The final stop on our tour around Argentina was Ushuaia, at the bottom of the world. I’m not sure why this place was included other than being able to say you have been there. Ushuaia is also the last point in South America for all excursions to Antarctica. That will wait for another time. The tour included a hike in the Tierra del Fuego National Park, a paddle in a lake near the Beagle Channel, and a cruise on the Beagle Channel to the famous lighthouse.
End Of The World
My high school friend, Joe, used to spend summers with his family in Grants Pass, Oregon. As I knew nothing of the place, I once asked him what it was like in Grants Pass. Joe replied, “It’s not the end of the world, but you can see it from there.”
I still haven’t been to Grants Pass, but the sentiment certainly seems to apply to Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, and debatably the southernmost city in the world. Yet, ironically, if you stand at the water’s edge in Ushuaia facing south, you stare at a range of hills in Chile, across the Beagle Channel. This is because a sliver of Chile is just below Argentina and touches the Atlantic. Surely, money or alcohol was involved when drawing up the boundaries.
Weather
As befits its extreme location, the weather in early fall in Ushuaia can still be a bit on the chilly side. There was an early, heavy snow the night before our arrival, treating us to a beautiful blanket of white as we headed to our hotel. But it was short-lived, the snow was melted off the trees by the end of the day, revealing an array of fall colors around us.
We had prepared for the weather, lugging our heavy jackets and gloves from our winter stash in California, through our time in Mexico. We had them in our room as we relaxed poolside at Iguazu Falls, in preparation for this very visit. Even though fall had just come, we needed all of our duds to spend a lot of time outside. It’s not unlike a Mark Twain San Francisco summer, I imagine.
Our Hotel in Ushuaia
We lucked out on our hotel, Las Hayas. Although it was up a hill outside of town, it was well-appointed and we had a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains. Often with organized tours like the one we were on, you get stuck with something sub-optimal. We felt very comfortable at this, our last stop of our tour of Argentina.
The hotel had a shuttle bus to town scheduled every two hours, which we took advantage of on both of our nights in the area. While not the most convenient, walking was out of the question, and arranging a taxi back would have been a chore. Overall, we recommend this hotel in case you choose to hang out in the area for a while.
The City of Ushuaia
Ushuaia itself is a smallish, winter-rugged burg, with many of the trappings of a tourism-driven town. It seems that there is a Hard Rock Café wherever Diana and I go, and Ushuaia was no exception. We haven’t set foot inside a Hard Rock in years, but there does seem to be a strong correlation to places we like to visit.
Of course, there is a decent selection of restaurants and ice cream shops. The city is snuggled up between the Beagle Channel and the Martial Mountains, making it quite picturesque.
Hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park
Our initial day of sightseeing involved some outdoor activities in the nearby National Park. Our first stop was at a local, historic, prison-labor-built, narrow gauge railroad. Early on in its history, a remote prison was established in the area. The convicts were put to work building the railroad and then used the route to haul out wood. I guess studying law was not presented to them as an option at the time.
Next, we traipsed through the forest, enjoying the flora and the views, occasionally having to step carefully around some boggy sections. While we were hiking with our guide, the driver was preparing us a nice lunch, which we enjoyed in a dome with a view. Overall, it was a pleasant experience I would recommend. Diana didn’t think it was any great shakes.
Don’t Leave It To Beaver
Just after World War II, the Argentinian government imported 50 North American beavers from Canada in hopes of establishing a fur trade. The beavers were released at Cami Lake in Patagonia. As it happens, the region has milder weather than Canada, so the beaver pelts were not as thick as their northern brethren. As a result, the hoped-for fur trade never came about.
Then the law on unintended consequences kicked in. Lacking natural predators, the beavers exploded onto the scene. Their population is now estimated to be between 100k and 200k. The beavers have felled long-protected trees and their dams have wreaked havoc on the ecosystem, threatening as much as 16 million hectares of forest. Although it was cool to see a couple of their dams, it was sobering to consider the impact their introduction was having.
It Started As A Gentle Paddle
Billed as some “canoeing on a lake”, our next experience was not as expected. The “canoe” turned out to be an inflatable raft in which all five guests and the guide paddled. This probably would have been ok were it not for two unforeseen circumstances. We should have gotten a clue when we put on rain boots and chest-high gators before getting in the boat.
First, two of the guests were completely inept at paddling, to the point that one of them spent a fair amount of time laughing at just how bad she was rather than trying to pull her weight. Second, it turned out our destination involved a significant stretch in open water in a strong wind, which made her ineptness and attitude even more infuriating.
After numerous short stints of really hard paddling interspersed with rests on the shore, we finally made it to our haul out, cold and wet. Diana was starting to worry that we wouldn’t make it to the haul-out at all. I gotta say, I’m not looking forward to that experience again, but I recognize that avoiding such possibilities would make life too boring. So, I guess we’ll chalk that up to “oh well”.
Oat and A Boat
After a night of recovery at the hotel, our final day in Patagonia was pretty full. We had planned on getting out on the Beagle Channel to take in the views and explore more the prior day. But cruising was canceled that day owing to the aforementioned wind in the channel. This day was much calmer and I’m sure it was the better choice.
We started with a walk on Isla Bridges Island, a rugged nature preserve in the middle of the channel. We learned of some of the plants there that grow so slowly, a medium-sized one was a hundred years old. Wild calafate, the local blueberry grows there. Although way past the season, I was able to find a few berries to try. You can see from the picture below it was quite desiccated and mostly consisted of seeds. Still, I could tell they were once quite tasty.
Seal Island and the Lighthouse
Our next stop was at Seal Island, which was pretty much as advertised. I’m happy to say I was a little surprised it wasn’t as pungent as other such encampments I have encountered. It was fun watching the furballs around their home.
Our final stop was at Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, the southernmost one in the world, naturally. Automated now, it had been maintained by a keeper from 1920 until it was automated. I can’t imagine such a task, such privation. I hope the keeper had a generous per diem for books and fishing supplies.
Away We Go
We were lucky the wind complied with our desire to get out on the channel because we had a late flight back to Buenos Aires that day. In retrospect, we probably should have padded an extra day on our visit for some insurance. It would have sucked to have gone all that way and been denied that cruise.
Food in Ushuaia
I want to mention the food in town. Local crab is the big thing. On our first night, we went to a well-recommended joint in town, El Viejo Marino. Due to the shuttle schedule, we got there just as it opened. That turned out to be a good thing because a line quickly formed outside.
I can tell you people were not there for the ambiance, it was kinda rustic. They were there for the crab, happily forking over $100 for a whole one. Diana doesn’t eat lobster and I couldn’t eat something that big, it’s too rich. I settled on a pasta dish for a much more wallet-friendly price and enjoyed it very much.
The second night we wound up at another spot specializing in “disco” cooking. The locals take a deep dish pizza pan, or disco, fill it with some chunks of protein and potatoes, and throw it in the oven. While it was decent, I think you can tell I didn’t find the result to be so unique that I would chase it down again. Of course, part of the reason we travel is to seek out these new experiences. Not every one can be amazing, but we find rewards in the pursuit.
How does a visit to Ushuaia sound to you?
