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Tierra Del Fuego - Train or Drive into Park?


ussminnow
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Hello! We will be traveling to Ushuaia in February and we are wait listed on Princess' End of the World Train ride into Tierra Del Fuego. There is also a tour that drives into the park and makes three stops although that is wait listed as well. I've read some comments in other threads but thought I'd post this question:

Any recommendations on which tour to take (assuming we get into either)? Has anyone taken their ship's excursion for either the train ride or bus/drive into Tierra Del Fuego National Park? Any feedback would be most appreciated! Thank you!

 

 

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Hello! We will be traveling to Ushuaia in February and we are wait listed on Princess' End of the World Train ride into Tierra Del Fuego. There is also a tour that drives into the park and makes three stops although that is wait listed as well. I've read some comments in other threads but thought I'd post this question:

Any recommendations on which tour to take (assuming we get into either)? Has anyone taken their ship's excursion for either the train ride or bus/drive into Tierra Del Fuego National Park? Any feedback would be most appreciated! Thank you!

 

 

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Loved the train ride in 2014.. if you want to get a feel for the area Blogged about it here...

http://roscoesseafever.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/tierre-del-fuego-journey-to-end-of-world.html

 

Its a narrow gauge train so a bit like a toy train but it goes through various different landscapes - forest - paddock- swamp - fields - and finishes at the coast which was very scenic. We then boarded the busses to return back to Ushuaia.

 

We jumped on the train as soon as we got off the bus which worked out really well as the later trains were modern versions rather than the quant old styled ones that we were on. Also try and grab the window as it is set up on a bench seat style and if you want to take photos it will eb easier.

 

The history the train and the convicts who built it is really tragic and yet interesting and I believe the ride is listed as one of the ten top train journeys in the world.

 

I hope you do it.

Edited by roscoe39
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From what I've read, you don't need a tour to visit the park. If you want to take the train, just grab a taxi at the port to take you to the station. As I understand it, you can get off the train in the park and catch a later return train after visiting the park. I think you just need to book both legs as a RT initially so that you're certain to have a seat for the return.

 

We're on a March cruise and decided to rent a car and drive to the park. That way, we can walk the trails and not be limited to just the area around the train station. There is an Alamo Rent A Car within a few blocks of the port.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Loved the train ride in 2014.. if you want to get a feel for the area Blogged about it here...

http://roscoesseafever.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/tierre-del-fuego-journey-to-end-of-world.html

 

Its a narrow gauge train so a bit like a toy train but it goes through various different landscapes - forest - paddock- swamp - fields - and finishes at the coast which was very scenic. We then boarded the busses to return back to Ushuaia.

 

We jumped on the train as soon as we got off the bus which worked out really well as the later trains were modern versions rather than the quant old styled ones that we were on. Also try and grab the window as it is set up on a bench seat style and if you want to take photos it will eb easier.

 

The history the train and the convicts who built it is really tragic and yet interesting and I believe the ride is listed as one of the ten top train journeys in the world.

 

I hope you do it.

 

 

Hi, Roscoe!

 

Thanks so much for the information! Did you take the train one-way or roundtrip? Was the bus ride back to the port scenic or was all the scenery on the train?

 

Thanks again! [emoji577]

 

 

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Hi, Roscoe!

 

Thanks so much for the information! Did you take the train one-way or roundtrip? Was the bus ride back to the port scenic or was all the scenery on the train?

 

Thanks again! [emoji577]

 

 

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we took the train one way and the bus back to town. I can't remember the ride back into town being that scenic, certainly its the ride on the train I remember. I like the idea of hiring a car to the station and getting a return ticket, there was from memory a big car park at the station. If you were going to do that maybe check the times it starts and try and avoid if you can around 10am when the tour buses arrive. It was bedlam and if we had not got straight on the train but lingered we would not have been able to get window seats.

Good luck, certainly a very interesting part of the world especially the view of the Andes surrounding the city.

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It is less that 1/2 price to just take the train independent. A lot of ship excursions also only go one way- like the above poster. I have entered the park by road as well, and I find the train access offers more "beauty". The highways, are full of trees and ditches don't add anything to the transit. It is far more important to determine what you want to see and where you want to go. Do your homework. there is more to the area and having the details is significant. I have accessed the park 7 times with one trip staying in town, and visiting the Prison Museum which turned out to be excellent.

 

A lot to consider. Be certain to have cash for the park fees. Credit cards weren't taken recently.

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It is less that 1/2 price to just take the train independent. A lot of ship excursions also only go one way- like the above poster. I have entered the park by road as well, and I find the train access offers more "beauty". The highways, are full of trees and ditches don't add anything to the transit. It is far more important to determine what you want to see and where you want to go. Do your homework. there is more to the area and having the details is significant. I have accessed the park 7 times with one trip staying in town, and visiting the Prison Museum which turned out to be excellent.

 

 

 

A lot to consider. Be certain to have cash for the park fees. Credit cards weren't taken recently.

