Is the End of the World Train Worth Adding to a Tierra del Fuego National Park Tour?

The short answer

Add the train if the prison-railway story, a heated ride through the Río Pipo valley or a train-loving child is part of why you came to Ushuaia; skip it if you want the most time at the lakes and the Beagle Channel shore for the lowest price. The park itself is the main event on either option. The train is a short, pleasant, heavily visited heritage ride that adds roughly $50–66 to a tour and takes a slice out of a half day.

What the ride is like

The End of the World Train (Tren del Fin del Mundo) runs 7 km from its own station on Route 3, about 8 km from central Ushuaia and 1 km before the park gate, to a newer station inside the national park. The official round trip takes about 1 hour 45 minutes, including a stop of about 20 minutes at La Macarena. On a tour you normally ride one way into the park, and your van picks you up at the park station. Agency timings put that one-way leg at roughly an hour including the stop.

From the carriage windows you follow the Río Pipo valley through lenga forest. Along the way you pass fields of low stumps, sometimes called the tree cemetery, left by decades of logging by prisoners. At La Macarena you can step off to photograph the locomotive, walk to a small waterfall and a viewpoint, and look back toward Monte Susana and Cerro Guanaco. A new walkway there, the Paseo del Valle, opened in December 2025.

The history is real. Prisoners at Ushuaia’s penitentiary, begun in 1902, worked a narrow-gauge line that hauled timber and stone from around 1909–1910. The prison closed in 1947, and the line shut in 1952 after earthquake damage. Today’s tourist railway reopened in 1994 on rebuilt track. An audio guide in ten languages tells the story, and the carriages are heated, which matters in winter, when the train keeps running through the snow.

Does it cut into your park time?

Yes, a little. The ride itself is short, but the station asks riders to check in 45 minutes before departure, and the van has to drive round to the park station to meet you. On a 5-hour tour, that block is time you would otherwise spend at Ensenada Zaratiegui, Lake Acigami or Lapataia Bay.

Some tours handle this well. On the National Park & End of the World Train Tour (our breakdown →), guests who skip the train walk the Sendero Turba, a short, easy peat-bog trail, instead of waiting at the station for the rest of the group. On other tours, non-riders may spend that time waiting. A few reviewers of train-optional tours also felt the day leaned too much toward the train when the park was the highlight. Ask the operator what happens during the ride if you are the one skipping it.

What the train adds to the price

On GetYourGuide the headline “from” price for most park tours is the version without the train. These are the option prices for the same tour with and without the ticket, for one adult on 8 October 2026 (checked September 2026):

For reference, the train company’s own Turista fare is ARS 80,000 for adults from October 2026 (ARS 70,000 through September). The tour option saves you buying the ticket, getting to the station and arranging the pickup on the far side.

The featured tour here is the Tierra del Fuego National Park Tour, Train Optional (our breakdown →), rated 4.8 from 448 reviews. The other two are the National Park Tour with Optional Train Ticket (our breakdown →) and the National Park Morning Tour, Train or Boat Option (our breakdown →).

The park entry fee is separate either way

None of these train options includes the national park entry, and the train fare never does. Every train passenger needs a park ticket, even one who never leaves the carriage, because the line runs inside the park. The fee is ARS 40,000 per foreign visitor, and children up to 6 go free. The park tickets page covers how and where to buy it.

Travelling with children

Many children love the steam engine and the stop at La Macarena, and the heated carriages make a cold morning easier. There are practical limits, though. The train has no toilets (they are at the two main stations), and there is no space on board for strollers or luggage, so a folding carrier works better. On the official fares, children aged 4–12 pay half and under-4s ride free. Child prices on tour options vary by operator, so check them when you book.

For rail enthusiasts

Rail fans will find more here than most passengers notice. The line runs on 500 mm gauge, narrower than the prison railway’s 600 mm track. Railway histories name several steam locomotives built for the tourist line. Among them are the Beyer-Garratt “Ing. L. D. Porta”, built in Argentina in 1994 and originally named “Nora”; the tank engine “Camila”, built in England in the mid-1990s on the pattern of the Lynton & Barnstaple engines; and a second Garratt, “Ing. H. R. Zubieta”, from South Africa, in service since 2006. You cannot choose which engine pulls your train. On the railway’s own fares, Premium class adds a visit to the workshops when operations allow. If you want a Premium seat as part of a park tour, the End of the World Train & National Park, Tourist or Premium (our breakdown →) sells it as an option: $390 on 8 October, against $178 for Tourist.

Is it touristy?

Yes. It is a rebuilt heritage line on a short stretch of the old route, with commentary, souvenirs and, in Premium, photos with costumed actors. In December to February, when most cruise ships call, departures are busy, and the operator advises booking ahead. Several reviewers found it short for the money. Plenty of others enjoyed it, especially in snow or with children, and the valley stretch is scenery you do not see from the road.

Add the train if…

• You are interested in Ushuaia’s prison history and want to see where the convicts worked.
• You are travelling with children who will remember the steam engine more than the lakes.
• You are visiting in winter, when a heated carriage through snowy forest is a pleasant way into the park.
• You love railways and would regret coming this far without riding the southernmost one.

Skip it if…

• You have only a half day and want the longest stops at Lake Acigami, Lapataia Bay and the coast.
• You are keeping costs down: the park-only option saves $50–66 per person on the tours above.
• You would rather walk than sit, in which case a no-train option with a trail, or a hiking tour, fits better.
• You have a stroller or luggage with you.

For timetables and ticket classes on their own, our sister guide to the End of the World Train in Ushuaia covers the railway in detail. If you have settled on the train, compare the tours that include it on our End of the World Train page. If time is tight, the half-day tours page shows what fits in a morning, and is the park itself worth visiting? answers the bigger question. When you have decided, check availability.