Ushuaia, Argentina

Location

At 55 degrees latitude south, Ushuaia (pronounced oo-swy-ah) is closer to the South Pole than to Argentina's northern border with Bolivia. It is the capital and tourism base for Tierra del Fuego, the island at the southernmost tip of Argentina.Although its stark physical beauty is striking, Tierra del Fuego's historical allure is based more on its mythical past than on rugged reality. The island was inhabited for 6,000 years by Yámana, Haush, Selk'nam, and Alakaluf Indians. But in 1902 Argentina, eager to populate Patagonia to bolster its territorial claims, moved to initiate an Ushuaian penal colony, establishing the permanent settlement of its most southern territories and, by implication, everything in between.When the prison closed in 1947, Ushuaia had a population of about 3,000, made up mainly of former inmates and prison staff. Today the Indians of Darwin's "missing link" theory are long gone—wiped out by diseases brought by settlers and by indifference to their plight—and the 60,000 residents of Ushuaia are hitching their star to tourism.The city rightly (if perhaps too loudly) promotes itself as the southernmost city in the world (Puerto Williams, a few miles south on the Chilean side of the Beagle Channel, is a small town). You can make your way to the tourism office to get your clichéd, but oh-so-necessary, "Southernmost City in the World" passport stamp. Ushuaia feels like a frontier boomtown, at heart still a rugged, weather-beaten fishing village, but exhibiting the frayed edges of a city that quadrupled in size in the '70s and '80s and just keeps growing. Unpaved portions of Ruta 3, the last stretch of the Pan-American Highway, which connects Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, are finally being paved. The summer months (December through March) draw more than 120,000 visitors, and dozens of cruise ships. The city is trying to extend those visits with events like March's Marathon at the End of the World and by increasing the gamut of winter activities buoyed by the excellent snow conditions.A terrific trail winds through the town up to the Martial Glacier, where a ski lift can help cut down a steep kilometer of your journey. The chaotic and contradictory urban landscape includes a handful of luxury hotels amid the concrete of public housing projects. Scores of "sled houses" (wooden shacks) sit precariously on upright piers, ready for speedy displacement to a different site. But there are also many small, picturesque homes with tiny, carefully tended gardens. Many of the newer homes are built in a Swiss-chalet style, reinforcing the idea that this is a town into which tourism has breathed new life. At the same time, the weather-worn pastel colors that dominate the town's landscape remind you that Ushuaia was once just a tiny fishing village, snuggled at the end of the Earth.As you stand on the banks of the Canal Beagle (Beagle Channel) near Ushuaia, the spirit of the farthest corner of the world takes hold. What stands out is the light: at sundown the landscape is cast in a subdued, sensual tone; everything feels closer, softer, and more human in dimension despite the vastness of the setting. The snowcapped mountains reflect the setting sun back onto a stream rolling into the channel, as nearby peaks echo their image—on a windless day—in the still waters.Above the city rise the last mountains of the Andean Cordillera, and just south and west of Ushuaia they finally vanish into the often-stormy sea. Snow whitens the peaks well into summer. Nature is the principal attraction here, with trekking, fishing, horseback riding, wildlife spotting, and sailing among the most rewarding activities, especially in the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego (Tierra del Fuego National Park).

Ushuaia, Argentina Itineraries

16 Nights

Grand Expedition Antarctica

Departure Date
05 Dec 24
Cruise Line Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Hanseatic Inspiration
Region Antarctica
Departure Port Ushuaia
Destination Port Ushuaia
Itinerary
Ushuaia, Port Stanley, South Georgia Island, South Orkney Islands and Ushuaia

From £11,520pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

11 Nights

Antarctic Explorer

Departure Date
05 Dec 24
Cruise Line Viking Ocean Cruises
Cruise Type
Ship Viking Octantis
Region Antarctica
Departure Port Ushuaia
Destination Port Ushuaia
Itinerary
Ushuaia, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctica, Antarctic Experience, Antarctica, Antarctica, Antarctic Experience and Ushuaia

From £11,295pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

13 Nights

12-Day Antarctica Exploration

Departure Date
06 Dec 24
Cruise Line Seabourn
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Seabourn Venture
Region Antarctica
Departure Port Buenos Aires
Destination Port Ushuaia
Itinerary
Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Ushuaia and Buenos Aires

