Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel

Capital Of Tierra Del Fuego Province, Founded 1884, And The Departure Port For Most Antarctic Ship Voyages. The Beagle Channel Is A Glacial Strait On The Argentina Chile Border · Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego

Ushuaia calls itself the end of the world, and it is the southernmost city of any size on the planet: a steep grid of houses between the snow-streaked Martial mountains and the Beagle Channel, the strait Darwin sailed through in 1833. For most visitors it is two things at once. It is the port from which most Antarctic expedition ships sail, so from November to March the harbour is full of ice-strengthened ships and the town full of people about to cross the Drake Passage. And it is a destination in itself: boats run down the channel past the red-and-white Les Eclaireurs lighthouse and rocky islets crowded with sea lions and cormorants to Isla Martillo, where one operator lands small groups among Magellanic and gentoo penguins. The old prison, where Argentina sent its worst convicts until 1947, is now a museum, and Tierra del Fuego National Park begins just west of town. The weather can bring four seasons in an afternoon, and the town itself is functional rather than pretty, but the setting is extraordinary.

Muelle Turistico, Avenida Maipu, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, V9410, Argentina

Channel boat trips leave from the tourist pier through the day, more often in summer, and are cancelled in high wind. The penguin landing on Isla Martillo runs only in the breeding season, roughly October to March. The prison museum opens daily. Antarctic voyages sail between about November and March. Summer days are very long; winter days are only a few hours of light.

Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos