Escondido Lakes, the track connects the River Negro and the Estancias of the Island with Ushuaia. This mountain pass is the highest place that reaches until 460 metres high. We get closer to the Escondido Lake where we stop to have our box lunch before we start our off road experience. The Escondido Lake, also called the Escondido Lagoon is surrounded by a forest full of coihues, pines and lengas. It is possible to see what the beavers are doing with the trees: they roll them so that they can use to build their dams which produces floods in the forest. We enter to the forest by the tracks made by the woodcutters, which are covered in mud, the trucks soon look as though they have been painted. Suddenly, the scene changes as we leave behind the forest and arrive at the Fagnano Lake and then we continue until the camp site to eat before return to Ushuaia. If you want to see other excursion options in Ushuaia, click here: Tours in Ushuaia.

Day 8 - Ushuaia

Breakfast in the Hotel. Transfer to Ushuaia Airport. End of our services.