Introduction:

Ushuaia is the world’s southernmost city. It is also the capital city of the province of Tierra del Fuego, 3.078 kilometres away from Buenos Aires. It hosts an International Airport and a big port for cargo ships and cruises – During the high season (December to March), cruises that visit Antarctica or Malvinas Islands tie up here.

Ushuaia is a small city but it offers a lot of services to national and foreign visitors: tours, variety of gastronomic proposals, and also the Tierra del Fuego National Park, where Lapataia Bay is located – Lapataia Bay is the world’s southernmost point, attractive because of its beauty, but also because of the winter centers that it hosts.

One of Ushuaia’s differentiating characteristics is that on December 21th the longest day of the year is celebrated – The day lasts 17 hours. Ushuaia also celebrates the longest night of the year on June 21th, the summer solstice, which is the shortest day of the year too – On this day, there’s sun for only 7 hours.

¿What to visit?

Ushuaia offers beautiful views from any point.

Some activities near the city are the visit to the Prison; the tour to the Museum of the End of the World; the approximation to the base of Martial Glacier; and the navigation through the Beagle Channel towards the famous Lighthouse of the End of the World.

Another things you can enjoy when you visit Ushuaia are Lake Escondido, Lake Fagnano, Tierra del Fuego National Park, the Train of the End of the World and Castor Hill.

Let’s detail each one of this activities.

Museum of the Prison: This jail worked from 1902 to 1947 – It hosted all kind of inmates, from political prisoners to the most dangerous criminals. It was tough to live here because of the climate conditions and the geographic location.

Museum of the End of the World: A museum about Ushuaia’s history, flora and wildlife.

Navigation through Beagle Channel: This tour takes you aboard a ferry that gives you beautiful views of the city and its port. The itinerary might include the Island of Birds, the colony of sea lions, the colony of penguins, an approximation to the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse (known as “The End of the World Lighthouse”) and also an approach to Bridge and Karelo Islands.

Martial Glacier: Formerly it existed the possibility to ascend using a chairlift, but nowadays this isn’t working. However, you can approach the base of the glacier – At this point you get beautiful views of the city. You can also take a snack at the coffee shop.

Lake Escondido and Lake Fagnano: This tour takes you to different winter centers and also to a sled dog kennel. At first you approach a viewpoint at Lake Escondido; then, you visit the Petrel Hotel, located over the edge of the lake. After that, the tour continues towards Lake Fagnano. This route is covered with a 4x4 truck; for this reason, we don’t recommend this tour to pregnant women or people with heart or back diseases, among others.

Tierra del Fuego National Park: There are a lot of different paths and circuits to do some trekking within the park – The best known of all this paths is the one that takes you to Lapataia Bay, because it offers the best views of the Beagle Channel. You can also take a tour aboard the famous Train of the End of the World – It’s a trip of 45 minutes approximately. The tickets for this tour have different categories and prices: Tourist, Superior, Premium and VIP.

Castor Hill: This hill is only a few kilometres away from the city center and it’s great for those who love winter sports.

The weather and when to travel:

Ushuaia can be visited at any time of the year. In spring the snow begins to disappear, the temperatures rise and the flora starts to grow. In summer the days are longer and you can enjoy all of the tours, except for the snow activities. In autumn and winter the temperatures descend (during winter the temperatures are below zero) and you can enjoy snow sports.

¿How to get there?

You can approach Ushuaia by land, by sea or by air. There are flights from Buenos Aires that arrive at Ushuaia every day – Same thing happens with buses, and also with cruises during the high season.

To get from the airport to the city center you can take a taxi or book a transfer, since there’s no service of regular buses.

When you travel by land you take a Chilean ferry – Since you leave the country, you must take the necessary documentation with you.

¿Where to sleep?

Ushuaia counts with a lot of accommodation options: different categories of hotels, apart hotels, cottages within forests and hostels with shared rooms.

Gastronomy and nightlife:

The better known dish at Ushuaia is the King Crab – A must! Another typical products are lamb and black hake. The city offers variety of gastronomic proposals, from luxury restaurants to fast food restaurants. It’s important to know you must not eat seafood that you pick at the beach, because you can die because of the red tide.

Ushuaia doesn’t show much movement at night – However, there are always open bars and restaurants to satisfy the demand, especially during the high season.

¿How to move?

You can move by taxi or use public buses. Anyway, the city is small.

It is probaly better to use a taxi than to rent a car, but if you want to go out of town in order to visit places such as the National Park, Lapataia Bay, Lake Fagnano and others, renting a car might be cheaper; besides, it gives you more flexibility in your schedule.

Personal review:

Ushuaia is a dreamy town. The city center, over San Martín Avenue, offers a lot of stores, gastronomy options and souvenir shops. If you like snow activities, this place is great for you.

However, there’s an important detail to consider: the city was built in levels so it’s complicated to mobilize, and people with reduced mobility might have difficulties.

Consultor Julieta Porco