 

 

Hi, Budget Queen!

 

How much of the park do you see from the train? Looking to do a tour of the park and wondered if the train would be enough, or if we should just do the drive, or do both!

 

 

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Hi, Budget Queen!

 

How much of the park do you see from the train? Looking to do a tour of the park and wondered if the train would be enough, or if we should just do the drive, or do both!

 

 

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I suggest you figure out what you want to see?? Take a look at a map. It isn't so much as distance with the train but the history as well. There are numerous possibilities

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  • 9 months later...
From what I've read, you don't need a tour to visit the park. If you want to take the train, just grab a taxi at the port to take you to the station. As I understand it, you can get off the train in the park and catch a later return train after visiting the park. I think you just need to book both legs as a RT initially so that you're certain to have a seat for the return.

 

We're on a March cruise and decided to rent a car and drive to the park. That way, we can walk the trails and not be limited to just the area around the train station. There is an Alamo Rent A Car within a few blocks of the port.

 

Hi There!

 

We are planning to rent a car as well, but I cannot find information on stops we can make inside park and take short hikes? Is that possible? Would appreciate any assistance.

 

Thanks

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  • 4 weeks later...

We booked with tourguideushuaia dot net/ushuaia

We selected the 5 1/2 hike tour. Going in January! We have 10 people in our group.

FIRST HIKE " LOW DIFFICULTY TRAIL - 40 MINUTES LONG " :We start the first hike at Ensenada Bay, taking part of the Shore trail, while enjoying theawesome views of the Beagle Channel and its wildlife.

SECOND HIKE " LOW DIFFICULTY TRAIL - 20 MINUTES LONG":We head towards Roca Lake, where guests can take a peaceful and charming walkaround part of the lake, and part of Lapataia River taking magnificent photos.

THIRD HIKE " LOW DIFFICULTY TRAIL - 1 HOUR LONG":We will walk beyond the actual End of The World (end of the Panamerican Highway),surrounding Lapataia Bay where we will have amazing views of the Darwin Range whichhas the highest mountains on the island with year-round snow caps on the peaks.

 

 

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Hi There!

 

We are planning to rent a car as well, but I cannot find information on stops we can make inside park and take short hikes? Is that possible? Would appreciate any assistance.

 

Thanks

They give you a map of the park when you enter which shows the various trails and parking areas. We ended up parking at the last area on the map and walking several trails from there. Many trails split off from each other, so you could structure your walk for how ever long you wanted. I think we did about 7 miles before getting back in the car and driving to the Post Office at the end of the world.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Dress for the climate. It is very windy in this part of the world. We just returned and did an excursion on the train to the end of the world. It is an audio historical ride that tells about the history of the prison camp in that area as it chugs along through the park.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

We book with this local tour company in Ushuaia and so far so good with all the email communication, confirmation and payment. You have an option of booking for the train journey. Very reasonable tour cost especially if you are travelling alone or 1-2 people.

http://www.excursionesenushuaia.com/

http://www.infodeushuaia.com/

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  • 7 months later...
They give you a map of the park when you enter which shows the various trails and parking areas. We ended up parking at the last area on the map and walking several trails from there. Many trails split off from each other, so you could structure your walk for how ever long you wanted. I think we did about 7 miles before getting back in the car and driving to the Post Office at the end of the world.

 

Hello - Just came across your post. We will be in Ushuaia for a day on a cruise January 2019 and we were thinking about renting a car. It seems that's what you did. Was it an easy drive? how long was it? did you rent a car ahead of time? you also mentioned driving to the post office? is the post office not in the park? Sorry for all the questions but your help would be much appreciated. Any info or advice would be helpful. Can't find too much information about doing that stop on our own. Thanks again....Cherine

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Hello - Just came across your post. We will be in Ushuaia for a day on a cruise January 2019 and we were thinking about renting a car. It seems that's what you did. Was it an easy drive? how long was it? did you rent a car ahead of time? you also mentioned driving to the post office? is the post office not in the park? Sorry for all the questions but your help would be much appreciated. Any info or advice would be helpful. Can't find too much information about doing that stop on our own. Thanks again....Cherine

A very easy 15 minute drive. I had reserved a rental car with Budget - about 6 blocks from the port. There are a few rental places which are a bit closer, but Budget had better rates when I was shopping.

 

Yes, the post office is in the park. It's just a good distance from where most of the trails are. We parked and walked several trails, then drove across the park to the P.O.

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A very easy 15 minute drive. I had reserved a rental car with Budget - about 6 blocks from the port. There are a few rental places which are a bit closer, but Budget had better rates when I was shopping.

 

Yes, the post office is in the park. It's just a good distance from where most of the trails are. We parked and walked several trails, then drove across the park to the P.O.

 

Yes I noticed, in my search, Budget is almost half the price. Well worth the 6 blocks walk. Thank you so much for the detailed information. Sounds like renting a car is the way to go. Thanks again much appreciate your answer.

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