Why go
The island helps explain why this remote coast mattered to navigators, lighthouse keepers and the first Argentine settlements in the far south. Its bays and exposed position shaped that history, but ordinary public landings are not established. Explore the story through Tierra del Fuego’s maritime context rather than planning an island stop.
The full story
Dutch navigators Jacob le Maire and Willem Schouten named the island Staten Landt in the early 17th century while charting a passage south of the Strait of Magellan. The Le Maire Strait still marks the narrow stretch of sea between the island and Tierra del Fuego. In the 19th century, Argentine pilot Luis Piedrabuena established a shelter near Puerto Cook. The lighthouse at San Juan del Salvamento opened in 1884 and later became associated with Jules Verne’s novel The Lighthouse at the End of the World. A short-lived military prison followed near the turn of the 20th century. These layers of navigation, shelter and isolation give the island its historical weight, even though its protected status rules out an ordinary visitor itinerary.
Useful to know
- Treat Isla de los Estados as a restricted reserve. Check current provincial authorization requirements before considering any landing.