laguna esmeralda

We loved this walk. It was a little tricky to find but once you find it the walk is easy. There is a carpark on the left just before the sign with Wolves on it. The walk was gorgeous and easy (but a bit muddy)

The view of and from Laguna Esmeralda is worth every step of this hike. The hike itself wasn't too demanding. There were a couple of areas where we climbed in elevation, but it wasn't strenuous. We were lucky as the ground was quite dry when we were there, but we were told that it can get pretty muddy at times making it a more difficult journey. The landscape was amazing and the view from the top looking back down the valley is breathtaking. I"m glad that we didn't miss it.

We found out about Laguna Esmerelda on Trip Advisor, and will always be glad we did. Our cruise ship, the Celebrity Infinity, was in the Port of Ushuaia only one day, from 8 AM to 9 PM and we wanted to use the day well, to get off the ship, stretch our legs and see beautiful scenery. This hike was perfect for our day.We walked from the ship to the tourist information building--a large building on the main road just outside of the port. The building has a very large lower case "i" that would be difficult to miss. See photo.Three English speaking Argentine women greeted us with smiles, gave us a map and efficiently marked it for us with the information we needed to find the "Transporte" "Linea Regular" vans to Laguna Esmerelda. All we needed to do was walk two very short blocks down the main street where a fleet of white vans were parked waiting to take people to their destinations. It was only 8:45 and they would be "open for business" at 9:00 AM. See photo.So, we walked to the gas station convenience store that shared the same parking lot with the white Linea Regular "Transporte" vans and in our poor and limited Spanish asked which alfajor cookies had the best dulce de leche. The very kind woman figured out what we meant and selected the Tofi brand, one caramel filled delicacy dipped in white chocolate and another caramel filled delicacy dipped in milk chocolate. We packed our alfajor to eat at Laguna Esmerelda. We walked across the parking lot, back to the vans, paying 200 pesos each for a round trip ticket to the trailhead. We agreed to be ready for our return journey at 2PM--5 hours from the time we left Ushuaia. We went with their 5 hour suggestion, but believe we could have customized the time if we had so desired. Also, if we hadn't had pesos, they would have likely taken $20. dollars per round trip ticket instead. See photo of vans.The ride was short--10 or 15 minutes--and the mountains vistas were spectacular, far better than what you can see from Ushuaia. The driver let us out near a small restaurant, reminded us to return to the same place by 2:00 PM. The trail began on private property--the restaurant, a sled dog school, and some other buildings were nearby. We went into the restaurant and paid a very small fee--perhaps it was 30 pesos--to use the trail through the private property portion of the trail and we were given a map. We signed a hiker's register.Then we walked across the yard, through a wooden gate, up the road which quickly became a trail, and through the moist and misty mountain air, sometimes with raindrops sprinkling above, towards Laguna Esmerelda. Yes, it was muddy as we had read on Trip Advisor--but we were prepared with waterproof hiking boots that gripped the trail. We walked, stopping often for photographs of the mountains, the rivers and rivulets, the beaver dams--very impressive beaver dams! The trail was extremely well marked--really good signage--but in some places there were "many trails" as people had left the main trail to avoid boggy mud. In these places we looked ahead to see where we wanted to end up, and then made our way as best we could through mud, rocks, or vegetation. See photos.As I said before, we had stopped frequently for photos. Still, in a little less than two hours we had reached the milky green and visually stunning Laguna Esmerelda, framed by Patagonian mountains and fed by a glacier. We were glad to be there early, because we wanted to walk around the entire lake and were confident that we had enough time. And, at least for a little while we had it all to ourselves. (Those with more time, longer legs, or faster pace could walk beyond the lake, above the treeline, to the base of the glacier in the same amount of time.) We shared an alfajor on the far side of the lake. It was fun to have the snack, not really needful, just nice.To complete the loop around the lake and reach the trail we had come in on, we had to rock-hop over a little stream--the stream may be higher or lower depending on "conditions." It was no problem the day we were there. When we finished our journey around Laguna Esmerelda, we shared the last Alfajor--we didn't need it, but it gave us an excuse to sit on a rock and linger longer lakeside. On the return, on the same "out and back trail" we stopped frequently to take pictures and just admire the scenery. Actually we felt empowered and successful! All the "advice" on Trip Advisor had been accurate. We passed by hikers going in with impractical footwear and were glad we had read postings on Trip Advisor and had brought old, lightweight boots. We got back to the restaurant with almost 30 minutes to spare.On the restaurant's front lawn, in the little stream near the waterwheel, we rinsed our boots so we could go into the restaurant, use the restroom and purchase a t-shirt that I had admired earlier that morning. Just a few minutes after 2 PM the van arrived. We were waiting outside, but the van driver went into the restaurant to look for and find a woman that was also scheduled to return to Ushuaia at 2 PM. We were impressed that the driver was so careful to find his last passenger. We wished we had been able to express our gratitude with more than Muchas Gracias, but it was the best we could do.When we returned to our ship our boots were damp, but clean on the outside, warm and dry on the inside. (They were dry in plenty of time for us to wear on an excursion to Volunteer Point's penguin colonies in the Falkland Islands.) We took time to change out of our pants which were just a little muddy, eat lunch on the ship, then, because of our successful morning, we hustled back into Ushuaia and caught another Transporte van (n the same parking lot), but this time into Tierra del Fuego National Park at the "end of the road." This was somewhat unplanned because we weren't certain we would have enough time, but wonderful "icing on the cake" of a great day! Thus, we had 5 hours for Laguna Esmerelda and about 3.5 hours for Tierra del Fuego. Though more time would have been very nice, we felt very good about how we had used all the time we had. We were glad to go to both places--in different directions from Ushuaia. We would do it all again in a heartbeat. We made it back to the Celebrity Infinity about an hour and a half before she left port--we had planned a very comfortable "margin" and had really no desire to "cut it close" as far as time went. Notes: We wholeheartedly thank past Trip Advisor contributors for our day in Tierra del Fuego. We hope this post will complement the good information that is already online regarding Laguna Esmerelda and help "pay it forward."For us this was somewhat of an adventure. Though we are well-traveled and very independent people, we had never been to Argentina, don't speak Spanish, didn't have a rental car therefore had to depend on local transportation. Additionally, we were on a tight schedule--cruise ships don't wait for stragglers and we really didn't want to "miss the boat"--our cruise to Antarctica. So, we had our concerns! Still, we had studied Trip Advisor posts and a few YouTube videos and took advantage of the opportunity--and were truly glad we did.We knew that the non-native beavers along the trail would be more active in the afternoon, but we gave up the possibility--not a guarantee--of seeing Canadian Beavers in Argentina in order to have an early start on the day and have time free in the afternoon for whatever else we decided to do. Busy beavers, of course, would be interesting if you have plenty of time to wait for them.The people we encountered who operate the Linea Regular/Transporte vans for the most part did not speak fluent English--and we didn't expect them to--still, they know their jobs and are very kind, gracious, professional, and careful. They knew how to communicate to us what we needed to know. They were great. They made sure we got back to the ship on time.Our cost to go to Laguna Esmerelda was about $20.00 each--only 200 pesos--plus about 80 cents for each alfajor cookie from the gas station's convenience store--well worth it for treasured memories and a sweet treat--far, far, less than a guided tour. For us it was a good getaway from the cruising crowds! For us, a leisurely 5 hours was just right. It would very likely be possible to hike to Laguna Esmerelda and back in three or four hours if you hustled. We wanted to savor the experience and not feel pressured to "glance and go." More time could also have been well spent.If you aren't confident enough to go to Laguna Esmerelda on your own, or if you simply prefer the services of a guided group tour, you may contact "Canal Fun Agency."

