It is an easy and short walk suitable for the whole family.

Distance: 2.6 km (one way)

Elevation gain: 40 mts.

Time of the year:

From November to January it has the greatest amount of water level in its course doing the view very spectacular producing small rainbow. In winter months it is accessible but with extreme cold clothing as the weather becomes very complicated.

Please note :

Because sudden changes in climate occurring in the area, always due be prepared to significant temperature variations and increased wind speed. No matter if it's summer, wear waterproof jacket and boots as well as additional coat.

The Lasifashaj or Larsiparsahk River is one of the most important courses in the south of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. It has a length of 70 km with an average annual flow of 10 m³ / sec.

Its headwaters are located on the Mountain range Alvear and Cornú peak (1,490 meters high). On his head it's found a natural reservoir and Cornú glacier, which despite its size, does not provide a lot of water at this river. Then it widens with the tributaries that drain from the mountains of 5 Hermanos and Sorondo. Some of its tributaries are Tristen river and stream Hambre. In its last kilometers it runs through a wide valley until it ends in the Beagle Channel (in Brown Bay).

The origin of its name is the Yamana words that means "Tierra Mayor" (Bigger Land) .

How to get there

We start from Ushuaia by Route 3 north, after traveling 38 km we reached the complementary route "J" (dirt road). It runs parallel to the Lasifashaj river offering access to its waters with very beautiful landscapes. After traveling another 30 km along J Route, we reached the junction with the road leading to Puerto Almanza. From that point we advance 3.2 km along of J Route heading to Estancia Harberton. There's no sign indicating the beginning of the path. We left the car in a clearing on the left of the road and we prepare to begin our trek.

We started the trekking from the small forest where we left the vehicle and we follow a 4X4 trace in an area of ​​grassland with direction NE.

At 600 meters begun our trek find a ford area is muddy due to the existence of water, there are wood placed to make the crossing easier.

At 800 meters we cross a fence for a place that is open. At that point we will be about 100 meters away from river Lasifashaj.

There are many possibilities to watch birds of various kinds, geese, ibises, herons witches, egrets, kingfishers, woodpeckers, besides foxes and muskrats.

From there we head NNE moving away the river where we will find higher pastures and remnant of an ancient forest with trees cut and torn down. We must find our best way between the trunks scattered into the woods to reach we have in the front. In this area we can find loose animals such as cattle and horses belonging to the Estancia Harberton.

At 2 km of started our trek we reached an open forest, we get into it and began to border the river Lasifashaj a well marked path. In this part we can see how the river will encasing and becomes small beaches to high cliffs.

In this forest dominated by Nothofagus pumilio (lenga), Nothofagus antarctica (ñire) and Nothofagus betuloides (guindo or Magellan coihue ).

Our trek passes through about 600 meters deeper into the forest until the sound of the waterfall is present and indicates that we reached our destination. There have different places to observe the jumps that produces the unevenness in the Lasifashaj river and take a break while enjoying the view.

For those who want to continue to explore further, we can venture upriver from the waterfall along the path to the side of it and exploring other smaller waterfalls and wild landscapes of the steppe and fuegian forest.

We hope you enjoy it.

GuMo © 2016