Immense pampas, fjords, channels and unexplored mountains make up this unique territory declared as a Biosphere Reserve and ancestrally traveled by the Selknam by land and the Yámanas by the coast. “Deep Bay” is the meaning in the Yagán language of the name of this park in Tierra del Fuego that was born thanks to the donation of more than 38 thousand hectares of the Yendegaia Foundation, led by Douglas and Kristine Tompkins, and the incorporation of more than 111 thousand hectares by the State. The Darwin Mountain Range and Lake Fagnano frame these pristine edge-of-the-world landscapes of unparalleled beauty.

Fauna

The Yendegaia National Park protects particularly threatened species such as the Culpeo Fox of Tierra del Fuego, the Huillín and the Canquén Colorado. It is also the habitat of 49 species of both terrestrial and marine birds, among which the Bandurria, the Pidén Austral, and Condor stand out, while in the forests it is usual to see Comesebos, Rayaditos, Cachañas and Magellanic Woodpeckers. The Guanaco is a common inhabitant of the pampas, like the Tucu. Two-haired sea lions, Chungungos, Toninas Overas, Minke Whales, Franco Austral, Orcas and Cachalote also inhabit the coasts of Yendegaia.

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Culture

The first inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego were the Selknam, who were feared warriors, seasoned hunters, expert trackers and one of the tallest native peoples on the continent, with an average height of 1.80 meters. Their main prey was the Guanaco, which they hunted with their bows and arrows. At the Hain, their initiation ceremony, they masterfully painted their bodies and wore tree bark masks to represent the demons of the forest. The Miter peninsula also inhabited the Haush, whose language was different from Selknam. They were expert climbers and they would enter at night by the immense cliffs tied only with a leather rope to surprise the sleeping birds. They remain to this day the most unknown southern ethnic group since at the beginning of the 20th century they had practically disappeared from the territory. In 2018, the first and only record of cave paintings was found on the island of Tierra del Fuego, in the Ponsomby Sound. They date back to the 16th century and belong to the Yámana canoe ethnic group, fishermen and gatherers who sailed along the shores of Tierra del Fuego in canoes made from the bark of Coigüe.

How to get

Car: Yendagaia Bay is located 500 kms. south of Punta Arenas. Currently it is only possible to reach about 15 kms. further south of Lake Fagnano, that is to say, at the moment the park does not have land access. The Military Labor Corps (CMT) and the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) are working on the road that will connect Lake Fagnano with Bahía Yendegaia (Caleta 2 de Mayo), through Route 7 and that will allow land access to the park. From there you can take a ferry to connect Tierra del Fuego with Puerto Williams, a navigation that will last around 4 hours, versus the 36 hours of travel that navigation from Punta Arenas currently takes.

Ferrie: From Tres Puentes, located about 5 kms. from Punta Arenas, you can cross the Strait of Magellan to get to Porvenir. The navigation lasts approximately 2 hours. It is also possible to cross through the Punta Delgada sector, located 170 kms. from Punta Arenas by route CH 225, navigation that lasts around 20 minutes and passes through the town of Cerro Sombrero. In the near future, the barge Aunashaka (“Canal de los Onas” in the Selknam language) will make regular transfers from Caleta 2 de Mayo in Bahía Yendegaia to Navarino Island, in a navigation of about 4 hours.

Plane: The closest airport is Punta Arenas. DAP carries out flights that connect this city with Porvenir. The journey takes just 12 minutes.

Walking trails

There are not yet official trails in the park and it is necessary to request prior authorization from Conaf to be able to enter