In the vicinity of Ushuaia beavers and their habitat, commonly called "castorera", can be observed. In the Tierra del Fuego National Park and in the End of the World Train they are very present and their characteristics can be appreciated.

The beaver and its beaver farms

It is a semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, mostly from Canada that has been introduced in the region of Tierra del Fuego in 1946 after releasing 25 pairs in the northeast of Lake Fagnano. In this area they have modified thousands of hectares of land and have crossed the Beagle Channel to Chile.

The exact number of specimens living in the area is unknown. Ushuaia and its vicinity, but it is estimated to reach 200,000.

Beavers live in cold, riparian areas and work as a community to make their homes, being the only species after humans to modify their environment in order to live. Beaver lodges (called dams or burrows) are built to protect them from predators and to quickly access food during the winter. However, their function is to stop the flow of the current, to create a pool of calm water to build more "rooms".

They can rebuild their beaver houses in the course of one night and are made of tree trunks, mud, branches and leaves.

Excursions in Ushuaia to observe beaver colonies

There are several excursions in Ushuaia that allow you to see the beavers, either active or abandoned, but the two sites par excellence to learn more about this animal and its habitat are:

• El Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego: allí se encuentra el “paseo de la castorera” para observar el sistema de diques que los castores han realizado sobre el arroyo que lleva su nombre y el impacto de esta especie. Además, en el “Paseo del Turbal” se conoce una castorera abandonada (a 400 metros de la Bahía Lapataia).

• The End of the World Train: Durante su recorrido es posible ver antiguas castoreras de varios años, así como también otros atractivos tales como el Río Pipo y un gran turbal.

When you visit the southernmost city in the world, you must visit at least one beaver plantation to prove that you have been in the region. Are you going to miss the excursions to Tierra del Fuego National Park  to observe some of them?