Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ushuaia
/Tierra
Del Fuego
U
shuaia is a long way from home. It's even a
long way from Buenos Aires - 1,500 air
miles. So why are most of the planes coming
here filled to capacity in the Argentine summer
(November-March) and even tight in the win-
ter? The lure is not the town itself, although it
is picturesque enough. It's because Ushuaia is
the perfect base for exploring the wonders of
nature on the island of Tierra del Fuego and the
tiny islands south of it in the Beagle Channel
that are largely Chilean and uninhabited. The
town is also a great get-away point for trips to
Argentinean Antarctica.
Ushuaia is 600
miles north of
Argentine
Antarctica. At
this writing,
most trips to
Antarctica leave
from the Chil-
ean port of
Punta Arenas.
You'll want to explore stunning Tierra del
Fuego National Park, cruise almost close
enough to touch a 30,000-year-old glacier and
visit a tiny island inhabited only by penguins.
In the winter you can ski, downhill or cross
country, on fresh white snow. You can do all of
these things and more from Ushuaia. All are
readily accessible and well-organized. Tourism
is big business at the tip of the Americas, but
don't expect to meet your next door neighbor -
not yet anyway. If you enjoy experiencing new
travel horizons, you should definitely consider
a stop at Tierra del Fuego, which one of her
native sons called the “Uttermost Part of the
Earth.”
Ushuaia is the
capital of Tierra
del Fuego.
