Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego – I cannot decide if the right word is incurious, indifferent, or perhaps even disinterested. But it is a word somewhere in that category that describes this place for me. Not my feelings about it, though I could, perhaps develop something quite similar – it’s more the general, pervasive attitude I’ve found. Folks are friendly enough, in the “hi, how ya doin’?” sort of way, but beyond that, there’s a blankness, perhaps even a bleakness… resigned… maybe that’s a good word, I even used it yesterday in expressing how I felt about the whole tourism thing here. It shows up in the tour guides, who, for the most part, could be following as well as leading, they’re simply accompanying… our young guide on yesterday’s visit to the pinguinera, which I’ll get to shortly, announced to us as we were getting on the bus to go back, “we’re just going to drive back via the same route, so I won’t be saying anything about it.” The guy sitting next to me grumbled, “She didn’t say anything on the way out, what’s the difference?” That wasn’t completely fair, she did say things like, “This is our first stop, you have five minutes to take pictures.” And a few times, she did actually manage a few sentences about somewhere that we were. It was the same the day before on the sailing trip – outside of the time on Isla H, we may as well have not existed for our guide. Waiters too – they’re just all so over it all that they go through the motions. The chefs and their food. The museums and their blank faced staff. The occasional person who’s actually engaged in what they’re doing here stands out like the proverbial diamond in a coal bin.
In the late 19th century, the land that is now called Ushuaia was inhabited entirely by Yamana Indians and a handful of missionaries. At the time of writing (October 2005), there is allegedly one pure-blooded native-speaking Yamana Indian left. An excellent book on the history of the Yamana and their demise is The Uttermost Part of the Earth by E. Lucas Bridges, the son of one of the early missionaries. His father, Thomas Bridges, documented what he could of the Yamana language and found that it had a far larger vocabulary than the English language. Darwin, who famously sailed through the Beagle Channel, thought that the Yamana, were "the missing link".
Today the town is growing fast as a result of increased tourism. The government has encouraged this growth by designating Tierra del Fuego a virtually tax-free zone to encourage people to settle (many of the inhabitants of today's Ushuaia come from Chaco, in the north of Argentina). The cost of living however, is relatively high as all goods have to be transported long distances, usually by container ship.
Climate-wise, Ushuaia is warmer than many assume; although (arguably) the southernmost city in the world, it is no further south than Belfast is north, and temperatures rarely drop below -10°C. However, summers tend not to climb much above +12°C and, as in all of Patagonia, strong winds add a significant wind chill factor.
Get around
There is no public transport around Tierra del Fuego. However, tours / transport can be booked through the Tourist Office (on San Martin) or through many of the hostels. Taxis are another option, costing, for example, Ar$8 to get from the city centre to either the airport or Glaciar Martial. There are also several car / bicycle hire companies.
SeeThe main shopping district of Ushuaia is located near the waterfront and offers everything that souvenir-seekers and Antarctic travelers could want. While Antarctic travelers should (obviously) arrive with proper gear already in their possession, quality winter gear including boots, coats, and other necessities can be purchased from a variety of shops.
The Uttermost Part of the Earth
Estancia Harberton was established in 1886, when the missionary pioneer Thomas Bridges (1842-1898) resigned from the Anglican mission at Ushuaia. The estancia was named for Harberton, Devon, the home of his wife, Mary Ann Varder (1842-1922). Bridges was the author of a dictionary of the Yamana or Yaghan language, and their son Lucas Bridges (1874-1949) would write The Uttermost Part of the Earth about his boyhood, the Yamana, and the family's adventures in getting the dictionary published in Europe.
Harberton's present manager and part-owner, Tommy Goodall (born 1933), is Thomas Bridges’s great-grandson, who still manages the estancia with his wife, American biologist Rae Natalie Prosser, with help from their daughter and her children. (Though the Bridges name has been daughtered out, there is a Thomas in every generation.) The principal enterprise in the 21st century is tourism. Visitors can tour the grounds, outbuildings, gardens, cemetery, and a botantical garden with replica Yamana huts. Nearby is the Museo Acatushún de Aves y Mamíferos Marinos Australes of the natural history of the region’s marine mammals and birds. It is also possible to visit Magellanic penguin rookeries at Isla Martillo not far away. Meals are available at the dining room and shop in the main complex of buildings.
The season runs from October to April. There are regular bus and van tours from Ushuaia, 85 km to the west via paved and gravel roads.
The estancia is located on the Beagle Channel, 85 km to the east of Ushuaia by road. You reach the estancia by following National Route 3 (40 km, paved) to where it starts up over the mountain at Rancho Hambre, then taking the hilly, winding, unpaved Provincial Route J (now called Ruta 33), for 45 kms more, about an hour and a half. Most of the road follows the Río Lasifashaj through the Valle Tierra Mayor, first past winter sports centers and then down a long valley behind the coastal range until you reach the Beagle Channel again at Bahía Almirante Brown. Across the bay and channel you can see Puerto Williams, the small town on the north coast of Isla Navarino.
