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Corridor Southern > Province: Tierra del Fuego > Ushuaia

Visit to the Alvear Caves

Marcelo Sola

Wintek Expediciones

The Alvear Glacier caves offer the chance to walk on the surface of ancient ice and visit its interior. Another almost unspoiled wonder in the Province of Tierra del Fuego.

Few places let visitors tour around sites where nature is in such pure state as on the Great Island of Tierra del Fuego, with sites like Mount Alvear and its almost unspoiled surroundings.

Mount Alvear is 1,400 meters high and is located 26 kilometers away from the City of Ushuaia. Along with Mount Olivia, it is one of the most representative heights in the Tierra del Fuego Andes. Its top is almost plain and is crowned with ice and snow year round. It is one of the highest elevations on the Argentinian side of the island.

The Alvear Glacier is located on the East side of the hill bearing the same name and it gives origin to the Cotorras River, which lays out a scene of matchless beauty within a wild environment. Due to the fact that the valley that surrounds Mount Alvear is not easily accessed and is framed by mountains without trails and a thick forest, visitors may come across a herd of guanacos, be followed by a couple of condors or be amazed by a timid red fox.

The ancient ice is reached after crossing the forest zone. Once there, the glacier may be observed from above and from inside. Natural caves are formed on the very border of the glacier and they may be accessed during most seasons, provided that the right precautions are taken.

Blue Caves

Day 1: The tour began in the proximity of Altos del Valle winter resort, a home for Northern Siberian and Alaskan Husky dogs. A trail with a very faint track started at this spot and got deep into the rainforest up towards the limit of the tree vegetation. Afterwards, it surrounded Mount Equivocado. From that location onwards, the high hiking tour continued always in the company of the best views of the Larsifarshaj River valley. The Cotorras River and its precious water falls could be observed from up some rocky formations that hung from cliffs settled in an incredibly green valley.

After marching for five hours, we accessed the foot of the glacier, a site chosen to make a stop and have lunch. Immediately afterwards, we visited the ice caves carved by the water running underneath. Equipped with helmets and headlamps, the scenery appears like in a story by Jules Verne. Only the murmur of the water running is heard and everything around features infinite blue hues. After visiting the inside of the caves, we toured around the surface of the glacier using crampons to keep on ascending. After the ice walk, we headed for a base camp lying at the foot of the snowdrift, where we had dinner, relaxed and had some sleep while hearing the sounds of the glacier and the wind in the background.

High Walls in the Core of the Valley

Day 2: After breakfast, we hiked towards the blue waters of Lake Alvear. Once we accessed the water body with indescribably blue waters, we could spot the lake district to the north of the island and the northern slope.

Finally, after having lunch by the lake, we started our way back bordering the Cotorras River. We could not see the horizon while we walked between the high rocky walls. All along the stretch, we could see cascades, dams built by the beavers and intensely green vegetation, only visible in the very core of the valley. After a two-hour walk, we skirted Mount Equivocado once again in order to return to the winter resort.