Ushuaia is the capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, sits below the 54th parallel south, and claims the title of the world's southernmost city. For most riders it is the destination rather than a stop: National Route 3 runs 3,045 km (1,892 miles) from Buenos Aires to the bridge over the Lapataia River in Tierra del Fuego National Park, and that bridge is where the road, and usually the trip, ends. Getting there involves a detour through Chile and a ferry across the Strait of Magellan, because RN3 is physically interrupted. This guide covers the last stretch, the crossings, the subpolar season and what the arrival actually involves.
The ride in one paragraph
Ushuaia has a population of 89,606 and stands in a wide bay on the southern coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, bounded to the north by the Martial mountain range and to the south by the Beagle Channel. It was founded on 12 October 1884, lies roughly 1,100 km (680 miles) from the Antarctic Peninsula, and is one of five internationally recognised Antarctic gateway cities. RN3 reaches it after running the length of the Argentine Atlantic coast through Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz provinces — but the route is broken between km 2674 and km 2696 by the Strait of Magellan, which forces traffic between Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego to pass through Chilean territory on routes CH-255 and CH-257. The strait itself is crossed by ferry at its narrowest usable point, 4.65 km (2.89 miles) across, in about twenty minutes. From Ushuaia the road continues into Tierra del Fuego National Park and stops at Lapataia.
Route at a glance
| Road | Ruta Nacional 3, Buenos Aires to the Lapataia River bridge, Tierra del Fuego |
| Length | 3,045 km (1,892 miles) |
| Interruption | Between km 2674 and km 2696 by the Strait of Magellan; access via Chilean routes CH-255 and CH-257 |
| Strait ferry | Crossing about 4.65 km (2.89 miles), taking roughly twenty minutes |
| Chilean link roads | Paved for 57 km (35 miles) north of the strait; paved and treated for 148 km (92 miles) south of it |
| Ushuaia | Population 89,606, below the 54th parallel south, founded 1884 |
| Daylight | More than 17 hours in summer, just over 7 hours in winter |
Open the final run in Google Maps — Río Gallegos through Río Grande to Ushuaia and Lapataia, ready to send to your navigation.
Río Gallegos to the strait, and the double border
The last major mainland town is Río Gallegos. South of it RN3 runs to the Chilean frontier, and this is where the trip's most tedious feature appears: you leave Argentina, enter Chile, cross the Strait of Magellan, ride south through Chilean Tierra del Fuego, then leave Chile and re-enter Argentina. Four sets of formalities in a day, on roads with very little between them.
The Chilean link roads are described as paved for 57 km north of the strait and paved and treated for 148 km south of it, which in practice means the surface is workable but not uniformly asphalt, and the treated sections behave differently in the wet. The ferry across the strait is short — around twenty minutes over a crossing 4.65 km wide — but it runs to conditions as well as to a timetable, and high winds stop it. That is not unusual here.
Paperwork discipline saves the day. Carry your passport, home licence and an International Driving Permit, the vehicle registration or title in your name, the temporary import permit for each country, and insurance valid in whichever country you are entering. On a hired bike you need written authorisation from the rental company covering both countries, and it must name the crossings if the company's document does. Chilean agricultural checks apply in both directions and will take fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, seeds and honey. Eat it or bin it before the queue rather than arguing at the counter.
Río Grande to Ushuaia, and Paso Garibaldi
Back in Argentina, RN3 runs south across the flat, windswept northern half of Isla Grande through Río Grande. The section south of RN22 has been formally named Comandante Luis Piedrabuena since 1983, and along its length the kilometre markers count down towards a number most riders have had in their heads for weeks.
South of Río Grande the terrain changes. The road leaves the steppe, enters Magellanic subpolar forest of southern beech, and climbs over Paso Garibaldi — a genuine mountain pass with switchbacks, forest on both sides and lakes below. In winter it carries snow and is the section most likely to be closed or restricted. In summer it is the best riding on the island, and after several thousand kilometres of straight road it arrives as a surprise.
Ushuaia itself appears suddenly, dropping into a bay between mountains and water. It is a working port and an Antarctic gateway rather than a village at the end of the world, but the setting does most of the work.
The last 25 kilometres, to Lapataia
The road does not end in Ushuaia. It continues west into Tierra del Fuego National Park and finishes at the bridge over the Lapataia River, at Bahía Lapataia on the Beagle Channel. This short final section is the actual terminus of RN3 and the one everybody photographs.
