So here we are, the so called End of the World! After an Argentinian Patagonia where the landscape pulls more towards a flat yellow and green land with mountains in the background, the Argentinian Tierra de Fuego (fireland) offers a different landscape: still flat at some points (but more yellow - brownish) and with mountains in the background but with a strong variety of landscape from one point to another. It's scenery is more colourful and vivid in terms of fauna: the trees' colour is stronger and much greener, and with an present mist amongst the valley the scenery sometimes resembles to a dense jungle place. |
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We stayed three days in Ushuaia visiting the different points of interest: leaving aside the expensive boat ride to go to the light house, seal lion and penguins island, we hiked to the Laguna Esmeralda (10km way back) through a unstable and muddy nature where the only available path is the one you make for yourself. We saw the view over the town and bay from down the glacier located 8km north from the city centre and we enjoy visiting the national park Tierra del Fuego with a group of Chilean who nicely took us hitchhikers around the park. We even share some Chilean pisco at the Argentinian and Chilean boarder in the middle of the woods. We also enjoyed reuniting with a couple of friends we met on the Chilean ferry a couple of weeks earlier, and shared a delicious Parilla together. That's what I love so much about travelling, the encounters you make should it be
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on a bus, activity or hostel and keep along the way!
Despite the summer the weather in Ushuaia remains fresh, humid and often rainy - it even snowed on the mountains while we were there! One of the only disappointments I had is that I didn't feel like being at the end of the world. I didn't expect the city to be so big (70.000 inhabitants), and so developed. Everything is touristic and hence expensive. Nothing is really authentic, disorientating and exotic, and typical of a last town at the top of the world. In fact Ushuaia isn't the most southern place, a village called Puerto Williams in Chile is. And from what I've read and heard it sounds more like what I expect. |
TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK
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LAGUNA ESMERALDA
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Transport: a 12 hour bus ride from Punta Arenas during the day as we cross the border. CLP 34.000 (50€)
Accommodation: a comfortable Couchsurfing a bit far from the city centre but close to the national park. The public transport service in Ushuaia being almost inexistent, locals easily take hitchhikers from one point to another of the city.
F&B: the local speciality is the Centolla, a sort of giant king crab. We ate at The Villagio a delicious meal of Centolla casserole and gnocchis with Centolla, for a total cost of ARS 680 (40€). The other treat was an all you can eat Parilla for ARS 380 (22€) at La Parilla which includes an open salad buffet, refill of meat, French fries and a desert.
Activities: the Laguna Esmeralda hike is free of entrance. The only cost is the transport (ARS 300 - 18€ way back). The glacier hike is also free of entrance, the bus costs ARS 150 (9€) way back or a taxi costs between ARS 150-160 one way. The national park entrance costs ARS 330 (20€) and the transport from the city centre ARS 400 (24€) for a return ticket.
Accommodation: a comfortable Couchsurfing a bit far from the city centre but close to the national park. The public transport service in Ushuaia being almost inexistent, locals easily take hitchhikers from one point to another of the city.
F&B: the local speciality is the Centolla, a sort of giant king crab. We ate at The Villagio a delicious meal of Centolla casserole and gnocchis with Centolla, for a total cost of ARS 680 (40€). The other treat was an all you can eat Parilla for ARS 380 (22€) at La Parilla which includes an open salad buffet, refill of meat, French fries and a desert.
Activities: the Laguna Esmeralda hike is free of entrance. The only cost is the transport (ARS 300 - 18€ way back). The glacier hike is also free of entrance, the bus costs ARS 150 (9€) way back or a taxi costs between ARS 150-160 one way. The national park entrance costs ARS 330 (20€) and the transport from the city centre ARS 400 (24€) for a return ticket.