Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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being the only Argentine city on the other side of the Andes. At its tail end, the mountain
range is dragged eastward by restless tectonic plates that rattle fr equently. To reach Ush-
uaia by car, you must cr oss briefly thr ough Chile and then cr oss the Andes. What you
find is a fr ontier town with lots of character , a rich outdoor life, and a surprisingly cos-
mopolitan feel. One hundred years ago, the only people crazy enough to liv e here were
convicts in chains. I ndeed, the city o wes its existence to the prison: I nmates built the
town railway, hospital, and por t. Now it attracts Argentines fr om all o ver the countr y,
who come for tax breaks and plentiful jobs. Visitors find lots to do—whether it's visiting
that same prison, which is now a fascinating museum, or exploring the many attractions
of the B eagle Channel. Local r esidents ar e w elcoming and friendly , with a r efreshing
hardiness and eccentricity that likely come fr om living at the end of the world.
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
BY PLANE
The
International Airport Malvinas Argentinas
is 5km (3 miles) fr om
the city (
&
2901/431232
). There is no bus ser vice to to wn, but cab far es ar e only
about $7 (£4.75). Always ask for a quote before accepting a ride.
Aerolíneas Argentinas
(
&
0800/222-86527
or 2901/437265; www .aerolineas.com.ar) operates four or fiv e
daily flights to B uenos Aires, one of which leav es from Ezeiza and stops in E l Calafate.
Average round-trip fare is $500 (£337). F requency increases from November to March,
when there's also a daily flight fr om Río Gallegos and twice-weekly flights from Trelew.
LAN
(
&
0810/999-9526
or 2901/424244) flies from Buenos Aires daily via El Calafate.
They also fly from Santiago de Chile via P unta Arenas on Wednesday, Friday, and Sun-
day.
Aerovías DAP,
Deloqui 575 (
&
2901/431110;
www.aeroviasdap.cl), runs charter
flights from Punta Arenas and o ver Cape H orn. It costs ar ound $3,000 (£2,023) for a
group of seven people (round-trip), leaving whenever you want.
BY BUS
There is no bus station in the city. Buses usually stop at the port (Maipú and
Fadul). The ser vice from Punta Arenas, Chile, costs $30 to $40 (£20-£27) and takes
13
Cruising from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia
Crucero Australis
operates an unf orgettable journey bet ween Punta Arenas
and Ushuaia aboard its ships, the M/V
Mare Australis
and the M/V
Via Australis.
This cruise takes passengers t o remote coves and narrow channels and fior ds
in Tierra del Fuego, and then heads into the Beagle Channel, stopping in Puerto
Williams on Isla Navarino and later Ushuaia, Argentina. There's also a stop at the
absolute end of the w orld, Cape Horn, although the chanc es that you will be
able to get off the boat and touch
tierra firma
there aren't likely, due to notori-
ous winds. The trip can be done as a 4-night one -way from Punta Arenas or a
3-night one -way journey fr om Ushuaia. I r ecommend that y ou take just the
one-way journey, ideally departing Punta Arenas, leaving you to explore a new
city and then travel by air or land from there.
