Argentina Guide
Tierra del Fuego
Across the Magellan Strait from mainland Patagonia, TIERRA DEL FUEGO is a land of windswept bleakness, whose settlements seem to huddle with their backs against the elements: cold winters, cool summers, gales in the spring, frost in the autumn. Yet this remote archipelago, tucked away at the foot of the South American continent, exercises a fascination over many travellers. Some look to follow in the footsteps of the region's famous explorers, such as navigator Ferdinand Magellan, naturalist Charles Darwin or more recently, author Bruce Chatwin. Others just want to see what it's like down here, at the very end of the world.
Though comprising a number of islands, it's more or less the sum of its most developed part, Isla Grande, the biggest island in South America. Its eastern section, roughly a third of the island, along with a few islets, belongs to Argentina – the rest is Chilean territory. The major destination for visitors is the Argentine city of Ushuaia, a year-round resort on the south coast. Beautifully located, backed by distinctive jagged mountains, it is the base for visiting the tremendous Beagle Channel, rich in marine wildlife, and the wild, forested peaks of the Cordillera Darwin. With the lakes, forests and tundra of Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego just 12km to the west, and historic Estancia Harberton, home to descendants of Thomas Bridges, an Anglican missionary who settled here in 1871, a short excursion from the city, you could easily spend a week or so in the area.
Highlights
1 Reaching Ushuaia The town's dramatic location – wedged between the tail-end of the Andes and the Beagle Channel – makes this a landing to remember.
2 Kaupe Plucked straight from the Beagle Channel, centolla appears on all the best menus in Ushuaia; Kaupe excels in this and other seafood.
3 Wildlife in the Beagle Channel Spot albatrosses and sea lions, terns and whales as you brave the elements in this stunningly beautiful waterway.
4 Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego Parakeets and hummingbirds are some of the surprising inhabitants of this precious forestland.
5 Rutas complementarias Get away from it all at charming Estancia Rivadavia, or get a taste of working life on a Fuegian farm at historic Estancia Viamonte.