This far-flung chilly city will warm your heart with crab feasts, colourful murals and some of the best baked goods around. Here are nine reasons to visit. Welcome to the End of the World Ushuaia, capital of the Argentinian province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands, isn’t nicknamed Fin del Mundo (End of the World) for nothing.
The windswept four-seasons-in-a-day port city, dangling at the bottom of South America, is some 3000 kilometres by road from Buenos Aires – further than driving from Cairns to Melbourne. Ushuaia is the southernmost city in Argentina. Almost 90 per cent of tourists heading to Antarctica will pass through the city thanks to its proximity to the Antarctic Peninsula, which takes two days to reach by ship.
If flying into the world’s southernmost city (a title that Chile’s tiny Puerto Williams also claims), grab a right-hand window seat to be wowed by its drama-filled, snow-capped setting on the Beagle Channel. See turismoushuaia.com Hike the Land of Fire Those surrounding peaks, and what’s within their furrows and folds, attract a stream of outdoor enthusiasts.
Take your pick from easy to challenging hikes that show off glaciers, waterfalls, lagoons, peatbogs and even beaver dams (the animals are considered an invasive species here) or sign up for a 4WD outing or a fun-filled pack-rafting trip. The city is 11 kilometres from Tierra del Fuego National Park (the name means “Land of Fire”), which butts up against the bord.