Day 21 – Sunday 28th October 2018
Ushuaia
Distance travelled:-
By plane – 563 kms/350 miles
By public transport – 4 kms/2.5 miles
By foot – 16 kms/ 9.84 miles
Steps taken – 23,182

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Maybe it’s the austral light, or just knowing that the next step south is Antarctica, whatever it is this trove of mystical islands is undesirably magical and had to be visited.

Spanish for the land of fire, Tierra del Fuego provides you with a chance to really see the end of the world!

And today it kept in line with its fiery name, as temperatures were calm and warm, not the climate I was expecting, cold and windy.

We travelled to Ushuaia with great excitement, I mean we were about to reach the end of the world!

We were lured here by the particular mysticism of it’s geography and it’s natural environment.

In its surroundings, Ushuaia offers unexplored, untouched territories that invite visitors to one of discovery and adventure.

Ushuaia is the world’s southernmost city and is the launch point for many, if not most, cruises to Antarctica.

Within its impressive frame made up by the sea, the forests, the lakes and the mountains, it’s a picturesque city.

Sitting at the foot of the mountains that cover much of the tip of South America, it is a lovely setting for such a remote town.

Ushuaia itself has been described by some as a cute town, I had been in it 5 minutes and it is so much more. Its a vibrant and thriving capital.

Straight away I liked the vibe of the town. It was great to see so many young people out and about, congregating positively in cafes, wandering the streets etc.

Local bank

I was excited to be here….this was the nearest at this point in time that I was going to get to Antarctica…and I’d so love to get to Antarctica. It’s in my top two destinations, Alaska being the other.

When planning this trip due to time restrictions destinations were tight and we had to be selective. Ushuaia came up against the very scenic and warmer Bariloche…for us it had to be here.

So we have rented a self contained apartment. The owners have been so helpful beforehand texting us back and forward with information and even offering pick ups from the airport and a drop off in town so we can check out the area.

My first step outside the airport and I already thought wow

The apartment is perfect. It sits at the top of the town, below the mountains….and you guessed it, it’s a steep up and a steep down to and from it!

So I tried to capture how steep the hills are here but I couldn’t get the angle the only way to do it was like below. It reminds me of my visit to San Francisco!

We took them up on their great offer and after just landing, we were dropped off in town…. And off we went!

I was in awe of this place and wondered around with a permanent transfixed smile.

Check out the fancy railings….this went in for ages

Ushuaia is a Patagonian jewel that year after year welcomes travelers who have heard of its stunning beauty.

As the spot where the Andes mountains meet the sea, it offers many different activities to enjoy. While many of them are linked to the unique landscape and the gorgeous natural areas, it holds an identity of its own and an intriguing past.

Ushuaia Naval Base

I had read mixed reviews about Ushuaia but I’m telling you this if you are ready to explore the secrets of the southernmost city on the planet, don’t miss out on this place….it’s worthy of a visit.

Once again we explored town, finding our way, checking it out.

The town sits beautifully, surrounded by the most georgous black mountains covered at the top by snow.

Can you see the helicopter fly over Mount Olivia?

As we walked down to the Beagle Channel I glanced as far away as I could see imagining that next stop! My heart thumped.

Beagle Channel

The mountains of Chile sit on one side, with the mountains of Argentina on the other.

Ushuaia was not what I had imagined, it’s so much bigger and has everything you need here, or so it appears and there is so much to see and do.

While many of them are linked to the unique landscape and the gorgeous natural areas, it holds an identity of its own and an intriguing past.

The Sinking St. Christopher Tug Boat of Ushuaia, Argentina.

As we all now know Ushuaia is the closest city to Antarctica and it borders Chile in Tierra del Fuego and they share the Beagle Channel. The Beagle Channel is one of the most treacherous channels in the world. The infamous channel has sunk many ships, cruises and boats since it was discovered 1826-1830 by HMS Beagle.

Christopher (formerly the HMS Justice (W-140)) was chartered to assist in the salvage operations. The tug ended up being beached and abandoned itself during the work and remains near Ushuaia today, a monument to the treacherous channel. In 1954 the attempt baganto drag the wreck to Ushuaia where the more difficult dismantling could be undertaken. The salvage crew used floating devices to bring the ship back to the vertical. Finally the ship turned upright and slid off the reef, and on 14 October 1954 three tugboats began slowly pushing the remaining wreck to Ushuaia. However when the little convoy had traveled less than a mile, the ship again listed to port and slowly slid beneath the water. – Wikipedia.org

This has become the backdrop of the Ushuaia City for more than 50 years. At Christopher tug boat is part of the history or yet reminder on how unpredictable is the calm Beagle Channel of Tierra del Fuego.

We are here until Wednesday 31st October and I am already wishing we had gave ourselves more time…so in fitting with their slogan, ‘Tierra del Fuego, End of the World, beginning of everything’….let’s do this!

P.s. a few pieces of trivial information from the locals

Parts of the Oscar winning movie The Revenant was filmed right here up at Mount Olivia, picture below.

The name Tierra del Fuego was supposedly given to the land by the first explorer’s who came here and from their boats could see lots of fire. These fires were coming from the local indigenous people who lived here.