Ushuaia Travel Guide

Ushuaia surprises you as soon as you step off the plane. The airport greets you with unusual architecture: the wooden finishes make it look like a cozy mountain lodge rather than a massive hub.

You can rent a car right at the airport. By the way, at the time of our visit, only Alamo allowed renting a car with a cash deposit instead of a credit card.

You can get to the city by Uber; it is about a 4-5 km drive.

All trade is concentrated here: souvenirs, winter equipment, restaurants, and agencies selling "last minute" tickets to Antarctica.

Walking along San Martín Avenue, there's a feeling as if you're walking through a cozy alpine village that mistakenly ended up on the shore of a harsh ocean. An amazing city!

If you need bright photos from your trip, be sure to find the penguin mural on San Martín Street. These penguins on a bright blue background have become a real symbol of the city.

This World War II veteran was sent to Ushuaia from the USA to rescue other ships. Almost immediately, Saint Christopher ran aground and remained forever in the waters of the Beagle Channel. Now its rusty body has become a home for cormorants and seagulls, and for us — a sad reminder that the end of the world is a place with character.

The city has an excellent pedestrian waterfront — be sure to take a walk along it, despite the piercing wind from the Beagle Channel. And a photo with the huge letters will be the best proof that you really visited the end of the world!

Ushuaia didn't start with tourism, but with hard labor: it was the prisoners who built most of the roads and buildings at the end of the world. They also built the prison itself from stone and wood. There was no chance of escape — there was simply nowhere to run, only the icy ocean and mountains all around.

Part of the complex was deliberately left without renovation and heating. Have you ever seen what a real prison looks like from the inside? Here you can walk through damp corridors, enter tiny cells, and even peek into the prison toilets — to feel with your whole skin the cold in which people lived just 100 years ago.

The restaurant is well located — on the main pedestrian street, and the windows offer a pleasant view of the Beagle Channel. We highly recommend trying the local seafood here — prices are reasonable, and the portion sizes and quality of dishes are very satisfying.

We found an amazing location in Ushuaia: with a babbling stream and that very view of the Andes. Every evening we came here to walk and dream about a trip to Antarctica.

You know, when you're already here, this idea doesn't seem crazy at all! The white continent is almost 20 times closer from here than home. The feeling that the dream is within reach.

Previously, this train carried convicts to logging, but recently the railway was restored and an old steam locomotive was launched on it. Now it takes tourists along one of the most beautiful routes in the world, deep into Tierra del Fuego National Park.

Honestly, the beauty around is incredible! It's hard to believe that the city has such a difficult history. But you won't be bored: to lift the mood, they put on entire performances with "prisoners" who jokingly try to kidnap tourists and take funny photos with them as souvenirs.

If you want to spend a bit more time walking in the park, you can head west to Lapataia Bay. There are excellent eco-trails here that you can walk for hours, admiring the mountain views. But keep in mind that the distances in the park are impressive, so it's better to drive to the bay itself, and then start the hiking route.

Right at the entrance to the port, there are dozens of tourism agency kiosks. You can compare prices and routes on the spot, but in December-January, tickets for popular tours along the Beagle Channel (especially with landing to see penguins) are better booked in advance.

The lighthouse stands on a tiny rocky islet in the middle of the Beagle Channel. Landing on it is prohibited, but the route of absolutely any water tour passes by Les Éclaireurs.

The islets around the lighthouse are literally covered with life. Pay attention to the rocks nearby — hundreds of sea lions and Magellanic cormorants usually rest there. From afar, they are easily confused with penguins due to their black and white coloring, but birds have an important distinguishing feature — they can fly.

And if the place suddenly seems romantic to you, the specific smell of "rotten fish" from the sea lion colony will quickly return you to the harsh reality of wildlife!

Even if your tour doesn't include landing on the island, penguins will frolic just meters from the side. Notice how funny they swim — like little dolphins, jumping and diving back and forth.

Mainly Magellanic penguins live here (small black and white birds in "tuxedos"). If you're lucky, you can meet gentoo or king penguins, but that would be real luck.

This is a place where you can not only ride a sled, but also get a huge dose of "husky therapy" — the dogs are very social and love to cuddle and take photos!

If you go in summer (December–February), be prepared to get a bit dirty in forest mud during the walk, but in winter here comes the time of real dog sledding on snow. The guide on site will quickly tell you how huskies are trained, what they eat, and why running is not hard work for them, but a favorite game.

Lake Fagnano is considered one of the largest lakes in South America. It is so huge that due to strong winds, there are often real sea waves on it.

By the way, a tectonic fault (the boundary between the South American and Antarctic plates) runs right here, so you will find yourself literally at the junction of two giant parts of the earth's crust.

We recommend trying Patagonian lamb cooked over fire, they say this restaurant serves one of the best in the region. In general, in Argentina there is a cult of meat, so they know how to cook it here. Around the restaurant there are several gazebos where you can sit after lunch and enjoy the views of the lake.