Ushuaia, located in Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina is the world’s southernmost city. Ushuaia offers the following points of interest;
- Central Ushuaia including Argentine BBQs, chocolate shops and bars
- Hiking to Glacier Martial
- Falkland Islands plaza and memorial
- Train of the End of the World
- Tierra Del Fuego National Park
- Flag Trees
- Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse
- Walk with penguins on Martillo Island
- Day trip to Penguin, Seal and Bird Islands
- Day trip to the Fuegian Andes – Lake Fagnano, Lake Escondido and Emerald Lake
- Start off point for trips to Antarctica
Hotels in Ushuaia Argentina range from basic to luxury and are usually good value. I recommend visiting in their summer as during the winter days are very short. During the summer months you can organize day trips from downtown.
Central Ushuaia
Visiting Ushuaia will give you bragging rights to have visited the world’s southernmost city. On a clear day Ushuaia is as picturesque as they come with the snow capped mountains in the distance. The city itself is full of the famous Argentine Parrillas which are restaurants where the famous Argentine meat is cooked on metal grilled barbecues. You’ll also find a few excellent chocolate shops here which are worth a try and then of course there are the bars. The most important thing to do in Ushuaia is take a photo with the Ushuaia – ‘End of the world’ sign which is close to the cruise port.
Glacier Martial
It’s possible to hike from Ushuaia to Glacier Martial, sadly due to global warming the glacier is shrinking. In fact during summer months Glacier Martial is almost non existent but still the views from the top are fantastic and exercise is always required whilst traveling.
Tierra Del Fuego National Park
It’s easy to organize a day trip to Tierra Del Fuego National Park from Ushuaia. Tierra De Fuego National Park has many points of interest to visit and photograph;
- Animals including red fox, guanaco, otter, beavers and rabbits
- The Beaver Dam (Castorera)
- The Lookout
- A southerly Post Office
- Short hikes including, Cerro Guanaco, De La Isla path, peat bog walk (Paseo del Turbal)
What is often mentioned about Tierra Del Fuego National Park is that otters and rabbits were introduced here (they are not native) and since their introduction they have caused lots of damage. The most serious damage has been caused by the otters who build unnecessary dams causing flooding.
World’s Most Southerly Post Office
As well as photographing the animals, birds and beautiful landscapes you can also visit the Post Office. When I visited this Post Office it was the world’s most southerly. What do you do when you are at the world’s most southerly post office? Send a postcard to your mum of course! I did exactly this and I had actually finished my trip and returned home before it arrived! Unfortunately this post office has since lost this title as the world’s most southerly as there is now a post office further south in Antarctica.
Train to the End of the World
For train enthusiasts it’s possible to visit Tierra Del Fuego National Park on the End of the World Train.
Flag Trees
Ushuaia is famous for its flag trees, you’ll see them on artwork, paintings, keyrings, fridge magnets and postcards for sale in Ushuaia but what’s so special about them? They’re unique looking trees, I certainly haven’t seen a tree like this in any other part of the world. They get this unique shape from the climate and they’re shaped by the wind. If you see one of these flag trees make sure you photograph it! The good news is that when you go on the walk with penguins day trip, most likely the tour bus will stop and let you photograph a flag tree.
Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse
An iconic photo from Ushuaia is the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in the Beagle Channel. Any tour you take that involves a boat will pass this lighthouse and for me it has become my favorite lighthouse photograph. In the Beagle channel you’ll pass islands covered with seawolves and Imperial Shag birds.
For those interested in more images from the Beagle channel, I have shared on my Instagram page photos of Imperial Shag Birds and Seawolves.
Day Trips from Ushuaia
For those who have a dream to walk with penguins you can take a day trip to Martillo Island which is a beach full of Magellanic penguins. On this beach you’ll be able to get close to the penguins and take lots of penguin action pictures. You cannot actually roam wild on the beach with the penguins as it would be unfair to have a boat full of tourist unleashed on them. You will stand on a section of the beach and if the penguins choose to they can get incredibly close.
Remember before taking the trip that these penguins are of the Magellanic variety, which is probably not the type of penguin you have seen on TV or in Happy Feet. In the Falkland Islands you do get to see penguins which you ‘ll have seen in Happy Feet!
Ushuaia to The Falklands Island Cruise Ship
From Ushuaia cruise port, I got back on the Celebrity Infinity which then sailed for the Falkland Islands which are east of Argentina. Whilst on the cruise ship, I experienced my first formal night which meant dressing up in a suit to enjoy my steak dinner. The sea was very rough whilst cruising out to The Falklands.
Great post! I have never thought about going to Ushuaia before when looking into going to Argentina defiantly going to have to check it out looks and sounds like and amazing location.
I can’t stop looking at your photos. They are really lovely. I agree that this place is like a haven for photographers, too! And I would like to visit the beach full of penguins too. I don’t care if they are not the Happy Feet type, lol.
Interesting read. I would like to visit that place. Ushuaia looks beautiful.
The place looks like an absolute paradise to photograph! Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse looks so beautiful – a lighthouse I’ve seen in a kid’s TV show. I’d be over the moon if I could walk with Penguins. Hope you enjoyed your time there 🙂
This is such an awesome post! I especially love the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse! It’s absolutely gorgeous!
This is absolutely fascinating – I’ve never heard of any of these things! That flag tree, day trips, cruise….reading that End of the world train next! It sounds bonkers. That penguin colony looks absolutely adorable too, it’s so wonderful to be able to be so near to these animals!
Wow this is such a beautiful place to visit. Its cool that you got to send the letter from the post office, I would have thought its just for show haha! The lighthouse is amazing, I would love to see that one day.
