Ushuaia
Nicknamed ‘the end of the world’ for its location at the southern tip of Argentina on the Beagle Channel; Ushuaia is a resort town whose port offers a gateway to Antarctica as well as to those rounding Cape Horn.
The tiny settlement of Puerto Williams, with its two thousand residents, is technically further south and Argentina and Chile are in regular dispute on which is the “Southernmost city in the world” with Chile focusing on Southernmost and Argentina arguing that the word ‘City’ is a key part of the title.
The area is not recent, it was 10,000 years ago when the Ona first arrived and settled this region, as did the Yahgan, travelling by canoe from island to island hunting sea lions and diving for shellfish.
Sights & Culture
Cartel Ushuaia
On a narrow strip of land connecting the mainland to the airport, the sign reading USHUAIA is a favourite spot for tourist photos.
Plaza Islas Malvinas
The Malvinas Islands Square, complete with an eternal flame pays homage to the lives lost in the Falklands War (Malvinas War) in 1982. An uncomfortable place to stand as an Englishman.
Biblioteca Popular Sarmiento
A lovely library on Ushuaia’s main road.
Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Merced
A Catholic Church serving the local community, the building is easy to find and easy to mistake for a chicken restaurant with its bright yellow walls and red roof.
Plaza Cívica Ushuaia
The civic plaza is a wide-open courtyard offering views over the Beagle Channel. it is also generally the meeting point and waiting point for joining the Antarctica Boat trips.
Monumento Antiguos Pobladores
The history of Ushuaia is shown in the enveloping wings of an Albatross. Antonino Pilello’s work starts at the edges with native Shelknam masks and Yámanas canoes, moving into more modern history with western ships arriving and a flag being planted claiming land that had been settled for millennia.
Base Naval Ushuaia
Obviously not for tourists, but easily visible both from the road and the pier, the Naval base normally has ships of the Argentine Navy stationed outside.
Plaza 25 de Mayo
Home to both a time capsule and the artisans' promenade, the 25th May Plaza is a meeting point for locals and tourists both. Directly across the road from the Civic Plaza.
Museums & Galleries
Museo del Fin del Mundo
The Museum at the End of The World is on the main street towards the southern end of Ushuaia. It showcases both the history of the region as well as some of the animal life.
Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia
The Maritime Museum is a 19th century prison converted into a museum of Argentina’s proud naval history. Split across numerous wings radiating from a central hall, you can easily spend an afternoon here. Essentially, each wing is its own ‘museum’ within the museum.
Main hall
The main hall features an art gallery, with glass ceiling and glass floor. Similar to one I had seen in Cuenca with small whitewashed walls. The art itself is a mix of nudes and tragic scenes scatted pastel and oils.
Wing 1: Prison Museum
The first wing shows you the prison as it was. Cold. Crumbing. Dark. Terrifying Bathrooms and showers of bare concrete and open ceiling spray. The prison at the end of the world was clearly the end of many.
Wing 2: Marine Art Museum
The second wing featured the artworks, by various painters with a particular focus on Diego Pablo Buey called Argentina for export and looked at the women of Jazz.
The second floor continues as an art gallery with murals and examples of maritime artwork. They also showcase the work of Croatian immigrants in 1890-1930.
Wing 3: Antarctic Museum
The third wing is the Antarctic Museum. The top floor is filled with taxidermied birds from Antarctica and information on the continent.
On the ground floor, a projection showcases how the polar aurora would appear as well as more practical information on Antarctica.
Wing 4: art Museum
Wing 4 has the obligatory gift shop as well as an Antarctica exhibit. A full wall projection at the end to enjoy and a lot of painted penguins.
The second-floor art exhibit was closed during my visit.
Wing 5: Art Gallery
A temporary exhibition wing, showing off artistic talent from the area.
Parks & Gardens
Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
A coastal national park with limited access to Patagonian forests and wildlife. Exploring the park was part of my Train at the End of the World tour. Our tour was done via bus, taking us from point to point. Staring with the visitors centre and an array of wild horses. The visitor centre offers drinks and food, and across the road, a lake with incredible terrain gives great views. Blissfully exploring the space, wild horses and a great many birds make this a spot to walk around rather than sit inside.
From there, we went to a small beach and were given time to walk along the sand, taking in the scenery. The final stop was a wooden walkway taking you out to see the islands and rocks in the Beagle Channel.
Estatua de Adrien de Gerlache
A long and thin park running along the coastline and scattered with busts of famous Argentinians.
Restaurants & Bars
BarDPizzas
Cute little pizza place on one of the main roads in Ushuaia.
El MercadoR Ushuaia
Great food with huge portions. Even our American friends would be satisfied with the size of the meal.
Austral Modern
An outstanding hipster coffee shop with great pastries. Regrettably closed down during the pandemic.
Balcarce
A cafe with a chain vibe but good coffee. Regrettably closed down during the pandemic.
Christopher Grill & Beer
Fantastic Argentinian steak restaurant. Regrettably closed down during the pandemic.
Hotel Las Lengas
My hotel, through G Adventures, for the stay. The hexagonal restaurant gives both views and meals with equal aplomb.
Martel Cafe
One of several cafes at the foot of the Glacier, this one does a wonderful cheese cake and the interior is decked out almost like Honeydukes in Harry Potter.
Sports & Activities
Tren del Fin del Mundo
The train at the end of the world offers an hour and a half, (with some stops) of sightseeing of the national park as well as getting a sense of what some of the prisoners had to go through as the narrow train brings you to its destination. It is the southernmost railway in the world.
It can take some time to get the tickets and get on board at the ‘station at the end of the world’, so be prepared to be patient. I booked through my tour operator and that made things much easier. The train is a stunning old train, thinner than you’ll be used to, seating six in small carriages. Three facing three.
During the journey, you’ll stop a few times to see key spots on the trail that mirror the journey prisoners took as they headed to the Prison. You’ll travel past the Burnt Bridge before stopping at the Waterfall Station, where a short walk will take you to a small but lovely waterfall, and then reboard and end at the National Part Station.
The return journey is done via bus and shows off some different parts of the National Park. It’s a very touristy tour, you don’t walk anywhere, everything is a train or bus trip, even when the points are close.
Glaciar Martial
If you are feeling energetic, you can take a taxi to the foot of Glaciar Martial, where a couple of cafes can be found. You can then follow the clear signposting up and climb the Glaciar Martial. The gravel road winds up the mountain like a clear scar. There is a T Junction early on where the chair lifts end during winter when the Glacier is a ski resort. You can take two routes, the first is a short route offering simple views and the second a much longer and more strenuous one all the way to the top. During summer, the only way to see the ice is to follow the longer trail.
The views back to Ushuaia are spectacular. It is a reasonably challenging hike once you get past the initial foothills and into the main mountain. You’ll be scrambling up in places. Bring plenty of water as there are limited (if any) options to fill a bottle and purify water.
The glacier itself was shrunken when I arrived as it was essentially mid-summer. In the winter you have the option to both ski and use a skilift.
