You may be wondering if it's worth the hype or not to visit Ushuaia, fin del mundo! After all, it's almost 11,000km to Toronto and about 30 hours flying time to get there, it's that far. For us, it certainly was.
The infamous lighthouse, often mistaken for the Jules Vern's Lighthouse at the end of the world
Most people head off on their Antartica adventures by way of Ushuaia. We weren't visiting for this reason (no surprise, it is quite expensive) but had lots to see and do without feeling like we were missing out on something. I've heard people describe this town as ugly and a waste of time but I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder on this one. We really enjoyed our time there, and there is a thrill to know you've travelled as far as you can before hopping off the continent.
Ushuaia, a city of 80,000 Patagonians in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, is quite developed and you sometimes forget that you really are quite far south on the bottom tip of South America. Puerto Williams, it's Chilean cousin, sadly always gets second billing even though technically it is the southernmost inhabited place on earth. We weren't able to make it here, but from what I have seen in my research, it truly does feel like the last outpost and would be quite something to visit.
Budget for 2 people, 4 nights USD
Flight from Calafate to USH $274
Taxi from airport to city $6
Airbnb - 4 nights $212
Boat tour $121
Bus to Tierra del Fuego park $34
Park entrance fees $31
Bus to Punta Arenas $134
Total for 2 $812
Tierra del Fuego - Things to Do
This archipelago whose name translates to the Land of Fire when it was discovered by Ferdinand Magellan, is home to Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, the main reason why we wanted to come here.
Getting to the Park
There are various group tours into the park, but we took the public shuttle vans which you can catch each morning at the bus terminal in Ushuaia. There is a little booth with signs you can't miss. They charged 6,000 pesos per person at the time we visited (Feb 2023). No reservations are taken, you just show up a half hour or so before and pay in cash. There are fixed departures which can change so swing by the day prior to confirm times with the ticket attendants. The buses make about 4 stops inside the park and you can take any of them to return. Make sure you keep your ticket stubs as you'll need it for your return back to town.
Hiking
Dave doing his thing on Lapataia Bay
There are numerous hikes in the park and surroundings and I would highly recommend the Coastal (Costera) Trail, about 8km one way. It meanders along beautiful Lapataia Bay and is a fairly easy hike with no major elevation challenges. To get here, you take the public shuttle bus to the second stop after the park entrance (where you get off to pay the fee) at Ensenada Zaratiegui. There are clean portable-pottys with sinks here if you need it. The famed post office at the end of the world is located right here on the lake. Just a word of warning, if you end up here at the same time as the large tour buses, it gets very crowded. You can have a commemorative stamp in your passport but know that this is sometimes considered 'unauthorized defacing' of your document by some countries and renders it invalid. Better yet, bring your travel journal and use that instead. The crowd dissipates quite quickly once you get going and its unlikely you will pass many people. The hike ends abruptly off the main road and it's a short walk to the Alakush Visitor Centre with a cafeteria and restrooms. From here, you can continue hiking to the end of the Pan American highway sign, another 4km/2 hrs away. There is a bus stop here but check to be sure with your driver.
Another hike of interest is the relatively flat Hito XXIV trail (7.2km out and back) also not far from the visitor centre. This trail crosses on foot to the Chilean border at Hito XXIV which is the sole reason for doing this hike.
We didn't take the Train at the end of the world tour, but there are tours or the public bus can take you to the train station (first stop). You can ride it first and then hike parts of the park, and hop back on the bus to town. Note, it was extremely crowded in February, their peak season. As we're not big on crowds, we passed on the ride.
If you are wanting to check out more glaciers on your visit, consider the Martial Glacier. If you have seen the ones at Torres del Paine or Perito Moreno, don't expect this one to top those. Nevertheless, it's an interesting windy route to get there and can be done without taking a taxi from town if you wanted to avoid that.
Get out on the Beagle Channel!
One must-do is to take a boat ride out on the Beagle Channel. The prices range quite a bit, with Piratour being quite expensive at around $150 USD per person. They are the only operator that can stop at a penguin colony and allow you to disembark. Whichever tour operator you choose, go with a small boat to have a much more intimate experience. We went with Patagonia Explorer which we got a great deal on through Viator ($60 USD pp) and would highly recommend if you don't have your heart set on visiting Penguin Island. You get quite close to the lighthouse as well as the sea lion colony and Comorant rookeries. On the way back, they stop off at their private island for a short 1km hike to view Ushuaia and the surrounding mountains.
View looking back at Ushuaia from Isla Bridges
A Tale of Centollas and Empanadas
The fishing season for centolla (king crab) was over when we arrived in Ushuaia so we did not get to taste what the Ushuaia food scene is known for the most. We did see crab on the menu at a couple restaurants but decided to pass as we weren't sure how fresh it would be.
As disappointing as that was, we did come across THE BEST EMPANADAS in all of Ushuaia and also of our entire trip! I would highly highly recommend that you visit Empanada Un Buen Lugar, a small take-out only restaurant that makes empanadas to order. It will take a little longer, but it is so worth it. We ate 12 in one sitting. We went back another day but they were closed. That may have been even more disappointing than not getting fresh centolla.
A word on the long-distance bus to Punta Arenas
Our journey to Ushuaia has come to an end after spending 33 days in Southern Patagonia. We now had a 12 hour bus ride back to Punta Arenas in Chile as we made our way back toward Santiago and then home. We considered flying back to Santiago but crossing countries by air adds a significant cost versus going by bus. The bus is also more eco-friendly so another reason to consider this mode of transportation.
The bus ride actually took 11 hours, but you wouldn't think it was that long as there are many stops along the way, including a short ferry ride across the Strait of Magellan. We never once had to use the on-board bathroom. Lunch is provided from the famous Panadería La Unión in the town of Tolhuin, and includes a short stop here.
As there are strict rules on what you can bring into Chile, remember to not pack fresh meat and nuts as it will be confiscated. There is an X-ray and dog-sniffing security at the Customs crossing.
I hope this was helpful! Let us know if you have any questions or comments, and please visit our YouTube channel on our trip to South America if you would like to see our guides. Don't forget to like and subscribe as it helps our little channel! We would truly appreciate your support and any comments as well.