Ushuaia & Tierra del Fuego: The End of the World Highway

Departing Río Grande brings you south across the windswept ocean plains, climbing steadily into the steep, forest-clad peaks of the Fuegian Andes to reach the summit of Paso Garibaldi, the highest point on Route 3 at 450 meters. Here, the road carves through a narrow mountain saddle, rewarding drivers with a spectacular, vertical panoramic view of the vast glacial Lake Fagnano and Lake Escondido snaking between the steep, forest-clad valleys. Descending the steep hairpin bends, the air is cold, crisp, and carries the fresh scent of moist moss and pine forests, providing an incredibly serene, alpine introduction to the end of the world.

Winding south past the mountain lakes brings you to Ushuaia, a vibrant historic city perched on the shores of the Beagle Channel. Nestled in a scenic mountain basin surrounded by glaciers, the city is the southernmost city on Earth. A paved extension of Route 3 winds west into the Tierra del Fuego National Park, culminating at Lapataia Bay. Standing on the wooden boardwalk platform, you stand at the absolute finish line of National Route 3—exactly 3,063 kilometers from Buenos Aires! Winding past windswept peat bogs and primeval beech forests, the bay is a spectacular sub-Antarctic sea cove of glassy green water, providing a deeply powerful, emotional geographical climax to your driving journey.