Tierra del Fuego is about as far south as you can get while still being in civilization. It’s the land at the End of the World – the extreme southern tip of Argentina, just across the mythical Strait of Magellan in Patagonia. The island is also the jumping off point for stout-hearted Antarctica adventurers.
The gateway into Tierra del Fuego is its capital, Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. The town of 80,000 sits on a wide bay on the southern coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and supports a lively light industrial port and emerging tourism.
It’s a place of dramatic, rugged scenery. Looking out across Beagle Channel south of Ushuaia, you know that beyond the mountainous islands you can see is the 600-mile-wide Drake Passage and then Antarctica. In between is a kingdom of sculpted snow and ice, countless colonies of penguins, pods of breaching whales, sea lions, giant petrels, great wandering albatross and massive Andean condors, the largest flying birds in the world with wingspans of 12 feet.
Expedition ships traverse the Drake regularly for forays into Antarctica and a chance to walk contemplatively with throngs of penguins and seals, as well as to go on hikes to higher elevations for terrific views of icebergs and glaciers. For the ultimate experience, rent a sea kayak and explore these wildlife habitats silently.
There’s only one colony of charismatic King penguins on the continent, and it’s found at Pinguino Rey Park on Chile’s side of the Strait of Magellan. The Kings are second in size only to the Emperor and are wonderful divers. Visit in the summer and you may see some chicks. Over on Isla Martillo, you’re invited to mingle with genial colonies of Magellanic and Gentoo penguins who’ve made that island their home.
It was the Yamanas more than 10,000 years ago who called the area Tierra del Fuego, named after the large bonfires they kept going to brace against the cold weather. The indigenous tribe carved long, pointed canoes made of bark and featuring small fireplaces midships.
Despite its name, the “Train of the Prisoners” is actually a delightful steam-driven chain of coaches that merely traces the same route trains took years ago ferrying convicts in Ushuaia to work nearby timber fields. Today, VIP passengers enjoy three-course dinners. The excursion train, also known as the End of the World train, is a very good way to get into Tierra del Fuego National Park out along the coast, a remote part of the island that’s unusually rich in wildlife.
Just a couple of miles outside of Ushuaia is something pretty special, the Martial glacier. Take a short hike, cross a couple of streams, catch the chairlift and viola for amazing vistas of Beagle Channel.
The 1884 lighthouse that inspired Jules Verne’s novel The Lighthouse at the End of the World still stands on a bay in Isla de los Estados, bidding sailors adios as they enter Antarctica.
In Ushuaia, many fine restaurants beckon with local specialties: Fuegian lamb (they say the dish’s nuanced flavors come from where the lambs pasture), Patagonian toothfish (aka Chilean sea bass) and the piece de resistance, king crab from the Southern Sea. Wherever you dine, follow it up with a cup of strong black Argentinian coffee cut with hot milk and see if they have some alfajores, local sweets filled with dulce de leche.
Stay at the Los Cauquenes Resort and Spa on Beagle Channel, a wooden lodge offering active adventures (like intriguing hikes) and a gorgeous setting. Also overlooking the Beagle is the Arakur Ushuaia Resort, with two heated pools and on-site stables situated in its own nature reserve.
Visit during their summer (November to March), when days are longer and the weather is mild.
