Ushuaia (founded in 1884) is the capital of the southernmost Argentinian province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands; south of the Great Island of Tierra del Fuego, near the Beagle Channel, the city is considered the southernmost of the world. There is a deep water port that is closest to Antarctica and is surrounded by the Martial and Olivia Mountains and valleys. Its climate is subpolar oceanic comparable to that of Reykjavik, Iceland. The weather is often cloudy and misty and snowfall is common and can occur at any time of year as the temperatures remain always around 0 ° C but is also exposed to prevailing winds west, the westerlies which bring softness and moisture throughout the year. The williwaws, sudden and violent winds, are often a hazard to navigation. During most of the first half of the twentieth century, the city developed around a prison for especially dangerous criminals; their main activities were cut timber on land surrounding the prison and build the city. Today, almost the entire economy of Ushuaia is related to tourism in a direct and indirect way. To visit or see: Tierra del Fuego National Park (where you will see Lapataia Bay and the border with Chile); the museum’s southernmost of the world (ethnographic and historical heritage of the province); the southernmost lighthouse of the world (famous for the novel by Jules Verne); among others.
Tips
There’s a variety of hotel facilities, from the hostel to the five-star one even as campsites.
Several activities invite the visitor to discover this part of the world; you can take a boat or ship to go to the Beagle Channel to see cormorants, Magellanic penguins and sea lions on the surrounding islands. The ideal is to take a few days to see the glaciers also, Cape Horn, the Cordillera, etc. Yachts and charter ships make the crossing to the Falkland Islands and Antarctica.
From June to September (winter), the city is also a trail ski resort and known worldwide for its quality background snow.
You can also go fishing, horseback riding, trekking, fly over the area by small plane or simply walk to discover the place and its nature.
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