Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
413
After the turnoff for Estancia H arberton, RN 3 begins to descend do wn to
Lago
Escondido,
a beautiful lake about 60km (37 miles) north of Ushuaia. It provides a quiet
spot for relaxation or for fishing the mammoth tr out that live in the lake.
North of U shuaia and in the middle of the island of Tierra del F uego, the landscape
changes. I cy mountains giv e way to dr y r olling hills. A massiv e lake,
Lago F agnano,
dominates. It almost slices the island in half. This is a nice place for a day trip—the weather
is almost always sunnier at Tolhuin, the village on the east side of Lago Fagnano. The easi-
est option is to r ent a car and driv e yourself here. The nicest hotel, b y far, is r ed-roofed
Hosteria Kaiken,
RN 3 Km 2942 (
&
02901/492372
). It's 100km (62 miles) from Ush-
uaia. A visit to Tolhuin is not complete without a visit to the local baker y
Panadería La
Union,
Cerro Jerujupen 450 (
&
2901/492202
), for empanadas and pastries.
Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego
Parque N acional Tierra del F uego was cr eated in 1960 to pr otect a 63,000-hectar e
(155,610-acre) chunk of P atagonian wilderness that includes mighty peaks, cr ystalline
rivers, black-water swamps, and forests of
lenga,
or deciduous beech. Only 2,000 hectares
(4,940 acres) are designated recreation areas, some of which offer a chance to view dams
built b y the beav ers that w ere intr oduced to Tierra del F uego in the 1950s. Another
eyebrow-raiser is the multitude of rabbits that r oam the park.
It's the only Argentine national park with a maritime coast, but chances are you won't
be blown away by it if you've been traveling around southern Argentina or Chile. Much
of the landscape is identical to P atagonia's thousands of kilometers of mountainous ter-
rain, but it does affor d easy and medium day hikes to let y ou stretch your legs, breathe
some fresh air, take a boat ride, or bird-watch. In some areas, the road runs through thick
beech for est and then abr uptly opens into wide vie ws of mountains, whose dramatic
height can be viewed from sea level to more than 2,000m (6,560 ft.). Anglers can fish for
trout here in the park but must first pick up a license at the
National Park Administra-
tion office,
Av. San Martín 1395 (
&
2901/421315;
Mon-Fri 9am-3pm), in Ushuaia.
The park service issues maps at the park entrance showing the walking trails here, ranging
from 300m (984 ft.) to 8km (5 miles); admission into the par k is $10 (£6.80). P arque
Nacional Tierra del Fuego is 11km (6
3
/
4
miles) w est of Ushuaia on RN 3. Camping in
the park is free; there are no services, but potable water is available. At the end of the road
to Lago Roca, there is a snack bar/r estaurant. At Bahía Ensenada, you'll find boats that
take visitors to Isla Redonda, where there are several walking trails. The cost is about $12
(£8.20), or $19 (£13) with a guide. All tour companies offer guided trips to the par k.
Trips last 4 hours and cost $40 (£27). I f all y ou need is transpor tation ther e, call
these shuttle bus companies:
Pasarela
(
&
2901/433712
) or
Patagonia T ransfers
(
&
2901/445486
). The round-trip cost $10 (£6.80). B uses leave from Maípu Street in
front of the main pier.
13
2
PUERTO WILLIAMS, CHILE
Puerto Williams is the southernmost town in the world, though it functions primarily as
a nav al base with a population of fe wer than 2,500 r esidents. The town occupies the
northern shore of Isla Navarino in the Beagle Channel, an altogether enchanting location
framed b y to wering granite needles called the N avarino's Teeth. It's much mor e wild,
remote, and undiscovered than Ushuaia, its Argentine neighbor acr oss the channel. Just