It is a park road, so expect a park entry fee, a lower speed limit, gravel sections and other visitors doing exactly what you are doing. Ride it early in the morning if you want the sign to yourself. Then ride back — because from here there is no onward road, and the only options are the way you came, a boat, or a plane.
Season, weather, fuel and the practical details
Season. Ushuaia has a mild but genuinely subpolar climate: average temperatures stay above 0°C and below 10°C all year. The airport averages 1.3°C in July, the coldest month, and 9.7°C in January, the warmest. Summers are cloudy and windy with daytime highs averaging around 14°C and nights around 5°C; frost is possible in any month and it occasionally snows between November and March. Winter brings frequent snow, sleet and rain, with maxima around 4.5°C and minima around −1.4°C. Daylight ranges from more than 17 hours in summer to just over 7 in winter. The practical riding season is the southern summer, roughly November to March, and even that is not a warm-weather trip. Verified in August 2026; check road status for Paso Garibaldi and ferry operations before you commit, as both are weather-dependent.
Weather generally. The city records 146 days of precipitation a year and averages 206 cloudy days, with mean humidity of 77 per cent and only about 3.9 hours of sunshine a day. It is not, on average, a sunny place. The wind matters more than the temperature: this is the same Patagonian wind system that blows across the steppe further north, and on the exposed sections of RN3 north of Río Grande it is a constant crosswind for hours.
Altitude. Not a factor. Everything on this route is at or near sea level, and Paso Garibaldi is a mountain pass by character rather than by elevation. Cold, wind and daylight do the work here that thin air does in the Andes.
Fuel. The southern part of RN3 has long gaps. Río Gallegos, the Chilean towns near the crossings, Río Grande, Tolhuin and Ushuaia are the reliable points, and between them there is very little. Fuel supply in Tierra del Fuego is also periodically rationed or restricted in peak season when demand exceeds delivery, and it is common enough that riders plan for it. Fill at every town, do not run below half a tank on the island, and carry a reserve for the day that includes the border crossings, because you can lose hours in queues with the engine off but the schedule running.
Cold-weather kit. Treat this as a cold ride even in January. Heated grips, a genuinely waterproof outer layer and a spare dry set matter more here than anywhere else on the continent, because a wet rider in a 60 km/h crosswind at 8°C gets cold fast, and there is nowhere to shelter on the northern half of the island.
Gear notes for the end of the world
The specific problem on this run is that your timetable depends on things you do not control: a ferry that stops for wind, four border posts with variable queues, and a pass that can close. Having the whole southern section — including the Chilean link roads and the alternative overnight stops — stored for offline route planning is what lets you re-plan at a barrier with no signal. A riding system display is far easier to read than a phone in horizontal rain, and cold flattens phone batteries fast, which is one of the practical points in our piece on the risks of phone navigation. Near-freezing mornings after a mild afternoon drop tyre pressures measurably, and on gravel park roads that is not academic — read our notes on cold-weather pressure loss and let a TPMS sensor catch it before the day starts. After several thousand kilometres of coastal salt air and grit, our chain maintenance guide is the one worth acting on rather than reading. Long ferry waits and border queues with the engine off make a bi-directional fast charger genuinely useful. For the road that got you here, see our Ruta 40 guide and the Patagonia loop guide; for what else the continent offers, the best motorcycle roads in South America page.
FAQ
Where does Ruta 3 actually end?
At the bridge over the Lapataia River in Tierra del Fuego National Park, west of Ushuaia, on Bahía Lapataia. The full route is 3,045 km (1,892 miles) from Avenida General Paz in Buenos Aires.
Do you have to go through Chile to reach Ushuaia?
Yes. RN3 is interrupted between km 2674 and km 2696 by the Strait of Magellan, so traffic between Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego passes through Chile on routes CH-255 and CH-257, with a ferry across the strait. That means four sets of border formalities on the round trip in each direction.
How long does the Strait of Magellan ferry take?
About twenty minutes, over a crossing 4.65 km (2.89 miles) wide. It is short, but it runs to weather as well as to timetable and high winds will stop it.
When can you ride to Ushuaia?
The practical season is the southern summer, roughly November to March, when daylight exceeds 17 hours. Even then it is cool and windy — summer daytime highs average about 14°C, nights about 5°C, and frost is possible in any month. Winter brings frequent snow with only about 7 hours of daylight.
Is Ushuaia really the southernmost city in the world?
It claims the title, and it sits below the 54th parallel south with a population of 89,606. Smaller settlements exist further south, which is why the claim is specifically about cities. It is also one of five recognised Antarctic gateway cities and lies about 1,100 km from the Antarctic Peninsula.
