Ushuaia-Southernmost city in the world

Ushuaia was our last stop of the 14-day trip.  We had a very fast-paced trip southward to get here and by then we were pretty much hiked and glaciered out.  Our physical body was screaming for a much slower pace, and Ushuaia offers just that. 

Like Aspen/Veil of Colorado to Americans, Ushuaia is one of the famous ski destinations to South Americans during the winter months.  The Tierra del Fuego national park, 12 km west of Ushuaia and the southernmost national park in Argentina, is popular and offers many hiking trails.   Click here for more trail info  We opted for an easy trail, Hito XXIV, runs for just over six miles (about 2-hour round trip) around the shore of Lago Roca to the Argentina-Chile border. 

Personally the Beagle Channel and Penguin tours are worthwhile. You can find the tour huts right outside the port offer various tour packages.  Shop around.  The prices do not seem much difference based on my experience.  Some include trips to see penguins from the boat, some offers to walk with penguins on the island; some takes passengers on catamarans and some on motorboats.  We chose Piratour (www.piratour.net) for our walk with Penguin with a stop at Estancia Harberton for Acatushun Museum, and Tres Marias for our Beagle Channel to the other islands, including isolated H Island.  Both tours were extremely pleasant and satisfying, a must-see for nature and sea animal lovers.

Beagle Channel, named after HMS Beagle during FitzRoy’s first survey of the area from 1826 to 1830, is a straight separating islands of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago.  It connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and also allows ships to avoid around Cape Horn. 

We chose Tres Marias tour because of its exclusive rights to the eco sensitive H Island.  We were a small group of about 10 people on a small boat in stunning scenery.  The size of the group made the table conversation more personalized and one could easily get their questions answered.  Our guide was not only very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but also t protector of nature. 

The trip included viewing South American sea lions, Kelp geese, the famous Les Eclaireurs lighthouse (this lighthouse is often confused with the San Juan de Salvamento lighthouse on the east coast of the remote Isla de los Estados, made famous by Jules Verne in the novel The Lighthouse at the End of the World, which is actually much further east), and one-hour guided walk on H-island.  The first three was simply viewing from the boat. The fourth required disembarkment.  Do expect adventurous uphill climb and downhill descent as the terrain is rough and getting on and off the boat do require some agility.  We saw kelp geese and various short plantations, such as Calafate berries, lichens, and mosses in beautiful colors.  And some of these (may be two feet tall) were 500 years old, which was why we were constantly reminded to keep our feet off of any “plants”.  We were shown the original Yamanas inhabitants where they used the island as shelter when encountering bad weather.  Do dress warm as the wind could be harsh.  The combination of the spectacular view of wildlife/plantations and the stunning backdrop of snow-capped mountains with its crispy clean fresh air makes the trip worth every single penny and minute.

PiraTour has the exclusive right to Martillo Island, owned by Estancia Harberton, that enabled its clients to have up close experience to walk with Penguins.  It took 1 ½ hours drive from the tourist dock in Ushuaia in their special modern 4wd truck and another 15 minutes boat-ride to Martillo Island. The 1.5 hour walk with Penguins was nonetheless an eye opening and exhilarating experience.  There were roughly 15K Magellanics penguins as well as a small colony of Gentoo and King penguins (only three or four), in addition to their main predator, skuas. We were reminded repeatedly to keep approximately 6 feet from the penguins. These little creatures were simply cute. They swim, they flap, they shout (boy! they sure know how to shout at the top of their lung for their mate to come home), they “dance”, they snuggle up, they waddle, and they laze around.  Once they warm up to you, they would walk up to you if you stay frozen in place.  Undeniably, King penguins stand out among them.  They simply are taller and do stand all as if they are the kings/queens/princes/princess among them.  Last stop before leaving Harberton was a visit to the Acatushún Museum, where one could see the skeletons of sea animals such as sea lions, whales and etc.

Interesting fact: In relationships, sea lions practice polygamy while penguins monogamy.   

Tips on $$:

1.Book your accommodation in advance.  Of five cities, Buenos Aires, Puerto Iguazu, El Calafate, El Chalten, and Ushuaia, I have visited in Jan of 2015, Ushuaia is the most expensive one.  Economical guesthouses and hostels are gone pretty quick due to the gaining popularity of Antarctica cruises, and hotels are much more expensive, ~ $200 USD for a basic double room.  We paid $75++ USD for a double room with shared bathroom at La Posta hostel, located 15-20 minute walking distance from the town center.  We did enjoy their two community kitchens. A great place to hang out with other backpackers and in-transit passengers to or from their Antarctica tours, great opportunity to get first-hand information on these cruises, while everything is still so fresh in their memory.

2.Transportation – there are city buses, cheap and run quite frequently during the daytime.  When tired, we took the bus.  Fare is paid with fare card. However, bus drivers are ok with cash, when no one comes forward to help paying for you with their fare card in exchange for your cash.  At another time, the bus driver simply let us ride free.  Of course, you could take taxi.  They are relatively cheaper compared to the States.

3.Food.  King crab is big here.  Do try it out if you haven’t had it before and a seafood lover.  Avenida San Martin is filled with restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and shops for winter clothes/Antarctica weather.  Except the last meal at Ushuaia, we actually cooked most of our meals in the hostel with the local produce we got from the local grocery store.  The meal time at the hostel was in fact, one of my favorite times in Ushuaia.  

4.Cruisers – For South American cruisers stopping in Ushuaia, you can avoid paying double to the cruise operators by booking the Beagle Channel tour yourself on the shore.  We booked ours on the same day as we took the tour.