Argentina – Ushuaia

Ushuaia, the southernmost city of the world, as the Argentinians say. I need to point out that there is a small village even lower, called Puerto Williams, but it’s in Chile and it’s very small. So we can still consider Ushuaia as fin del mundo (end of the world).

The weather can be very unstable and people here say that you can have all 4 seasons in one day, but I did not regret visiting Ushuaia in autumn, even though it got pretty cold, the colors were just beautiful.

Ushuaia has quite a history! First inhabited by aboriginal tribes, it was discovered by Magellan in the 1520 and called Tierra del Fuego (land of fire) because it was enlightened by the aborigines bonfires. It later became a prison that still stands. I recommend visiting the prison as you will learn a lot about Ushuaia. But fair warning, the museum is a bit unorganized. You’ll find information about the city with no real order, next to information about penguins and the post office. But it’s still a place to see as the original architecture was maintained and you can visit the cells.

Museo Maritimo & Museo del Presidio, Yaganes & Gobernador Paz, 9am/10am-8pm, 300 pesos

Beagle Channel

The beautiful bag of the Beagle Channel widely contributes to Ushuaia’s charm. It links the two oceans, Atlantic and Pacific and is a wonderful place to explore. Take a tour along the bay up to the lighthouse Les Éclaireurs and islands with Cormorans and sea lions.

And you can go on the upper deck whenever you want, it’s a great experience. Make sure you don’t miss this trip while you’re in Ushuaia!

There are different agencies that sell the tickets in the booths at the entrance of the harbor. It costs about 1000 pesos.

You can buy snacks on the boat but you can also bring your own.

Tierra del Fuego

The Nacional Park Tierra del Fuego represents 63000 hectares of forest with typical trees and lagoons. The most amazing part, for me, was seeing the mountains meet the forest and the ocean. Make sure to plan a day to visit the park, it’s really beautiful and amazing to think you’re at the end of the world. Along the road, you’ll find different paths leading to different point of view or lagoons.

Don’t get your hopes to high, when you get to the southernmost point, you can still see land beyond the water, so you might not get the feeling you’re at the end of the world.

You can either go by bus of rent a car (for 1200 pesos a day, it’s way easier!). There is usually an entrance fee (I think 420 pesos) but we were granted free entrance as it was low season.

Bring your picnic because there’s only one cafeteria and it’s not really good nor very cozy.

Restaurants

Ramos Generales was definitely a highlight of Ushuaia! A cute bakery/restaurant where you’ll have a great lunch worth your money. If there’s pumpkin soup, take it, it’s really delicious! And don’t hesitate to come back in the morning to buy one of the pastries, such as a batata.

Calle Maipú 749, 9am-00am

Don’t forget to have a Beagle or a Patagonia beer, both are local and pretty good!

Ice Bar – Yes, Ushuaia is in Patagonia and it’s already cold outside. But why not go all in? Go to the ice bar and have a drink at -12 Celsius degrees. You pay an entrance fee of 200 pesos and it’s open bar as long as you want. But trust me, you won’t stay longer than 30 min because it gets freezing cold, even if you get a cape and gloves. But the experience is really fun, and it’s not like you can do this everyday! Take a drink of Fernet and some shots of dulce de leche liquor if you want to drink Argentinian style.

Governador Pedro Godoy 64, 4pm-10pm