Ushuaia is known as the city at the end of the world, located on Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. It is much closer to Antarctica than to Buenos Aires and where we chose to start hiking in Patagonia.
Best Thing I Ate This Week
Centolla “El Veijo Marino” at El Viejo Marino
El Viejo Marino is known for its delicious fresh seafood and was recommended to us as a great place for dinner. King Crab is one of their most popular items due to its prominence in the waters around Ushuaia. After a long day of hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park, we were excited to enjoy this local specialty.
When we arrived at the restaurant, there was a line outside of it and the nearby window provided views of the happy guests eating appetizing seafood. Luckily, the line moved pretty fast, and, because we were a group of two, a table opened up before a few of the larger parties in front of us.
The Centolla “El Viejo Marino” came in a large bowl and included King Crab meat covered in a pink sauce with prawns. It was warm and filling with a generous portion of fresh seafood for the price. The small wait outside was well worth it for a great dinner.
An Interesting Fact I Learned
Argentina built Ushuaia with the work of a penal colony
In 1896, the Argentine government set out to populate Ushuaia with Argentine citizens by creating a penal colony. Initially, there were two prisons: one for repeat dangerous offenders and the other for military prisoners. In 1910 the two prisons combined into one structure. The prisoners were required to work long days cutting down wood from the forest and building the town’s infrastructure, including a railroad. The prison was in operation until 1947, when the government shut it down because of human rights issues.
Today, the prison building still stands and is an interesting museum (Museo Maritimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia) where you can go to learn more about the history summarized above. Different wings of the jail have various museums that display exhibits about the region including Antarctica, Maritime, and Art. The Historic Pavilion gives an example of the inmate experience, and there is a replica of the San Juan de Salvamento Faro, which was built on the Isla de los Estados. All of this combines as a great way to learn more about Ushuaia’s history.
The railroad that the prisoners built is still in operation today (Tren del Fin del Mundo) and is a tourist attraction on the other side of town near Tierra del Fuego National Park. We did not visit it during our time, but it is a further way to learn more about the penal colony and prison life.
My Travel Tip of the Week
Stop by tourism offices and businesses in-person to learn more
Ushuaia is a town that attracts visitors for its outdoor activities and serves as a launching point for travel to Antarctica. There are some online resources that list a few of the most popular activities, but not a lot of great detail about them.
When arriving in Ushuaia, our host confirmed the most popular activities we had researched but recommended stopping by the bus station, tourism office, and boat docks in town to talk directly with the businesses. They were all conveniently located by each other in the center of the town and made for a nice introductory walk to the new city.
The bus station provided details on the schedules to visit Tierra Del Fuego National Park or Laguna Esmeralda. They even offered vouchers to guarantee a spot on their transport if you wanted to come back at a later time.
The tourism office shared more about the details of specific activities. They let us know Laguna Esmeralda passes through many bogs so it will be very muddy. Also, they outlined the short and long hiking options in Tierra del Fuego National Park. You can learn more about visiting Tierra del Fuego National Park here. A final tip they shared was taking a taxi to the start of the Glacier Martial trail to cut down on the distance of walking from town.
Our last stop at the boat docks was to learn more about the different Beagle Channel tours. The boat trips to Isla Navarino and Puerto Williams in Chile had been closed since the pandemic so was not an option. There was a long day trip that combined a bus/boat to see more of the channel and shorter half day trips that go to Faro Les Eclaireurs with varying stops at different islands closer to Ushuaia. You can learn more about these tours here.
My Additional Anecdote This Week
Nature is beautiful but strong and can change at any moment
We booked a morning boat trip on the Beagle Channel because the company recommended it for the calmer waters. The trip out to Faro Eclaireurs was perfect, and we were able to take in the views of the Southern Andes Mountains towering over the channel while sitting on the open roof of the boat.
When we arrived to Faro Eclaireurs, it was still possible to view the sea lions and cormorants on the rocks from the rooftop. The wind was starting to pick-up but made for an impressive viewing experience.
On our return voyage, the winds started whipping, waves started crashing over the boat, and our driver turned up a rock n roll playlist to focus. The guide let us know that an unexpected turn of weather had arrived and we were experiencing 80 km/h winds. They said not to be concerned because the captain had sailed Cape Horn numerous times and this was not a challenge for him. It was certainly a challenge for some of the other tourists who got seasick during the ordeal.
