Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino

During Ushuaia [1]’s early days, prison labor built a short-line, narrow-gauge steam-driven railroad west into what is now Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego [2] to haul the timber that built the city. Only a few years ago, commercial interests rehabilitated part of the rail bed to create an antiseptic tourist version of the earlier line that pretty much ignores its unsavory history to focus on the Cañadon del Toro’s admittedly appealing forest scenery.

The train leaves from the Estación del Fin del Mundo (tel. 02901/43-1600, www.trendelfindelmundo.com.ar [3]), eight kilometers west of Ushuaia at the municipal campground. There are two to five departures daily October–mid-April; the rest of the year there’s only one, or perhaps two if demand is sufficient.

The two-hour-plus excursion costs US$24 pp in tourist class, US$48 pp in first class, and US$66 pp with food service. Fares do not include the US$14 park entry fee.