Tolhuin and Lago Fagnano

Tolhuin sits at the heart of Tierra del Fuego where the forested mountains of the south give way to the open steppe of the north, on the eastern end of Lago Fagnano, also called Kami, a lake of around a hundred kilometres that stretches west across the Chilean border, filling a trench along a major geological fault. The town was founded only in 1972 and is best known to travellers for a bakery on the main road that has become an institution on the drive between Ushuaia and Río Grande. Around it are beaches on the lake, fishing for trout, forest walks, horse riding and small campsites, and the shoreline gives a sense of scale that the road alone does not.

What you actually see

• Lago Fagnano - a hundred-kilometre lake along a fault line reaching into Chile.
• The lake beaches - shorelines with campsites and views west along the water.
• The landscape divide - forest to the south, steppe opening to the north.
• The famous bakery - the roadside stop that anchors the town's reputation.

When to go

December to March for the mildest weather, long days and open campsites; even then the wind is cold. Autumn colours the beech forest in April. Winter brings snow and short days, though the road stays open and the town is used as a base for snow activities.

Honest expectations

The town itself is plain and functional, built recently and without much charm. The lake is cold and often rough. Services are limited compared with Ushuaia and Río Grande, and most people stop here for an hour rather than stay.

Nearby

Ushuaia lies south over the pass; Río Grande is north on the RN3.