Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ski and snowboard with sublime views at the world's southernmost resort,
Cerro
Castor
(
Click here
)
Browse back in time in the quiet seaside village of
Porvenir
(
Click here
)
Trek around the jagged peaks and sculpted landscapes on the five-day circuit of
Dientes de Navarino
(
Click here
)
near Puerto Williams
Getting There & Around
The most common overland route from Patagonia is via the ferry crossing at Punta Del-
gada. Unlike the rest of Argentina, Tierra del Fuego has no designated provincial high-
ways, but has secondary roads known as
rutas complementarias,
modified by a lower-
case letter. References to such roads made here are given as 'RC-a,' for example.
If renting a car in mainland Argentina, be aware that you must cross in and out of
Chile a couple of times to reach Tierra del Fuego, and that this requires special docu-
ments and additional international insurance coverage. Most car-rental agencies can ar-
range this paperwork if given advance notice.
At the time of writing, Chile was building an alternate road to the southern end of the
island. It currently links with Lago Fagnano, but a 4WD vehicle is required.
Visitors can fly into Río Grande or Ushuaia. Buses take the ferry from Chile's Punta
Delgada; all pass through Río Grande before arriving in Ushuaia.
USHUAIA
02901 / POP 57,000
A busy port and adventure hub, the city of Ushuaia is a sliver of steep streets and
jumbled buildings below the snowcapped Martial Range. Here the Andes meet the south-
ern ocean in a sharp skid, making way for the city before reaching a sea of lapping cur-
rents.
It's a location matched by few, and chest-beating Ushuaia takes full advantage of its
end-of-the-world status, with an increasing number of Antarctica-bound vessels calling
in to port. Its endless mercantile hustle knows no irony: the souvenir shop named for
Jimmy Button (an indigenous man kidnapped for show in England), the ski center named
for a destructive invasive species…you get the idea. That said, with a pint of the world's
southernmost microbrew in hand, you can happily plot the dazzling outdoor options: hik-
ing, sailing, skiing, kayaking and even scuba diving are all just minutes from town.
