Argentina: 20 Free Things to do in Ushuaia
Bahía Encerrada is the best place for birdwatching in Ushuaia and only a 15 minute walk from the tourist office.
Ushuaia can be an expensive place, so what to do if you want to give the budget a break for the day? Here’s the top 20 free things to do in Ushuaia!
Most of these options are right in town, within walking distance of the tourist office. Some are far enough from the center that you may want a taxi. If you like walking, you won’t need to spring for a cab. I didn’t use a taxi for any of these.
7. Walk past the sunken ship along the malecón to get a picture of the Ushuaia sign with the pointy Mt. Olivia and multi-peaked Five Brothers Mountain in the background.
8. Go Bird Watching at Bahía Encerrada
Next to the Ushuaia sign is Bahía Encerrada, which means closed bay. It’s a shallow bay that’s a haven for many species of ducks, marine birds, gulls and birds of prey. Scroll through the photos above to see a sign with the most common birds seen at the bay.
9. Walk along Costa Susana
On the west side of town is a piece of private land called Costa Susana. Public access is allowed along the coast and leads to Tierra del Fuego National Park. There is an entrance fee for the national park, but the trail along Costa Susana is free. You’ll have a great view across the Beagle Channel to the mountains in Chile. It’s also a great place to spot marine birds and collect shells. The trees along the coast all lean east as the prevailing (very strong) winds come from the west.
10. Hike up to Martial Glacier
There are two parts to this hike. If you want the whole hike, start in town and hike up through a forest, following a stream to the ski resort base. From there, you follow a ski run and then a more narrow trail up to the base of the glacier. Each part of the trail takes about an hour. If you want to skip the first part, you can take a taxi up to the ski resort base and walk from there. One the way down, I recommend stopping at the Refugio de Montaña or the Casa de Té for a hot drink and something to eat. You can also bring your own picnic to eat at the tables next to the refugio or along the trail.
11. Hike the trails at Cerro Alarkén
Cerro Alarkén is next to Arakur Hotel and Resort. The trails are free, though if you don’t have a car you may have to pay for a taxi to get up to the hotel. The hotel has a shuttle for guests, but the drivers don’t pay much attention to who is a guest of the hotel. The shuttle picks up in front of Ramos Generales on Avenida Maipú. The shuttle departs Av. Maipú at 8:30, 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, and 6:30 to 11:30 every hour at half past.
12. Visit the thematic exhibits behind La Última Bita gift shop on Avenida San Martín.
The gift shop is full of every Ushuaia and Antarctica souvenir you can think of. Browse a bit, then head for the back of the shop and go outside to the backyard. There are several exhibits that show Ushuaia’s history as a penal colony, as well as diorama of penguins and ice so you can take photos as if you were in Antarctica. There is a history museum upstairs from the gift shop called “Galería Temática - Historia Fueguina” which is not free, but the exhibits behind the shop are.
14. Visit the outdoor exhibits at Museo del Fin del Mundo
Another museum with free outdoor exhibits is the Museo del Fin del Mundo (Museum of the End of the World). One side has murals and a historic dugout canoe. The other side has whale skulls, historic photos of Indigenous Yámana and Selk’nam people along with a representation of what their homes looked like. The gates to the outdoor exhibits are locked at 7pm when the museum closes. This is only a block from the tourist office, on Avenida Maipú.
15. Visit the Artisans’ Walk
Next to the tourist office is the Feria de Artisanía, which they translated as Artisans’ Walk. It’s a long, narrow building filled with people making jewelry, stained glass, hand knit sweaters and hats, and just about any handmade art you can think of. Not all of them sell art covered with penguins, but that’s always what catches my eye.
16. Look for murals around town
17. Watch for ships in the harbor
20. Visit Plaza Islas Malvinas
This plaza is next to the Ushuaia sign and Bahía Encerrada. It’s a bit of a walk from the center, but if you’re visiting Bahía Encerrada you should stop by here at the same time. You will see references to Islas Malvinas (the Falkland Islands) everywhere in town. Even Ushuaia’s airport is named after the Malvinas. This is one of several monuments to the Argentine soldiers killed in the battle with England, which Argentina lost. You’ll also see lots of signs proclaiming that the Falklands rightfully belong to Argentina and that they will be Argentine some day.
Extra Bonus: Puerto Almanza and Tolhuin
These are two small towns near Ushuaia, and free to visit if you have a car. Puerto Almanza is a tiny fishing village east of Ushuaia on the Beagle Channel, across from Puerto Williams, Chile. Tolhuin is a small town north of Ushuaia on the eastern edge of Lake Fagnano, also called Lake Kami. Tolhuin has a famous bakery named La Unión, where about half the town works.