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

38 Nights

Sunlit Strands & Icy Lands

Departure Date
07 Dec 24
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Marina
Region World-wide
Departure Port Miami, Florida
Destination Port Buenos Aires
Itinerary
Miami, Florida, Costa Maya, Harvest Caye, Roatán Island, Puerto Limón, Panama City, Panama City, Manta, Salaverry, Callao, Callao, Pisco, Coquimbo, San Antonio, Puerto Montt, Puerto Chacabuco, Laguna San Rafael National Park, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Port Stanley, Punta del Este, Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

50 Nights

South America Kaleidoscope

Departure Date
07 Dec 24
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Marina
Region South America
Departure Port Miami, Florida
Destination Port Rio de Janeiro
Itinerary
Miami, Florida, Costa Maya, Harvest Caye, Roatán Island, Puerto Limón, Panama City, Panama City, Manta, Salaverry, Callao, Callao, Pisco, Coquimbo, San Antonio, Puerto Montt, Puerto Chacabuco, Laguna San Rafael National Park, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Port Stanley, Punta del Este, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Montevideo, Itajai, São Francisco do Sul, Santos, Parati, Ilha Grande, Buzios, Rio de Janeiro and Rio de Janeiro

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

17 Nights

South America & the Chilean Fjords

Departure Date
12 Dec 24
Cruise Line Viking Ocean Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Viking Jupiter
Region South America
Departure Port Buenos Aires
Destination Port Valparaiso
Itinerary
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, Port Stanley, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, Valparaiso and Valparaiso

From £6,490pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

11 Nights

Antarctic Explorer

Departure Date
12 Dec 24
Cruise Line Viking Ocean Cruises
Cruise Type
Ship Viking Polaris
Region Antarctica
Departure Port Ushuaia
Destination Port Ushuaia
Itinerary
Ushuaia, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctica, Antarctica, Antarctica, Antarctica, Antarctica and Ushuaia

From £11,295pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

21 Nights

20-Day Antarctica, South Georgia & Falkland

Departure Date
15 Dec 24
Cruise Line Seabourn
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Seabourn Pursuit
Region Antarctica
Departure Port Buenos Aires
Destination Port Ushuaia
Itinerary
Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, New Island, West Point Island, Carcass Island, Saunders Island, Port Stanley, South Georgia Experience, South Georgia Experience, South Georgia Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Ushuaia and Buenos Aires

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

17 Nights

Antarctica & South Georgia Island

Departure Date
16 Dec 24
Cruise Line Viking Ocean Cruises
Cruise Type
Ship Viking Octantis
Region Antarctica
Departure Port Ushuaia
Destination Port Ushuaia
Itinerary
Ushuaia, West Point Island, Port Stanley, South Georgia Island, South Georgia Island, Antarctic Experience, Antarctic Experience, Antarctica, Antarctica, Antarctic Experience and Ushuaia

From £17,995pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

12 Nights

Antarctica in Depth

Departure Date
17 Dec 24
Cruise Line Scenic Ocean Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Scenic Eclipse
Region Antarctica
Departure Port Buenos Aires
Destination Port Ushuaia
Itinerary
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic Peninsula, Ushuaia, Ushuaia and Buenos Aires

From Please Call

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

20 Nights

Expedition Antarctica - Grand Expedition With Cape Horn

Departure Date
21 Dec 24
Cruise Line Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Hanseatic Inspiration
Region Antarctica
Departure Port Ushuaia
Destination Port Ushuaia
Itinerary
Ushuaia, Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, South Orkney Islands, Cape Horn and Ushuaia

From £15,270pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises

24 Nights

Antarctic & Patagonian Joy

Departure Date
21 Dec 24
Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Marina
Region Antarctica
Departure Port Callao
Destination Port Buenos Aires
Itinerary
Callao, Pisco, Coquimbo, San Antonio, Puerto Montt, Puerto Chacabuco, Laguna San Rafael National Park, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Port Stanley, Punta del Este, Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires

From £5,219pp

Plus substantial savings from Deluxe Cruises