The World´s End Train

The End of the World Train runs through the Pipo River valley along the slopes of Mount Susana and enters the Tierra del Fuego National Park. The walk is part of the recovery of the train tracks of the prisoners, after more than 40 years of their cessation. The penal railroad that had life in the first half of the last century also gave impetus to a hamlet that was born on the banks of the Beagle Channel, today converted into the beautiful Ushuaia .

A beautiful walk full of history
The End of the World Station is the beginning of this southern experience, 8 km from the city of Ushuaia . The stories begin to fly over the environment. The legend of the prison stomps and tells how a great gray mass was built, destiny of the most dangerous prisoners of stories rusty by time and the sensationalist press of the early twentieth century.

Those convicted fell into this prison and in turn gave momentum to a people born of this population factor. Ushuaia has a strong civilization strategy at its foundation based through this project inspired by other penal colonies in the world. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997 and put into recovery by the Argentine Navy and the Ushuaia Maritime Museum.

After crossing the Burned Bridge over the Pipo River, crossing the Cañadón del Toro, the tourist train enters the first stop of the route, Cascada La Macarena Station. The prisoner´s train used to stop there to provide water to the steam locomotive. Visitors can go down, take a short walk and ascend to a viewpoint over the river valley. The whistle of the guard indicates that the journey continues.

The limits of the national park are blurred and the entrance is already palpable. The guides tell about its creation, the protected areas and the main characteristics of the ecosystem in which valleys, rivers and glacial lakes are interwoven. On the banks of the Pipo River, the witnesses of the logging are marked in the Cemetery of Trees, another milestone of the promenade.

When the construction of the prison began in 1902, the workforce and the obtaining of natural materials to build came from the work of the prisoners confined at the end of the world. The train of the prisoners traveled to the interior of the forest to look for the stone and the wood with what later would raise the pavilions. By train it reached an extension of 25 km inland forest.

The last stop is the National Park Station, where the visitor can return with the immediate return or stroll through the park and return with the last game of the day. The train runs 7 km and 3 daily departures are planned, with audio system in 7 different languages.

• Type of tour: Contemplative
• Duration: 1 hour

How to get there

Go along Route 3 till you reach km 3042, 8 km towards the West of the city.

Tips

To appreciate the ride better and learn the history better, before getting on the train, it is convenient to visit the Museo del Presidio (Prison´s Museum). At the ticket office, there is information available about the various trails that cross the area leaving from the Parque station, at the end of the rail.