Tierra del Fuego
The island at the end of the earth
About this destination
Tierra del Fuego 'Land of Fire' was named by Magellan for the fires of the indigenous Selknam people he saw burning on the shore. The Chilean side of the island, centred on Porvenir and accessible by ferry from Punta Arenas, is far less visited than the Argentine side. This makes it one of the last genuinely remote road trip destinations in the Americas. The landscape is raw and elemental: wind-sculpted lenga beech forests turning gold in autumn, coastal peat bogs stretching to the horizon, and the Cordillera Darwin rising to snow-capped peaks that plunge directly into the Beagle Channel.
Highlights
- Cordillera Darwin
- Porvenir and Bahía Inútil
- Autumn beech forests
- Guanaco herds on open steppe
Must-see stops
Bahía Inútil
A vast, wind-swept bay on the northern coast of Tierra del Fuego, named 'Useless Bay' by 19th-century sailors. The silence and scale are extraordinary. Flamingos winter here.
Cordillera Darwin
The mountain range at the southwestern tip of the island, named by Darwin himself. Glaciated peaks above fjords that have never seen a road. Accessible only by boat from Puerto Williams.
Porvenir
The tiny capital of Chilean Tierra del Fuego, population 6,000. Colourful corrugated-iron houses, a small museum of Selknam culture and a genuine frontier-town feel.
Lenga Beech Forests
In April–May, the lenga beech trees turn vivid shades of red, orange and gold. The autumn colour in Tierra del Fuego is among the most spectacular in South America.
Combine with
These destinations pair well with Tierra del Fuego.
