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Ushuaia excursions, from the park to the penguins
Seven options, each priced from an operator, a cruise line or the town’s own tourism office. Pesos move fast in Argentina, so check the date beside each figure.
The pier, the port’s management dispute and getting in from the airport are on our Ushuaia cruise guide. For the rest of the voyage, see South America & Antarctica cruises.
If you take one tour in Ushuaia, make it this one — for the geography, not the hype.
The park entrance sits about 12 km west of downtown on Ruta Nacional 3, per Parques Nacionales. The road ends at Bahía Lapataia, the only fjord on the Argentine side of the island, according to the provincial tourism board.
Entry is charged at the gate, the Portada. From June 1, 2026 the general ticket is ARS 40,000, per the new national fee schedule reported by BAE Negocios; Argentines pay ARS 18,000. Children under six go free, per Turismo Ushuaia.
Inside, the trails vary in length, and the park says you can do two or three in a day — on a port call, one is plenty. The Lapataia boardwalks and the first 400 m of the Hito XXIV trail are certified accessible.
Ship tours usually pair the park with the train below. Norwegian lists that combination at about three hours.
- Time commitment
- About 3 hours on the ship’s bus-and-train tour (NCL listing); longer if you walk a trail
- Getting there
- Ship tour, a licensed local tour, a taxi or remis, or the regular combis from Fadul and Maipú
- Suits
- First-timers, families, anyone who wants the landscape the port is named for
- Ship or independent
- Either. Book any guided tour in town first — the park says excursions can’t be booked inside.
Why it's worth considering
It’s the scenery people sail this far south to see: forest, lakes and channel, inside half an hour of the pier.
The accessible boardwalks at Lapataia mean limited mobility doesn’t rule it out.
The catch
There’s no mobile signal in most of the park and no ATM, per Parques Nacionales — so a DIY plan needs cash and a fixed pickup time agreed in advance.
Turismo Ushuaia’s October 16, 2026 sheet repeats the ARS 40,000 general fee. Seniors, under-6s and people with disabilities go free on the same sheet — bring ID to prove it.
Verify before you book
- The entry fee on the day, and whether your tour includes it
- The pickup time and place for your ride back
- That your card works at the Portada — carry pesos anyway
The Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino is a tourist train into the park, with recorded commentary in several languages, per Carnival — a sit-down ride, not a hike.
Its station is about 8 km from the city, per Turismo Ushuaia, and 2 km short of the park entrance, per the provincial tourism board, which says the line runs about 7 km to Park Station.
Turismo Ushuaia’s October 16, 2026 sheet lists the general fare at ARS 80,000, ages 4 to 12 at ARS 40,000, and a round trip of 1 h 50 min. Under-3s ride free.
The fare doesn’t cover the park. You need the national park ticket to ride, so budget both.
- Time commitment
- About 1 h 50 min on the train (Turismo Ushuaia); about 3 hours on Carnival’s ship tour
- Getting there
- Ship tour, local tour, or a taxi to the station; there’s no published fare for the ride
- Suits
- Families, grandparents, anyone who’d rather sit than hike on a cold day
- Ship or independent
- Ship tour, mostly. Morning trains are largely held for agencies, the tourism office says.
Why it's worth considering
Heated carriages and a seat, per Carnival’s listing, on a day when the wind may not cooperate.
Carnival’s version bundles the train ticket and park admission in one price, from about $234.99 an adult.
The catch
It’s a short line. You see the forest edge, not the deep park — the bus section of a combined tour does more of the scenery work.
Carnival says its train tour isn’t accessible for wheelchairs, canes or rollators, and Norwegian’s version includes about 30 steps.
Verify before you book
- Which departure you’re on: 9:45, 12:15 or 15:00 on the tourism office list
- The fare on the day at trendelfindelmundo.com.ar
- Whether your ticket price includes the park
This is the simplest strong excursion here, by our reading. The boats leave from the Tourist Pier, a short walk from where cruise ships tie up, and several follow much the same loop.
Nomades lists its 3.5-hour trip at ARS 136,000 with the port charge included: Bird Island for skuas and albatross, Sea Lion Island for sea lions and fur seals, then the cormorants at Les Eclaireurs.
Turismo Ushuaia’s October 16, 2026 sheet shows the wider market — ARS 100,000 for Seaboat’s 2 h 30 min trip, ARS 120,000 for three hours with the larger operators, and ARS 150,000 for Tres Marías’ 4 h 30 min sail.
Most of those prices are plus the Tourist Pier fee, from ARS 5,250 on the same sheet. Onashaga’s ARS 125,200 three-hour trip includes it, and adds Isla Martillo by boat.
