Outings and excursions · Ushuaia
Cerro Guanaco: the summit above the Beagle Channel
Photos: Bob Ramsak · CC BY-SA 4.0 / Elvis Boaventura · CC BY 3.0 / Mikemddlel · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
From the shore of Lake Acigami (Roca), a demanding full-day trek to the 970-metre summit of Cerro Guanaco, with the Beagle Channel and the Fuegian Andes in view.
Lake Acigami, known for decades as Lago Roca, is the starting point of the toughest hike in Tierra del Fuego National Park. A trail leaves from the lakeside parking area and, for the first 900 metres, shares the path with the one heading to Hito XXIV, the marker on the border with Chile. At the signposted fork, one route keeps to the shore; the other starts to climb.
Cerro Guanaco belongs to the Cordón del Toro range and rises to about 970 metres. The trail covers 6 kilometres one way and gains roughly 900 metres of elevation, nearly the whole height of the mountain, since you set off practically at the water's edge. The national park service estimates about 4 hours to the summit, plus the way down, so plan on a full day.
The landscape shifts as you gain height. First comes the forest, damp and steep, with roots and mud underfoot; then the peat bogs; and on the final stretch, above the tree line, the setting turns high-Andean: rock, wind and the open flank of the mountain. That last section is the hardest.
The reward waits at the top. From the summit the view opens over the Beagle Channel, the Fuegian Andes and the whole park, with its forests and peat bogs. It is one of the few places in the park where you can see at a glance how sea, lakes and mountains fit together at this end of the island.
The trail is open from November to April, and hikers may start no later than 12:30 pm. It is meant for people who are physically fit and have mountain experience, with proper clothing and footwear. There is no mobile signal, and as autumn approaches the days get shorter, temperatures drop and the ground can be muddy, icy or snowy.
- Tour type: Full-day mountain trek
- Difficulty level: High
- Tip: Register before setting out, as trekking registration is mandatory; start early (entry closes at 12:30 pm) and bring water, warm layers and a windbreaker even if the morning looks fine.
