Every time I write about a trek I did when I was in Ushuaia and I look back at the photos I took, I sometimes find it hard to believe that I was in those beautiful places. In the end, having done all the traditional treks had its advantages, because as the days went by I was able to find others that were not so well known but much more incredible than the ones I had seen so far. One of them was recommended to me by an Uber driver on one of the many times I used the service. After telling him everything I had walked, he recommended me not to miss the Bird Passage, and his suggestion was more than right ❤️.
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When I wanted to research this trek, I couldn't find that much information online. As you want to do trekking outside of the usual Ushuaia treks, it becomes more difficult to find accurate data about the state of the trails. What I did find was the trail to Laguna Halcón, with a 28 kilometre round trip. But the Uber driver had mentioned to me that there were three more lagoons to see nearby, and when I saw the map with the satellite I confirmed it.
Location of the four lagoons in the Bird Passage
Ubicación de las cuatro lagunas en el Paso de las Aves.
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With the information I had, I knew that I would surely get to Laguna Halcón without any problems, but once there I would investigate how to get to the others. This trekking was very long and luckily I didn't have to do it alone, as Fernando, my Spanish companion with whom we went together to Laguna Submarino a few days before, was still staying at the hostel. I needed a reliable companion to do 28 kilometres of trekking in the same day, and I trusted him completely to do it.
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I had estimated that this whole hike would take us about 12 hours, so although my idea was to be at the trailhead at 8 AM, of course I didn't keep my word and we ended up starting the hike at 11 AM. This was really late, but since it was summer in Ushuaia, I knew we would have natural light until at least 10 PM. We still agreed to go at a brisk pace so as not to play so much with the clock.
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This trail starts about 8 kilometres from the city of Ushuaia and we arrived on it by Uber. The trail is the same as the one that takes you to the Cascada de Los Amigos waterfall, but instead of turning left to see the waterfall, you follow the path upstream. At the beginning everything was very well signposted with yellow poles, but the further you went, the more you had to use your intuition or use the offline map to guide you. We must have gone off the main path a few times, but finally we reached the first lagoon: the Laguna Halcón.
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It took us about four hours to get to Laguna Halcón, and between lunch and some rest, it was almost 4 PM. At this point my companion suggested that we wouldn't have time to visit the other lagoons because we didn't even know how far away they would be, but I wanted to try anyway. At the lagoon itself there was no signposting to show where to go, but looking at the layout of the lagoons on the satellite we decided to go around the lagoon to the right and start climbing a bit.
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This decision was a wise one on our part because a few minutes after starting the hike, we saw several stones piled up in the shape of small towers. These signs are handmade by walkers who have been there, and are useful for marking the path when it is not officially signposted We were a little hesitant on this stretch, but after a climb of only 20 minutes but intense, we arrived at the second lagoon: the Laguna Condor.
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Finding the second lagoon with its beautiful colour just like the first one left us ecstatic, so we wanted to go and see the other two without fail. Luckily, we found more little stone towers to show us the way. It also helped a lot that as it was summer, there was no snow on the road and everything was clear enough to pass without any problems. With just another 20 minutes walk to the left of this lagoon, we reached the third one: the Laguna Chimango.
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By then, it was already past 5 PM and I was the one who started to worry about the time to get back before nightfall. But it was Fernando who told me that we should try to get to the fourth and last lagoon because it should not be far. If after half an hour's walk we didn't find the lagoon, we would go back. But this was not necessary, because we only had to walk 10 minutes to find the last and most beautiful lagoon of all: the Laguna Matamico.
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I was glad that Fernando insisted on going to see the last lagoon because it was so incredible that it left me speechless. This lagoon had a blue colour that contrasted so much with the surrounding landscape that it seemed out of place. None of the photos we took of it did justice to its true colour. Getting to this last lagoon was completely worth it, and I was more than grateful to that Uber driver who recommended me not to miss this place.
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We both loved this lagoon, and I personally didn't want to leave because I was mesmerised by its colour. I really couldn't stop looking at it: it was beautiful. We stayed for a while having a picnic with our last provisions, and being almost 6 PM we started to go down at full speed. The good thing was that up there we were able to descend by a different route to the one we had taken at the start, and this allowed us to see a bit of the Vinciguerra Glacier from an unconventional angle. An extra treat from this great trek 😃.
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At first I didn't know why this place was called Birds Passage, but when I saw the names of the lagoons I understood why. Halcón, cóndor, chimango and matamico were the birds names given by some creative person to these remote lagoons, not visited as often as others closer to the city. Undoubtedly, this trek along with the Cerro Guanaco and the Ojo del Albino Glacier were my favourites in Ushuaia: one more incredible than the other 💞.