Along the road you can enjoy beautiful Fuegian landscapes, its mountain ranges, dense Nothofagus forests, extensive Sphagnum peat-bog valleys and later, along the coast, the characteristic “flag trees” formed by the strong west-southwest winds. The area abounds in unique geological features, especially the low, northwest-southeastward-facing drumlins, elongated hills formed by glaciers which were rapidly receeding. Be sure to watch for the numerous beaver dams along the streams. We recommend a full gas tank, as there are no gas stations outside of town
As an estancia, the sheep were gradually discontinued after 1995 as uneconomical. The estancia now has only cattle and is open to the public from October 15th to April 15th, except on Christmas, New Year and Easter. Harberton has been open to the public since the early 1980s. The best way of getting to know the farm is taking the hour-long guided homestead tour. The guides are usually university tourism student interns, intensively trained by the family in flora, fauna and history of the area. The tour includes excellent views of the bay, mountains and islands to the southeast, then a stroll through The Park, TF's oldest Nature Reserve (fenced in the 1890s) to view the five kinds of native trees, other local flora, replicas of two types of native wigwam and learn family history. Coming down the hill, you enter some of the old buildings: the shearing shed, carpenter shop and boat house, walking step by step through history to end in the family garden with its 1894 terraces. The tour terminates in the Mánacatush Tea Room, part of the old house, where there are posters illustrating the native groups and Bridges, Lawrence and Goodall family history.
In addition, American biologist Rae Natalie Prosser (Tommy Goodall’s wife) has also created the Museo Acatushún de Aves y Mamíferos Marinos Australes (www.acatushun.com, US$2 pp), a bone museum stressing the region’s marine mammals but also seabirds and a few shorebirds; it’s open 10 a.m.–7 p.m. daily mid-October–mid-April. It’s also possible to visit Magellanic penguin rookeries at Isla Martillo (Yecapasela) with Pira Tour for US$18 per person; a small colony of gentoo penguins has recently established itself on the island, making this a more intriguing trip for those who’ve seen Magellanic penguins elsewhere.
Estancia Harberton (tel. 02901/422742, fax 029091/422743 in Ushuaia, ngoodall@tierradelfuego.org.ar) is 85 kilometers east of Ushuaia via paved RN 3 and gravel RC-j, but work has stopped on a new coastal road from Ushuaia that would shorten the distance. Mid-October–mid-April, the estancia is open for guided tours (US$4 pp) 10 a.m.–7 p.m. daily except Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter. Note that because of Harberton’s isolation there is no telephone and email communications can be slow, as they require a trip to Ushuaia.
Hertz, Address: San Martin 245, Ushuaia, Argentina
Ships Tours
4X4 Off-Road Lumberjack Trail & Hike - US09
Journey to the Fueguian Andes by 4 x 4. Arriving at the Carbajal Valley, a glacial valley covered in peat, your driver will take an old trail that leads into the forest. There will be time for a hike before a snack is served. This tour is not recommended for pregnant women or persons who have difficulty walking, or those who have back or neck problems. 4 hours £60 each
Beagle Channel Catamaran To Sea Wolves Island - US03
Board a catamaran and cruise the waterways of the Beagle Channel, including views of Bird Island and Sea Wolves Island, home to a large number of seals and sea lions. Don't forget your camera! 2.5 hours £56 each
Beagle Channel Navigation & National Park - US01
Board a catamaran for a cruise through the Beagle Channel passing Sea Wolves Island Nature Reserve. View the Les Eclaireures Light House. Disembark the catamaran at Lapataia Bay, and board a motor coach for a scenic drive through Tierra del Fuego National Park. 5 hours £90
Penguin Rookery Navigation - US05
Board a catamaran for a cruise along Lapataia Bay and to the Beagle Channel, passing Bird Island and Sea Wolves Island. Sail through the Les Eclaireurs Archipelago and view the lighthouse bearing the same name to Hammer Island to view a colony of Magellanic penguins. 6 hours £72
Tierra Del Fuego National Park - US08
Experience the unique scenery of Tierra del Fuego Island with its lakes, rivers, vegetation and peat bogs. Please note that roads on the tour can be very bumpy at times. 4 hours £56 each
Tierra Mayor Trekking - US04
During your 2 to 2.5 hour guided, narrated hike in the Tierra Mayor Valley Natural Reserve you'll view a forest of "Lengas," and cross ancient peat bogs for views of The Five Cascades spilling from the Alvear Mountains. Comfortable sturdy trekking shoes or boots are recommended. 4 hours. £50
Train Ride at the End of the World & Gaucho Show - US21
Experience nature at its best on your combination bus and train ride in the world's southernmost National Park. A Gaucho performance at Club Hipico is included. Tour order may vary. 3.5 hours £87