Ushuaia - Beagle Channel

---

Ushuaia calls itself Fin del Mundo (End of the World). It’s the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost city in the world. It’s located on the southern coast of the island of Tierra del Fuego, with Martial mountain range to the north and Beagle Channel to the south.

We started the day with a cruise of the Beagle Channel. The onboard guide was very informative but I could not remember much. The boat ride was choppy at times and one passenger looked ill the whole time. I was thankful that I don’t suffer from motion sickness. We saw the iconic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, cruised by small islands with sea lions, birds (mostly cormorants, a few seagulls and other birds I don’t know the names to), and made a stop on Isla Bridges to see some Yamana settlement remains and where we had a great view of the surrounding mountains, mostly on the Chilean side of the Channel. I learned about the 3 routes to cross from Pacific Atlantic: Magellan Strait (all Chilean), Beagle Channel (part Argentinian and part Chilean) and Drake’s Passage (international water). Our guide also told us about the reason behind the unusual border division between Argentina and Chile in Tierra del Fuego but I can’t remember anymore. Ushuaia may be the southernmost city in the world, but there is a more southern town and a further more southern village on the Chilean side.

In the afternoon we took a 1:30 hour bus ride to the first Estancia (Estancia Harberton) on Tierra del Fuego to access a penguin island via a zodiac. Initially I was a bit hesitant because human presence would invariably alter penguin behaviour but I was told there were well marked trails with minimal disruption the resident penguins. I am sure our presence would change penguin behaviour but I’ve only seen them on TV and zoos and could not turn down the opportunity. There were two types of penguins: the larger gentoo and the smaller and more numerous magellanic penguins. Until then I didn’t know that they burrow, maybe because I’ve only seen the Antarctic penguins on TV. We kept our distance and walked on well-marked trails to stay away from their burrows to minimize our presence on the island. Most penguins didn’t seem to care and some were probably just as curious about us as we are about them.
Before the bus ride back I stopped by a small museum on the estancia where a university educated guide gave us a very detailed tour around the small, but extensive collection of local marine mammal remains. The lady was very knowledgeable. I learned about the 3 differences between a sea lion and a seal: sea lions have external ears, knees and nail on toes vs hands for seals – you can tell them apart by how they scratch themselves.

---

Photos

Beagle Channel cruise
Beagle Channel cruise