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Cada vez que escribo sobre un trekking de los que hice cuando estaba en Ushuaia y vuelvo a ver las fotos que saqué, a veces me cuesta creer que yo estuve en esos lugares hermosos. Al final, haber hecho todos los trekkings tradicionales tuvo sus ventajas, porque con el pasar de los días pude encontrar otros no tan conocidos pero mucho más increíbles que los que ya había visto hasta el momento. Uno de ellos fue el que casualmente me recomendó un conductor de Uber en una de las tantas veces que usé el servicio. Después de contarle todo lo que había caminado, me recomendó que no me perdiera del Paso de las Aves, y su sugerencia fue más que acertada ❤️.---
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When I wanted to research this trek, I couldn't find that much information online. As you want to do trekking outside of the usual Ushuaia treks, it becomes more difficult to find accurate data about the state of the trails. What I did find was the trail to Laguna Halcón, with a 28 kilometre round trip. But the Uber driver had mentioned to me that there were three more lagoons to see nearby, and when I saw the map with the satellite I confirmed it.
Cuando quise investigar sobre este trekking, no encontré tanta información en línea. A medida que querés hacer trekkings fuera de los comunes en Ushuaia, se vuelve más difícil encontrar data precisa sobre el estado de los senderos. Lo que sí encontré fue el trail hasta la Laguna Halcón, con un sendero de 28 kilómetros ida y vuelta. Pero el conductor del Uber me había mencionado que ahí cerca habían otras tres lagunas más para ver, y cuando ví el mapa con el satélite lo confirmé.---
Location of the four lagoons in the Bird Passage
Ubicación de las cuatro lagunas en el Paso de las Aves.
---
With the information I had, I knew that I would surely get to Laguna Halcón without any problems, but once there I would investigate how to get to the others. This trekking was very long and luckily I didn't have to do it alone, as Fernando, my Spanish companion with whom we went together to Laguna Submarino a few days before, was still staying at the hostel. I needed a reliable companion to do 28 kilometres of trekking in the same day, and I trusted him completely to do it.
Con la información que tenía, sabía que seguramente llegaría a la Laguna Halcón sin problemas, pero una vez ahí investigaría como llegar a las demás. Este trekking era muy largo y por suerte no tuve que hacerlo sola, ya que todavía estaba hospedado en el hostel Fernando, mi acompañante español con quien fuimos juntos a la Laguna Submarino algunos días atrás. Necesitaba a un acompañante confiable para hacer 28 kilómetros de trekking en el mismo día, y confié plenamente en él para hacerlo.---
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I had estimated that this whole hike would take us about 12 hours, so although my idea was to be at the trailhead at 8 AM, of course I didn't keep my word and we ended up starting the hike at 11 AM. This was really late, but since it was summer in Ushuaia, I knew we would have natural light until at least 10 PM. We still agreed to go at a brisk pace so as not to play so much with the clock.
Había estimado que toda esta caminata nos tomaría unas 12 horas, así que aunque mi idea fue estar en el inicio del sendero a las 8 AM, por supuesto ni cumplí con mi palabra y terminamos empezando la caminata a las 11 AM. La verdad que este horario fue super tarde, pero como era verano en Ushuaia, sabía que tendríamos luz natural hasta por lo menos las 10 PM. Igualmente acordamos ir a un paso ligero para no jugar tanto con el reloj.---
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This trail starts about 8 kilometres from the city of Ushuaia and we arrived on it by Uber. The trail is the same as the one that takes you to the Cascada de Los Amigos waterfall, but instead of turning left to see the waterfall, you follow the path upstream. At the beginning everything was very well signposted with yellow poles, but the further you went, the more you had to use your intuition or use the offline map to guide you. We must have gone off the main path a few times, but finally we reached the first lagoon: the Laguna Halcón.
Este sendero empieza a unos 8 kilómetros de la ciudad de Ushuaia y llegamos en él en Uber. El camino es el mismo que te conduce hasta la Cascada de Los Amigos, pero en lugar de doblar a la izquierda para ver la cascada, hay que seguir el camino río arriba. Al principio todo estaba muy bien señalizado con bastones amarillos, pero mientras más te alejabas, ya había que usar la propia intuición o guiarse con el mapa sin conexión. Nos habremos salido del camino principal unas cuantas veces, pero finalmente llegamos a la primera laguna: la Laguna Halcón.---
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It took us about four hours to get to Laguna Halcón, and between lunch and some rest, it was almost 4 PM. At this point my companion suggested that we wouldn't have time to visit the other lagoons because we didn't even know how far away they would be, but I wanted to try anyway. At the lagoon itself there was no signposting to show where to go, but looking at the layout of the lagoons on the satellite we decided to go around the lagoon to the right and start climbing a bit.
Llegar hasta la Laguna Halcón nos tomó unas cuatro horas, y entre que tomamos nuestro almuerzo y descansamos un poco, ya eran casi las 4 PM. En este momento mi acompañante sugirió que no tendríamos tiempo de ir a visitar las otras lagunas porque ni siquiera sabíamos que tan lejos estarían, pero yo quería intentarlo de todas formas. En la laguna en sí no había ninguna señalización que marcara hacia donde había que ir, pero mirando la disposición de las lagunas en el satélite decidimos rodear la laguna por la derecha y empezar a subir un poco.---
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This decision was a wise one on our part because a few minutes after starting the hike, we saw several stones piled up in the shape of small towers. These signs are handmade by walkers who have been there, and are useful for marking the path when it is not officially signposted We were a little hesitant on this stretch, but after a climb of only 20 minutes but intense, we arrived at the second lagoon: the Laguna Condor.
