One Perfect Day in Ushuaia Before Your Antarctic Cruise
By Vámonos Amigo Ushuaia Team
You've flown to the bottom of the world and you have one free day before your ship sails. Don't spend it in your hotel room. Here is the day we'd plan for a first visit to Ushuaia.
Morning: Tierra del Fuego National Park. Start early and head west of town to the national park, where the mountains, forests and lakes meet the sea. Walk the coastal trails, stop at Ensenada Zaratiegui bay (its little "end of the world" post office doesn't open every season, so don't count on mailing a postcard), and stand at Lapataia Bay, where Argentina's Route 3 comes to an end. The easiest way to see it all is a guided tour with hotel pickup.
Book it: Tierra del Fuego National Park tour with hotel pickup
Add-on: The End of the World Train. Many park tours include a ride on the Southern Fuegian Railway, a narrow-gauge steam train that once carried prisoners to cut wood. It's slow, a little touristy and absolutely charming, especially for kids and grandparents.
Book it: Park tour with the End of the World Train
Afternoon: The old prison. Back in town, visit the Maritime and Prison Museum. Ushuaia grew up around its prison, and walking through the old cell blocks explains why this city exists at all.
Evening: Dinner on San Martín Street. Try centolla, the southern king crab, or a Patagonian lamb roasted over an open fire. Then walk down to the harbor and look for your ship.
If you'd rather hike, ask about the Laguna Esmeralda trail, a half-day walk through peat bogs to a glacier-fed lake. Go with a guide if the weather looks uncertain, because it changes fast down here.
Book it: Guided Laguna Esmeralda hike