This is a must do when in Ushuaia. Easy to get to (there is a van service (about $200 pesos roundtrip) that leaves regularly from the main drag Maipu), absolutely gorgeous scenery along the more-walk-than-hike to the lake. The lake was breathtakingly beautiful. Make sure to pack your lunch, and then relax by the lake. I took a bit of a nap, dipped my toes in the water..and then hiked back a bit further past the lake to the beaver dams. Ushuaia is so commercial that it was great to get out into nature. Late January was beautiful and warm.

This hike is gorgeous! It took us two hours from the trailhead with lots of stops to take pictures (a little less time to go back). The hike is a challenge because it is very muddy, but it is worth the effort. There are beautiful vistas throughout the hike and the lake at the end is gorgeous. This is the best way to see the terrain around Ushuaia. Just make sure to wear waterproof boots and pants.

We did in 3 hours our trekking to Laguna Esmeralda. We took approximately 90 min to get there. It's a easy walk with beautiful views. There are some points with mud and rocks on the way but it's not so bad. It worth a visit.

Walked a couple of hours to the lake, which was very nice, but not spectacular. Highly recommend the national park at the west end of the province instead.

It takes about 2 hours to go and another 2 hours to come back. It is totally worth the effort! The lake is really breathtaking.If it doesn´t rain a lot in the day before you go there, this trail should be quite easy. On the other hand, it you get a rainy day during or right before you go, be prepared to face a lot of mud, which can certainly turn this trail into a medium-difficulty path. You have some options to get there: take a van right next to the touristic-port and jump off there or purchase a specific tour (which includes dinner, transfer and a guide) for ~1.000 pesos/person (Feb 2015) at Canal Fun Agency.

One of the most cool trekking in Ushuaia, the hike i'd say that's a medium dificulty and the path is ewll signed. You can do the trekking in 3h more or less. You don't need to pay nothing. Highly recommended.

To reach the lake you must walk 45 minutes, not 2 hours as stated on a blue sign on the way to the lake, it´s a very easy walk to the Lagoon where you will see the Beaver dams in the lagoon, and the Albino Glacier as part of the background. It´s stunning.The lagoon is about 7 km once you leave Ushuaia. You will see a parking área on the 3RN to your left. Once in the parking, at the beginning of the parking on the left side, the side closest to Ushuaia, you will see a small sign which reads :Laguna Esmeralda, (I have been told that if you go on the right side that the private property owner charges to go through his land) Follow that small road into the woods, you will see trees with blue patches throughout the woods to guide you.to the Lagoon. Enjoy!Definitely worth going, try doing so in the late afternoon so you might catch the beavers.