Patagonia (Argentina) - Part 1: Ushuaia

25 April 2025

On South America’s southern frontier, nature grows wild, barren and beautiful. Spaces are large, as are the silences that fill them. For us, just newly arrived, the emptiness was as impressive as the first sight of its jagged peaks, pristine rivers and glacial lakes.

Patagonia also amazes by its sheer size. Covering an area of 1 million square kilometres, it is larger than 80% of countries on earth. It comprises about half of Chile and half of Argentina and is home to less than 5% of either country's population, making it the least populated region on the planet.

Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to set foot in Patagonia in 1520. He encountered Tehuelche natives and considered them giants 'so tall that the tallest of us only came up to their waist'. Magellan called the natives patagónes, or 'big feet', and this is where the region's name originates.

This vast wilderness is nearly endless, and that’s part of its allure. The lack of extensive infrastructure there is well documented and means that travelling through it can be a logistical challenge. Especially if you’re rather short on time, as we were. So, with so much land to cover, we decided to focus on four absolute must-sees: Ushuaia, Perito Moreno Glacier, Mount Fitzroy and Bariloche.

We flew from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and stepping off the plane, it felt like the last outpost before stepping off the map altogether. For intrepid explorers seeking to navigate the treacherous waters of Cape Horn to explore Antarctica in the 19^th century, Ushuaia marked the edge of the known world. This "end-of-the-world" designation that the town has embraced captures its history and remoteness. South of here is nothing but sea, until one hits the icy landscapes of Antarctica.

Here too, the Andes, the world’s longest mountain range, stretching over 7,000 kilometres from Venezuela in the north to Chile and Argentina in the south, cascades into the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean in very dramatic fashion. The Andes is responsible for many of the region’s most beautiful landscapes and lakes.

We spent three nights in Ushuaia and it felt like that was just the right amount of time to take in the best of what it has to offer:

• no visit to Ushuaia is complete without an expedition cruise through the Beagle Channel. This waterway, named after Charles Darwin's HMS Beagle, offers incredible wildlife encounters. We spotted sea lions basking on rocky outcrops and caught a glimpse of migrating whales. The views of Ushuaia’s rugged coastline and the iconic Les Éclaireurs Lighthouse were stunning.

• just 12 kilometres from town, the sprawling Tierra del Fuego National Park is a haven for nature lovers. Trails wind through forests, alongside rivers, and up to panoramic viewpoints overlooking the Beagle Channel. Patagonian wildlife abounds, we spotted guanacos, foxes and various species of birds.

• the Museo Maritimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia is a former prison that closed in 1947. Apart from being a rather spooky, it does offer a few side galleries into local history and exploration and is definitely worth a visit. 

• Ushuaia Harbour is where we spent our mornings, it has a long walking path that leads to a few historical ships, but more importantly, impressive views over Ushuaia Bay. It is even more beautiful in the evenings.  

• a visit to Martillo Island, involving a 70km drive along the picturesque Provincial Route "J.", to the fishing village of Puerto Almanza, followed by a 40 minute boat ride in the Beagle Channel, did not live up to our expectations. We counted just three penguins, the rest of the colony had already migrated. The tour company did promise us an unforgettable experience and this did turn out to be true, if for the wrong reasons.

The town of Ushuaia itself is an eclectic mix of historic fishing and art deco-style buildings. It is a strange place which nonetheless does grow on you the deeper you dig into its unprepossessing appearance. But for now it was time to move on to our next destination, El Calafate.