Ushuaia and the Fin del Mundo!
Welcome to the Fin del Mundo - the End of the World, where the land is wild and the animals roam free.
Mostly used as the port for a trip to Antarctica, Ushuaia is absolutely worth a place on your itinerary for a minimum of four days. It is a natural playground with glaciers, lakes, the Beagle Channel and Tierra del Fuego National Park to explore.
Flying from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia rewarded us with an aerial tour of Patagonia throughout the 40 minute descent. From that moment I knew this place was going to be special with my heart skipping beats.
There are so many things to do here so it is worth having an idea of what's on offer so you can hit the ground running. We had 3 days of glorious sunshine - an extreme rarity. And boy did we make the most of it.
Power up energiser bunnies!! This is what we packed into 3 days. I wish we had longer.
Hike Glacier Martial
Just 3 km from town is Glacier Martial. It's worth the walk up as you'll be rewarded with beautiful views over the town and the Beagle Channel. They'll tell you it's 1.5hrs to the top but we did it easily within an hour. At the bottom is a gorgeous tea and craft beer house - a perfect combination to unwind after your climb.
Free hike!! Walk or hitch hike from town. Or take a cab.
Ta-dah - a glaciar!
But wait, there's more.
Hike Tierra del Fuego National Park - check out the post (it's so pretty)
Hike to Lake Esmeralda - take a look at this post (the landscape is breathtaking)
Boat ride down the Beagle Channel - move over David Attenborough, here's our post
Ushuaia travel tip:
We hear autumn is the best time to visit as the tree leaves turn yellow, orange and red, and are quite the spectacle.
EAT & DRINK:
Try the local craft beer Beagle Beer: dark, red or blonde.
Drink at the oldest pub in town, Bar Ideal. Local craft beer and warm food.
The Dublin Pub has the best atmosphere in town and decent pub food. Surprisingly for an Irish pub, they don't sell Guinness.
Tante Sara Cafe Bar is good for lunch or dinner, serving up good salads and decent burgers. They also sell the local craft beer.
SLEEP:
Ushuaia is not cheap. We opted for an Airbnb room smack bang in the middle of town. With unpredictable weather, you'll want a central location. Juli's place is wonderful and comes with a beautiful border collie who'll greet you warmly.
GETTING HERE:
Unless you hire a car your options are a 13hr coach ride from Punta Arenas - expect a ferry crossing, 2 x border stops and a bus swap, or flying into Ushuaia's cute, wooden framed airport nestling beside The Beagle Channel. Neither is cheap but the plane's our recommendation.
The view coming in
Instagram: @thelisaphillips #somedaysherpa
