The lakes that are possible to visit in most of the excursions in Ushuaia are three, and among them are Lake Acigami also called Lake Roca, Lake Escondido and, finally, Lake Fagnano, called by the natives who inhabited the region, Lake Khami.
The Isla Grande of Tierra del Fuego has various lakes of different sizes throughout its extension, all of them lakes of glacial origin, by this we mean that they are in depressions formed and eroded by the glaciers that occupied the islands during the different cold periods that affected the planet since the islands that make up the archipelago emerged above sea level.
Lake Escondido
This small lake is located about 60 km from Ushuaia and can be reached from Ushuaia using National Route No. 3 towards the northeast.
The Escondido Lake is surrounded by mountains of the Andes at about 118 meters above sea level, height that seems not significant thinking that it is nestled in the longest and highest mountain range in South America, however, we must not forget that Ushuaia is at sea level, so, although in numbers, the height of the mountain range does not seem much, the arrival at this lake involves a steep ascent journey.
El Escondido, as the locals call it, has an area of 632 km2 and a depth of 67 meters, and besides giving us an impressive postcard from the “Mirador del Paso Garibaldi“, this lake is also used by adventure tourism companies for canoeing, kayaking and fishing, all of them activities subject to the weather conditions of the day.
Why is it called Lago Escondido? The name of this beautiful mirror of water is due to its height and the depth of the valley in which it is immersed, many times, depending on the weather, the lake is covered by clouds and cannot be seen.
Lake Fagnano or Khami
From Ushuaia, along National Route No. 3 to the north and center of the big island of Tierra del Fuego, we can find Lake Fagnano or Khami in the Selknam or Ona language. This mirror of water is the third largest lake in Argentina, for the case of lakes shared with the Republic of Chile, and has a surface of 590 km2 of which Argentina owns 93%. The Fagnano is oriented from west to east and its maximum depths are at an average of 200 meters.
During the excursion known as Lakes Escondido and Fagnano, we can appreciate the latter, from the Mirador del Paso Garibaldi, at all times of the year. However, it is in summer when there is more accessibility to reach the coast of the same and this is generally achieved by entering an Estancia called La Carmen. To take into account, with the 4×4 excursions you can access the coast all year round.
Lake Roca or Acigami
Lake Roca or Acigami (in Yámana or Yaghan language) is another lake shared between Argentina and Chile.
In Argentina, it is part of the Tierra del Fuego National Park and in Chile it changes its name to Errázuriz Lake and belongs to the Yendegaia National Park. Unlike Lake Fagnano, two thirds of this lake are in Chilean territory, so only one third is in Argentina.
Lake Acigami or Roca is 11 kilometers long and 1.5 km in its widest part, and like Lake Fagnano, it is oriented from west to east, a particularity that is due to the fact that the glaciers that eroded the soil came from the west of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, where the highest peaks of the Andes Mountains are located in this region.
Of glacial origin like the lakes mentioned above, Lake Acigami, so called because of its elongated bag shape, is also a paleo fjord, which means that it was occupied by salt water before the last cold period of the earth about 10,000 years ago, and it is for this reason that on the coast you can find small fragments of the marine fauna that occupied it.
During the Tierra del Fuego National Park Excursion both in summer and winter can be visited and has a fantastic panoramic view of the peaks that mark the border with Chile to take pictures or simply contemplate it sitting on the small beach…
How long are the excursions to Escondido and Fagnano Lakes?
On average an excursion to these lakes lasts about 6 hours depending on the weather and what we can observe during the tour, and in addition to panoramic stops, there is a stop at a Winter Center for lunch.
In summer, this excursion is also available in the afternoon, from 3.30 pm to 8.30 pm approximately, so as there is no lunch stop, this option is shorter, it lasts about 5 hours, and unlike the morning option, it allows us the possibility of spotting beavers, since they are nocturnal habits.
What clothes should I bring to go hiking in Ushuaia?
The southern area of Tierra del Fuego has an average temperature ranging from -10° in winter to 10° in summer, however, we must wait until the day before the excursion to find out. In any case, even if it is summer and the weather is good, we should always take warm clothes, if possible raincoat, we usually say on the island that we can have the 4 seasons in the same day.
