The city at the end of the world is definitely a must do for a tourist trekking all the way to South America. Ushuaia, the southern most city in Argentina, is the closest you can get to Antartica without actually going there. If you’re very adventurous, you can try out the cruise to Antartica which takes about 2 weeks and is very very expensive. Otherwise Ushuaia has plenty to keep you busy.
TO DO: Being a bustling city, there are plenty of things for tourists to do which include touching the tip of the end of the world, and going further south to see penguins
Train to the end of the world: Usuaia being so far south became a natural option for prisons. This rather depressing ride is on a steam train that takes you through the same path the prisoners went when they were to be jailed in Ushuaia. This train was used by the prisoners who had to stop and cut trees that went into making their own jails. Escape from this jail was impossible
National Park: This beautiful national park is home to LaPataia- the southern most point of the city after which roads end- a must visit for the picture and the record. The national park is beautiful to walk through, drive through, or camp in. If you are a camping enthusiast, you can take advantage of the facilities they have
Sail the beagle channel: A beautiful but freezing ride which takes you even further south from Ushuaia. This tour took us to see sea gulls, seals, whales (only in October), penguins and a famous old ranch. You can choose to get off at penguin island or the Haberton ranch.
The ranch has an interesting history. Years ago Tommy Harbeton came from Europe and learned the language of the local race that lived on this island. He employed them and created a self sufficient ranch. The local race was attuned to the cold weather and had a body temperature that is 1 degree celcius higher than we have. They wore minimal clothes even during the coldest of winters. Unfortunately when more foreigners came, the TB virus came along, and the locals did not have the antibodies to fight it. There is only 1 living member of the race left. She is over 90 yrs old and lives in Chile. Today it has turned into more of a tourist museum as well as a marine biologists dream come true. They have a lab which studies marine life in South America, as well as a museum where they collect old bones and analyze species. They study any sea life that washes up on to shore. The entire ranch is functional only in the summer months, it becomes too cold to reach here during winter.
TO STAY: We stayed at Patagonia Villa lodge, a beautiful little hotel maintained by an Italian family. It had double storied wooden huts for rooms, a make your own breakfast option, huge tubs, a fireplace and warmed flooring- all perfect for this city that’s freezing even in summer
nutterbugg 