Getting to the end of the world is not an easy task! We wanted to visit Ushuaia, Argentina in order to experience sailing the Beagle Channel.
After some deliberation we decided to fly to Ushuaia from El Calafate where we had been visiting the Perito Moreno glacier. Firstly, the bus journey would have involved two buses, a start in the middle of the night and a stop in Rio Gallegos before moving on (across a bridge) to Ushuaia. We didn’t much fancy this route, and it turns out that bus travel is actually quite costly in Argentina, so we wouldn’t spend much more by flying.
Secondly, our guide-book boasted that the landing by aeroplane in Ushuaia was one of the top experiences in the area…we were intrigued!.. and indeed the landing was quite something; as our plane emerged from the clouds over the mountains, we quickly swooped down into the bay of Ushuaia and performed some tight circles before landing on a short peninsula, quite like a vulture slowly descending onto its carcass (note the poetic analogy here!). It was really quite wobbly as the plane fought against the wind and the views of the surrounding mountains looming over the town were quite eerily impressive.
Ushuaia, once home of the Yámana people, is now the capital of the Tierra del Fuego region. Ushuaia also claims to be the capital of The Malvina Islands, or Falkland Islands which are still under British control. In Ushuaia you cannot fail to be constantly reminded of the Falklands War and continued emotion that surrounds the ownership of the islands. There are memorials to those who fought and fell during the war, monuments, war relics and even signs proclaiming Argentinean sovereignty over the islands. The topic is clearly still controversial and strongly felt in this part of the country, it is a wound that is still very much open.
Ushuaia is commonly regarded as the southernmost city in the world, the last outpost of civilization in the southern hemisphere before conditions for human settlements become prohibitive. It is also the place from which many Antarctica cruises depart, but as that is a very expensive trip, we may have to wait until we are retired to do it. And since we have already taken plenty of time off the “rat race” that probably won’t happen until our late 80s!
Ushuaia is a rather windy and inhospitable place, rarely enjoying more than 14 degrees Celsius in temperature, so make sure to bring your winter gear. It also rains about half of the year and over 200 days a year are cloudy, so don’t forget to bring your rain coat as well. At least Ushuaians know how to keep warm, the house that we stayed in was heated like a furnace. We certainly experienced some of this bad weather and even got caught in a rain storm which left Jess with wet knickers! Luckily we found refuge in a cafe that served the typical king crab soup, a local delicacy not to be missed, especially if you are soaking wet and shivering!
By divine intervention, the weather on the day of our sailing on the famous Beagle Channel was nothing short of perfect. Although it was fresh and windy, the sun was out and the sky was a welcome blue. The Beagle Channel was named after HMS The Beagle upon whose second sailing a young Charles Darwin travelled. Apparently his trip on The Beagle was instrumental in helping him develop a rather important theory about the evolution of species or something!
We chose to sail on the Beagle Channel with a company called Tres Marias as they are the only company authorised to land on Isla H. This is because their captain wrote a well-known book about submarine Patagonia and so he has special access. They operate a small boat and a sailing boat. It is essential to choose a small vessel as it will get you closer to the islands, however be warned that it might not sail if the weather is inclement. There are plenty of larger vessels to choose from but the downside is that they are stuffed full of humans and don’t allow that intimate experience with the environment that only a small vessel can offer. The day before we went on our trip, all of the sailings had been cancelled; therefore it is indispensable to leave yourself some wiggle room to accommodate for adverse weather conditions. Our sailing cost about £40 each and lasted for approximately 4.5 hours. Hot drinks and a snack (an alfajor of course!) were included.
Our trip
We had a great view of Ushuaia as we sailed out towards The Beagle Channel.
We saw many types of birds and a whole island of nesting cormorants.
One of the highlights was the lighthouse at the end of the world. Technically there are others, but this one is available for photographs!
We were able to get quite close to an island of basking sea lions with 6 month old cubs. Some of them waved at us, no seriously!
We shopped at Isla H for a mini-trek and this was probably the most interesting part of the tour as our guide set to work explaining about the landscape, the flora and the fauna. He even made us rub some kelp on our faces claiming that it would make our skin smoother. To his credit the skin was smoother, but we also smelled like a fish monger at the end of 12 hour shift! We also got to stand where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet.
The Beagle Channel is not the only attraction in Ushuaia, people also visit the area to explore the Martial glacier. However, given the cost involved in being in the area and the small fortune we had already spent on the rest of Patagonia we decided to just cruise on the channel. It was definitely the highlight of our three days as the town itself doesn’t have a huge deal to offer other than overpriced asados, king crabs and never-ending souvenirs. We however felt that visiting Patagonia without hopping into Tierra del Fuego would make an incomplete picture of this extraordinary part of the world.
The cruise on the Beagle Channel made our visit to Ushuaia totally worthwhile as it is one of those rare places in which you feel that a neat separation between civilization and unspoilt nature is still present. Just looking over the horizon and imagining that the land has been off-limits to most men throughout history, and has only become recently accessible (though with considerable difficulty), gives you a sense of being in a place that is unlike many other on earth. Being there offers an opportunity to reflect on the role we play in conquering and often shaping nature to our advantage in the name of “progress” regardless of the consequences. Hopefully, places like this will continue to remind us of our delicate place in the ecosystem and the respect and duty of care that we owe it for a long time to come.
Hi Alex and Jess,
It has been great to read your blogs of you both living the dream in South America. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and peace and joy for the new year. Safe travels and take care. Samia & Mushy X
Hi Samia,
It’s so nice to hear from you, hope everything is well in good old CEB and in your private life. God I can’t believe that we have been traveling for six months now. Thanks very much for following our movements on the blog, means a lot to us.
We wish you and Mushy a very happy christmas and and even better new year.
We will certainly see each other again in 2016.
Take care.
Alex and Jess