In shortThe End of the World Train, or Tren del Fin del Mundo, runs from Estación Fin del Mundo at Km 3065 of National Route 3, about 8 km from central Ushuaia, into Tierra del Fuego National Park. The round trip takes 1 hour 50 minutes, the line has three stations, and there is around 20 minutes at La Macarena for the waterfall and viewpoints. Park entry is paid separately.
1 h 50 minRound trip on board
3 stationsAlong the line
20 minutesStop at La Macarena
45 minutesCheck-in before departure
What the End of the World Train in Ushuaia gives you
Treat this as a short scenic ride rather than a transfer. The round trip lasts 1 hour 50 minutes and brings you back to the same platform you left from, so it does not solve the problem of getting around Tierra del Fuego National Park once you are inside it. The official site is also explicit that the park entrance fee is not covered by the train ticket.
What the ride does deliver is specific: the last kilometres of a historic railway, an audio guide in ten languages, and one stop off the train at La Macarena for the waterfall and the viewpoints. Two hours, including the stop, is the honest measure of it.
Buy it as one block of a longer day, with the park on foot and the channel by boat filling the rest. On its own it is a short outing; paired with the park or a sailing it earns its place.
From the prisoners' railway to the tourist line
The service you ride today recreates the final kilometres of Ushuaia's historic prisoners' railway, which is how the official railway site describes it.
The other half of that story sits in town. The former prison now holds the Museo Marítimo y del Presidio, at Yaganes and Gobernador Paz, and a replica of the Faro del Fin del Mundo stands there too, the lighthouse on Isla de los Estados that travellers regularly confuse with Les Eclaireurs, about 20 km from Ushuaia on the channel. Doing the museum and the train in the same trip joins the two ends of the same history.
The route, the three stations and the stop at La Macarena
The official route page lists three stations on a line that runs westwards from the edge of Ushuaia into the national park.
Because the far terminus sits inside the park, an itinerary can use the train for one leg and the road for the other instead of riding both directions. If you are travelling with an operator, ask which way round your day runs so you know whether you come back by rail or by vehicle.
- Estación Fin del Mundo: the departure station, at Km 3065 of National Route 3, roughly 8 km out of the centre of Ushuaia.
- Estación La Macarena: the intermediate stop, with about 20 minutes for the waterfall and the viewpoints.
- Estación Parque Nacional: the far station, inside Tierra del Fuego National Park.
Departure times, check-in and getting to the station
Three departures a day are published, and the clock shifts with the season. Check-in is 45 minutes before the time on your ticket, and a reservation can be cancelled if check-in is not completed 10 minutes before departure, so arrive with time in hand.
Take the first departure of the day. In winter there are only about 7 hours of daylight and averages run between 1°C and 6°C, which makes the morning train the sensible one; in summer, with up to 18 hours of light, a later slot still works but eats the middle of your day. Times below come from the official railway site, so reconfirm them on the day you travel.
The station is on National Route 3 heading west out of town. It is too far to walk from the centre, which is one reason an organised tour that collects you from your hotel is the easy way to fit it in.
| Period | Departures | Station open |
|---|
| 1 September to 30 April | 9:30, 12:00, 15:00 | 8:30 to 17:15 |
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| 1 May to 31 August | 9:45, 12:15, 15:00 | 8:45 to 17:15 |
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Five hours ashore from the cruise port
If your hours in Ushuaia are set by a ship rather than by a hotel, this 5-hour excursion covers Tierra del Fuego National Park and the city stops with a professional guide, an air-conditioned vehicle and a snack at a quiet spot with a mountain view, instead of the railway.
★ 4.5/5 · 167 reviews
Train to Tierra del Fuego National Park and a Beagle Channel sailing in one day
The park and the channel are the two halves that make the train worth the detour. Tierra del Fuego National Park protects more than 68,000 hectares, is Argentina's southernmost protected area, and its southern boundary is the channel shore; the park administration office is at San Martín 1395 in Ushuaia. The gate fee is charged separately from any train ticket and from any tour price.
If you have one full day and want all three, the tour on this site that puts them together is the National Park with Train and Navigation Beagle Channel Full Day Tour: 10 hours, from US$220, rated 4.2 ★ (45 reviews). It includes the End of the World Train ticket, the navigation with guidance, an air-conditioned vehicle with a restroom on board and pick-up at your hotel or accommodation. Lunch, drinks and snacks are not included and neither is the Tierra del Fuego National Park fee, so carry food and the means to pay the gate. If you meet at the operator's office rather than at your hotel, look for the small train and lighthouse at its entrance.
Book that day if one full day is all you have and a long schedule does not bother you. Skip the combination if your time is tighter than that: the train's 45-minute check-in plus the 1 hour 50 minute ride takes up most of a half day, and you are better off spending those hours on the water or in the park.
On board: classes, the audio guide and where the photographs happen
Two travel classes are sold. For the October 2026 to March 2027 period the official site lists Clase Turista at AR$80.000 for adults from 13 and AR$40.000 for children aged 4 to 12, with infants up to 3 carried at no charge, AR$52.000 for Argentine retirees and AR$40.000 for Tierra del Fuego residents over 7. Clase Premium is AR$250.000 for adults and AR$125.000 for children aged 4 to 12. The commentary is an audio guide in ten languages, so you are not dependent on a live guide for the history.
Photography is concentrated in one place. The 20 minutes at La Macarena is the part of the trip spent off the train, at the waterfall and the viewpoints, so have the camera ready before the train stops rather than after. The provincial tourism authority calls late March to May the best stretch for photography, with temperatures usually below 10°C and frosts becoming more frequent by May.
Bring layers and a waterproof shell for the time you spend off the train. Sun, rain and snow can all turn up in the same day here, cold and wind are constant and the annual average sits around 6°C, so dress properly even for a two-hour outing.
Questions people ask
Is Tierra del Fuego National Park entry included in the train ticket?
No. The railway's official site states the park fee is separate, and the full-day tour that includes the train does not cover it either. What you hand over at the gate from 1 June 2026 depends on who you are: AR$40.000 general, AR$18.000 for Argentine nationals, AR$12.000 for students and AR$8.000 for provincial residents, while children under 7 and retirees carrying an Argentine DNI pass without paying. Should you come back to the park within 72 hours of your first entry, the second day costs half, though that reduction is granted only on tickets bought through the online portal.
Does the train run in winter?
Yes, with its own timetable from 1 May to 31 August. Expect averages of 1°C to 6°C, the heaviest snow in July and August and only around 7 hours of daylight, which is why the first departure is the one to take in those months. Weather here turns quickly, so assume you will be standing outside in wind at La Macarena.
Where is the Ushuaia prison that the railway is named after?
In town, at Yaganes and Gobernador Paz. The former prison now houses the Museo Marítimo y del Presidio, together with the Antarctic Museum and the Museum of Marine Art, and it opens daily from 10:00 to 20:00 with last admission at 19:30. Tickets are valid for two consecutive days, which suits a visit split around a train morning.
Can I do the train and the Isla Martillo penguin colony on the same day?
Not comfortably. The penguin trips on this site run 5 hours and 5-6 hours because the colony lies far to the east of the port, while the train asks for 45 minutes of check-in plus 1 hour 50 minutes of riding plus the drive out to the station. Choose one for the day and leave the other for a different date; penguins are only present from October to April anyway.
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