Esta decisión fue acertada de nuestra parte porque unos minutos después de empezar la caminata, vimos varias piedras apiladas en formas de pequeñas torres. Estas señalizaciones son las que hacen artesanalmente los caminantes que han estado allí, y son útiles para marcar el camino cuando no está oficialmente señalizado. Fuimos dudando un poco en este tramo, pero después de una subida de solo 20 minutos pero intensa, llegamos a la segunda laguna: la Laguna Cóndor.---
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Finding the second lagoon with its beautiful colour just like the first one left us ecstatic, so we wanted to go and see the other two without fail. Luckily, we found more little stone towers to show us the way. It also helped a lot that as it was summer, there was no snow on the road and everything was clear enough to pass without any problems. With just another 20 minutes walk to the left of this lagoon, we reached the third one: the Laguna Chimango.
Encontrar la segunda laguna con su color hermoso igual que la primera nos dejó extasiados, así que queríamos ir a ver las otras dos sin falta. Por suerte, encontramos más torrecitas de piedras que nos marcaron el camino. También ayudó mucho el hecho de que al ser verano, no había nada de nieve en el camino y todo estaba despejado como para pasar sin problemas. Con solo caminar otros 20 minutos más hacia la izquierda de esta laguna, llegamos a la tercera: la Laguna Chimango.---
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By then, it was already past 5 PM and I was the one who started to worry about the time to get back before nightfall. But it was Fernando who told me that we should try to get to the fourth and last lagoon because it should not be far. If after half an hour's walk we didn't find the lagoon, we would go back. But this was not necessary, because we only had to walk 10 minutes to find the last and most beautiful lagoon of all: the Laguna Matamico.
A todo esto, ya eran pasadas las 5 PM y ahí fui yo la que me empecé a preocupar por el horario para regresar antes del anochecer. Pero fue Fernando quien me dijo que intentáramos llegar a la cuarta y última laguna porque no debía estar lejos. Si después de media hora de caminata no encontrábamos la laguna, volveríamos. Pero esto no fue necesario, porque solo tuvimos que caminar 10 minutos para encontrarnos con la última y más hermosa laguna de todas: la Laguna Matamico.---
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I was glad that Fernando insisted on going to see the last lagoon because it was so incredible that it left me speechless. This lagoon had a blue colour that contrasted so much with the surrounding landscape that it seemed out of place. None of the photos we took of it did justice to its true colour. Getting to this last lagoon was completely worth it, and I was more than grateful to that Uber driver who recommended me not to miss this place.
Me alegré de que Fernando haya insistido en ir a ver la última laguna porque fue tan increíble que me dejó sin palabras. Esta laguna tenía un color azul que contrastaba tanto con el paisaje circundante que parecía fuera de lugar. Ninguna de todas las fotos que le sacamos hacían justicia a su verdadero color. Haber llegado a esta última laguna valió completamente la pena, y estuve más que agradecida con aquel conductor de Uber que me recomendó no perderme de este lugar.---
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We both loved this lagoon, and I personally didn't want to leave because I was mesmerised by its colour. I really couldn't stop looking at it: it was beautiful. We stayed for a while having a picnic with our last provisions, and being almost 6 PM we started to go down at full speed. The good thing was that up there we were able to descend by a different route to the one we had taken at the start, and this allowed us to see a bit of the Vinciguerra Glacier from an unconventional angle. An extra treat from this great trek 😃.
Esta laguna nos encantó a los dos, y yo personalmente no quería irme porque estaba hipnotizada con su color. De verdad no podía parar de mirarla: era preciosa. Nos quedamos un buen rato haciendo picnic con nuestras últimas provisiones, y siendo casi las 6 PM empezamos a bajar a toda velocidad. Lo bueno fue que ahí arriba pudimos bajar por una ruta diferente a la que habíamos tomado al inicio, y esta nos permitió ver un poco del Glaciar Vinciguerra desde un ángulo no convencional. Un regalo extra de este grandioso trekking 😃.---
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At first I didn't know why this place was called Birds Passage, but when I saw the names of the lagoons I understood why. Halcón, cóndor, chimango and matamico were the birds names given by some creative person to these remote lagoons, not visited as often as others closer to the city. Undoubtedly, this trek along with the Cerro Guanaco and the Ojo del Albino Glacier were my favourites in Ushuaia: one more incredible than the other 💞.
Al principio no sabía el por qué de este nombre de Paso de las Aves, pero cuando vi los nombres de las lagunas entendí el por qué. Halcón, cóndor, chimango y matamico fueron los nombres de pájaros que algún creativo le puso a estas lagunas tan remotas y no visitadas tanto como otras más cercanas a la ciudad. Sin dudas, este trekking junto con el del Cerro Guanaco y el Glaciar Ojo del Albino fueron mis preferidos en Ushuaia: uno más increíble que el otro 💞.
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