A visit to the End of the World

by Gabriela Brizuela
Travel Specialist in Trips SouthAmerica

Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world

Last March I had the opportunity to visit Ushuaia, and it really was a beautiful experience.

Ushuaia, also known as the “City of the End of the World”, is a charming city, full of history and nature, with a unique geographical location and very friendly inhabitants.

There you can carry out different types of activities, they could be adventure excursions, gastronomic experiences, bird watching, navigations, helicopter flights, among others.

It is a very pleasant destiny for all type of passengers and can be visited all year round. But depending on the season you choose, the experience will be totally different.

My Trip

During my visit in March, I was able to enjoy sunny days and temperatures that hovered between 15ºC and 20ºC… but this is not always the case. You have to know that the weather during the summer in Ushuaia is a bit unpredictable. You can have a sunny day and the next day you will find very low temperatures and a sky covered with clouds. That is why I recommend wearing warm jackets (waterproof if possible), as well as light clothing in case you get to have some sunny days.

When the summer is coming to an end, the temperatures in Ushuaia begin to drop a little more. In the middle of March and during the month of April, the landscapes are dyed in beautiful autumnal colors before the first snowfalls arrive.

By the beginning of June you will probably find the city covered in snow as well as the frozen lakes.
For lovers of the cold and sports such as skiing and snowboarding, winter will be the perfect season to enjoy this city (from June to September). Also, if you visit Ushuaia in winter, you cannot miss the experience of going on a night excursion in the snow … riding a snowmobile and sledding by Huskies will allow you to appreciate the Patagonian winter in the best possible way.

The unmissable excursions of this destination are the following:

Tierra del Fuego National Park

It is located 12 km from the city center. Here you can breathe fresh air and relax with the beautiful views of the bays, lakes and abundant vegetation that you will find within the entire park.
During this visit you can add a tour on the End of the World Train that lasts approximately 60 minutes. The route of this train imitates the one that decades ago the convicts who were in jail at the end of the world used to supply firewood to the town.

For the more adventurous, you can also choose to take an unconventional visit to the park, combining the excursion with a trekking and canoeing circuit. You walk along the forest trails and paddle along the river and Lapataia Bay, always accompanied by specialized trekking guides.

Beagle Channel Navigation

This navigation departs from the local tourist dock crossing the wide Bay of Ushuaia, observing from another perspective the profile of the city and the geographical distribution at the foot of the Andes Mountains; until reaching the Beagle Channel through Paso Chico.

Sailing around the Isla de los Pájaros, where you can see the Fuegian birdlife, and the Isla de los Lobos where you can see specimens of one and two-haired sea lions.

Upon reaching Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, you will be able to appreciate the colonies of Imperial Cormorants and Rocky Cormorants (similar in appearance to penguins but a different species).
This navigation lasts approximately 2:30 hours.

For those who wish to include a penguin watching, they can choose to take a longer navigation (approximately 6 hours), where they can see the penguins in their habitat from the catamaran.
And those who want to get off the catamaran and walk with penguins on Martillo Island have the possibility of taking another excursion that will take them to the Island by boat and then return to the city of Ushuaia by bus.

Adventure

For the more restless, this is a place where you can do multiple adventure activities. In addition to the trekking circuits that can be done within the National Park, there are other circuits that are worth doing for lovers of this activity.

For those looking for a moderately demanding route, they can visit the Esmeralda Lagoon (9.4km round trip) and those looking for an experience of medium difficulty can take the hike to the Laguna de los Témpanos and Vinciguerra Glacier (13km round trip).
Other adventure options are 4×4 excursions, kayaking or horseback riding.

Gastronomy

Typical foods in this city are spider crab and black hake. In the center of Ushuaia you will find several restaurants where these dishes are served. You can’t leave the city at the end of the world without having tried them!

If you want to have a more complete experience, there is an excursion that will take you to Puerto Almanza where you can fish your own lunch. The navigation lasts approximately 25 minutes and then you will go to a cozy restaurant where you will taste a delicious meal that includes a starter, spider crab and dessert.

I hope that you too can have a wonderful experience at the End of the World!
Do not hesitate to contact me if you need more information to schedule your trip.

We look forward to receiving you in South America!!