- Time commitment
- About 2 h 30 min to 4 h 30 min, depending on the boat (Turismo Ushuaia, Nomades)
- Getting there
- On foot to the Tourist Pier; arrive 30 minutes early, the tourism office says
- Suits
- Short calls, couples, wildlife fans who don’t want a long bus ride
- Ship or independent
- Independent works well here. The boats sit by the pier, and some run twice a day.
Why it's worth considering
No transfer, so the clock risk is low — you’re back at the waterfront, not 12 km out of town.
Nomades refunds in full if weather cancels the trip, per its listing.
The catch
The channel can be rough. Holland America warns that the boarding ramp can get very steep at low tide.
Nomades’ loop doesn’t list penguins. If they’re the point, pick Onashaga or read the next card.
Verify before you book
- Whether the port fee is in the price
- The return time against your all-aboard
- Whether the boat has an inside deck, if the weather is turning
Between October and April, Magellanic and gentoo penguins come ashore on Isla Martillo to breed, per Piratour’s listing with Turismo Ushuaia. King penguins turn up occasionally.
There are two very different ways to see them. The ship tours we read stay on the boat: Holland America’s catamaran spends about 30 minutes off the colony on a five-hour trip from $114, and Norwegian’s runs about five hours from $179.
Local boats do the same for less, on paper. Turismo Ushuaia’s October 16 sheet lists Onashaga’s three-hour trip past Martillo at ARS 125,200 with port tax, and its five-hour combined penguin tour, by road to Puerto Almanza and then a short boat ride, at ARS 160,000.
Walking among them is the other way. Piratour runs the walk — ARS 260,000 for about six hours on the October sheet. Viator sells it too (supplied by Gray Line Argentina), with a one-hour guided walk, a cap of 15 per tour and a meeting point at Piratour, Av. Prefectura Naval Argentina 410.
Getting there eats a good share of that time. The island sits off Estancia Harberton, which its owners place 90 km from Ushuaia.
- Time commitment
- About 3 to 5 hours by boat (Onashaga, HAL, NCL listings); about 6 hours with the walk
- Getting there
- A catamaran from the waterfront, or the tour’s bus out toward Harberton or Almanza
- Suits
- Wildlife lovers on a long call between October and April
- Ship or independent
- Either for the boat-only version — ship tour or a local boat; independent for the walk, if your hours allow
Why it's worth considering
A breeding colony at close range is a different thing from penguins seen at a distance off a ship’s rail.
The walking tour’s small groups — no more than 15 — keep it from feeling like a crowd.
The catch
The walking version listed on Viator is non-refundable and can’t be changed. A weather-delayed arrival would cost you the fare.
Six hours plus a buffer needs a long port day. On a short call, it doesn’t fit.
Verify before you book
- That penguins are on the island in your month
- Whether you land or only view from the boat
- The cancellation terms if your ship arrives late
Best indoors · in town
The Maritime Museum and former prison: Ushuaia’s origin story, on foot
Ushuaia grew around a penal colony. The old prison, built by its own inmates per Turismo Ushuaia, is now the Maritime Museum.
It sits at Yaganes and Gobernador Paz, under a kilometre from the pier gate by our map, though the streets climb once you leave Maipú.
Turismo Ushuaia lists it open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, with guided tours at 11:30, 16:30 and 18:30. Its October 16, 2026 sheet puts admission at ARS 50,000, free for under-12s.
One ticket covers the Antarctic Museum, the Marine Art Museum, a gallery and the Lasserre naval museum, and it’s good for two days. There’s also a replica of the Lighthouse at the End of the World.
- Time commitment
- No duration is published; the tour times above help you plan
- Getting there
- On foot from the pier, or by taxi if the hill is a problem
- Suits
- Everyone on a wet day, and history-minded couples on any day
- Ship or independent
- Independent. You don’t need a tour to walk in.
Why it's worth considering
It’s the best way to understand why a town exists here at all.
Audio guides come in several languages, per Turismo Ushuaia.
The catch
Peso prices here rise between sheets — it was ARS 44,000 in May. Check it at the door.
It’s a big building to cover. Take a guided tour (11:30, 16:30, 18:30) if you’d like a route set for you.
Verify before you book
- Today’s price and opening hours
- English tour times, if you want one
Active · above town
Martial Glacier: a mountain walk above town, with a chairlift for part of the climb
The glacier sits in the mountains directly behind town, which puts a proper mountain walk a short drive from the gangway.
Turismo Ushuaia puts it about 7 km from the centre, up the winding Luis Fernando Martial road. Its Martial page lists a visitor fee of ARS 15,000 general.
From the base, the Mirador del Glaciar trail takes about 75 minutes and climbs about 220 m, per the tourism office. The shorter forest loop is 30 minutes.
Turismo Ushuaia’s October 16, 2026 sheet lists a panoramic chairlift at ARS 48,000 general (ARS 43,000 for seniors, students and under-12s) — check it’s running on the day.
A guided trek on Civitatis runs about five hours from US$95, with hotel pickup, gear and lunch. The chairlift ticket, US$23, is extra.
- Time commitment
- About 5 hours guided (Civitatis); the 75-minute trail plus your ride if you go alone
- Getting there
- Taxi or remis (no published fare), or Best Tour’s hotel transfer at ARS 20,000 round trip on the October sheet
- Suits
- Fit adults and teenagers with boots and a waterproof
- Ship or independent
- Independent, or a local guided trek
Why it's worth considering
It’s the active day out here, and it starts close to town.
The trails are graded by time and climb, which makes them easy to fit around an all-aboard.
The catch
The longest trail, Circuito de los Vientos, is marked closed. The October sheet lists a cafeteria at the base and says the area is open daily until 5 pm, so watch the closing time, not just your all-aboard.
The Civitatis trek isn’t wheelchair accessible, per its listing.
Verify before you book
- Which trails are open that day
- How you’ll get back down — book the return ride before you go up
- Weather at altitude, not at the pier
If you only have a couple of hours, stay in town. The pier gate opens onto Av. Maipú, the waterfront road, and San Martín, the shopping street, runs about a block above it, per Cruise Critic.
The small End of the World Museum is on Maipú at No. 173. Turismo Ushuaia lists it Monday to Friday 10:00 to 19:00 and Saturday 13:00 to 19:00, at ARS 11,000 cash only on its October 16 sheet, free for children under 14.
It runs a native-peoples tour on weekday mornings at 11:00 and a general tour on some afternoons at 15:00.
The municipal tourism office also has a desk at the Tourist Pier, per our embarkation guide — a good first stop for the day’s boat times.
- Time commitment
- As much or as little as you like; no tour needed
- Getting there
- Walk off the pier onto Av. Maipú
- Suits
- Short calls, budget travellers, anyone who’d rather keep to the waterfront road
- Ship or independent
- Independent
Why it's worth considering
No transport and no clock risk.
Cruise Critic says the streets beyond Maipú and San Martín get steep and uneven — so stay on the waterfront road if hills are a problem.
The catch
Cruise Critic says there are no ATMs at the dock, and the museum takes cash only. Bring pesos off the ship.
It’s closed on Sundays on the tourism office list.
Verify before you book
- That the museum is open on your day of the week
- Where the nearest bank is, if you need cash
06
Pier, money, safety and the season
The pier
Ships tie up at the port’s single main pier on Av. Maipú, per Oceanwide, with the entrance opposite Lasserre street and Hotel Albatros. Cruise Critic says it’s a short walk along the pier into town, with taxis waiting at the end of the dock.
The pier is about 550 m long, per CNN Español, so a ship berthed at the far end means a longer walk than the gate suggests. Our Ushuaia guide has the rest, and the airport page covers flying in or out.
- The Tourist Pier for channel boats is a short walk along the waterfront, by our map; its port fee was from ARS 5,250 on the October 16, 2026 sheet
- Taxis are metered, per Turismo Ushuaia, and no fare is published
- Regular combis to the park leave from Fadul and Maipú
Money
Bring pesos. The museum on Maipú takes cash only, the park recommends cash at its gate, and there’s no ATM at the dock or inside the park.
The train takes Visa, Mastercard and Amex, and cash in pesos, dollars, euros or reais, per the tourism office. Nomades, for one, takes a deposit online and the balance in cash on the day.
Safety and entry
The State Department rates Argentina Level 1, exercise normal precautions, as of July 10, 2026. Its advice is blunt: “Never hike or climb alone” — worth remembering on the glacier trails.
It also notes petty crime in tourist areas and many reports of stolen passports, so keep yours locked away and carry a copy.
The season
Argentina’s national ports agency, ANPyN, reports more than 590 confirmed passenger-ship calls for 2026-27, with the season opened on September 14. Port schedules list Majestic Princess, Celebrity Equinox, Oosterdam, Oceania Insignia and Seven Seas Mariner among the larger ships between December and February.
A labour dispute at the provincial port authority has the trade worried about blockades this season, per a September report. Check your line’s notices the week before you arrive.