Penguin excursion!! that alone is a reason enough for me to wanna go there! Argentina has been on my bucket list for quite some time already.. I would love to rent a car and travel cross-country and take a lot of beautiful photos – like yours. Thanks for sharing such an inspirational post 🙂
What an amazing place. I want to start planning my visit right away. Thanks for all the great tips!
This looks awesome. I haven’t made it to Ushuaia but I have been to Torres del Paine in Chile. It’s such a special part of the world!
This looks absolutely amazing. I’ve always wanted to visit Argentina. Your photos are just breathtaking 🙂
Penguins and more penguins. Those would be awesome day trips. We’d love to see them both on the Falkland Islands and on Martello Island. The sad fate of Glacier Martial is actually one of the reasons we travel so much. Beautiful treasures are dying everyday, both natural and cultural. We can’t see them all of course, but we want to visit as many as we can before there’re gone.
And the story of Tierra Del Fugo National Park is sad but kinda funny. We love otters so much. Who doesn’t right. They’re too cute. But their natural tendency to build dams is hurting the park a lot.
Your photos are so crisp I feel like I could dive into them. But that really struck me about your post was the seamless manner in which you brought attention to serious issues—global warming and invasive species. I wish more travel bloggers would include such observations in their writing. People are running around the world leaving massive carbon footprints and trash behind with little to no regard for the local people, flora, and fauna.
How amazing. Ushuaia was never on my travel radar till I read about it here. Getting to the end of the world should have been such a marvelous feeling. I have also heard that it is possible to take trip to Antarctica from Ushuaia. is that true?
wooow, this is something else ! I never heard about Ushuaia, Argentina and now I cant stop dreaming of it! Save travels and thank you for sharing with us
This is the first time I have heard of Ushuaia. The first thing that captured my attention on this post was the flag tree. I am glad to know that there is a tree which is incredibly unique. I do wonder if that kind of tree only exists on Ushuaia.
Visiting this part of South America is a dream of mine. I’m a photographer and I could easily lose myself in this landscape for months. Great post and thanks for the inspiration.
This looks like an amazing place to visit! I’ve only been out of the US twice in my lifetime so hopefully I can travel more in the coming years!
This is so cool! The penguins are enough to get me down to Argentina!
Argentina has always been on my bucket list. I love your photos. This looks like a beautiful place to visit.
I went to South Americal last year, but there was no time to visit Argentina! This year for sure…at least to see the penguins! Celebrity cruises seems like a fancy experience…I would love to try it!
How fun! Never heard of this place before. Some pictures reminded me of Key West here in the states. Cruises are nice too!
Beautiful! Now I have another place I need to visit. Thanks for sharing!!
Great tips and a well-written travelogue!
Very interesting post and having just read about your visit to the Falklands, it adds a little context to your remarkable journey. I really could never have imagined there would be quite so many penguins there and its always fun to visit novelty spots such as the world’s most southerly post office. Looking forward to reading more and good luck with the next leg of your journey
I love penguins. I bet I will run if they happen to be a lot. Amazing pictures you have here
Wow I need my friend Dan to take me there is just so stunning!
Ushuaia is on my wish list of travels since forever! I am from Argentina and I only visited the south once, but stopped at Calafate. I’d love to visit this region too!
The photos are stunning! I hope to visit a place like this some day!
I would love to visit Argentina but have never thought of extending the visit to the most southern city in the world. You bet I’d get a picture of that sign. I love landscape shaped by wind and water so I find the flag trees very interesting. What a perfect name!
Wow.The scenery there is really amazing.I would definitely put Argentina in my travel bucket.I love the landscape and it reminds me of Norway.
The thought of reaching the ‘End of the world’ is really fascinating. I felt something similar while at Sagres, Portugal, which is the southern most tip of Europe. Nothingness beyond! Also interesting is the flag tree…strange that they should grow so close to the ground.
Wow. This place is extrordinary beautiful and fascinating. I couldnt take my eyes off from your pictures especially of the flag tree. I will love to visit Ushuaia one day and surely for those penguins.
Great post. The place looks stunning for taking some amazing photos like yours. Seeing the penguins is a brilliant reason to visit.
Very useful post. I am going to bookmark it. The day trips particularly sound very interesting to me. Especially the walking with the penguins
Such a beautiful place and a beach full of penguins … That would be an icing on the top. Loved the pics… Cheers
Looks like a beautiful place! I especially love the picture with the lighthouse. Thank you for starting your post with the country you are visiting in by the way 🙂 I read so many blog posts where people talk about some remote city on the other side of the world, never mentioning what country that actually is. I hate that I have google a map before reading a post.
Your photo of Ushuaia did enough to convince me to add this to my to-do ist but excellent chocolate and charred Argentinean steaks in the southernmost city in the world? YES PLEASE!
i would love to go here and visit the lighthouse! Always wanted to do that. I have never heard of or seen flag trees before but they are really cool, i can see where they got their name
I saw the mountains in the first photo and was like. “Yes! I want to go here!” Penguins are one of my favourite animals. I have been known to plan trips just around seeing them. Can’t wait to visit the Falklands.
Wow Ushuaia looks perfect. Always wanted to go to Argentina, we wanted to go last year but with the visa cost and limited time we had, it wasn’t worth it. The penguin Excursion looks so awesome too! Crazy trip!
The flag trees are definitely symbols that Ushuaia has the ‘end-of-the-world’ status. The trees are like drawn from a story book. Very fascinating! The location of the lighthouse is really beautiful. I wish that I can visit Ushuaia someday.
Both Ushuiaia and Falkland Islands have their own respective appeal to tourists. I love the vibe and look of Ushuaia. But like you said, to get the distinction as the world’s southernmost city is enough to get tourists to be curious to visit this city. And seeing those penguins in Falkland Islands – must-visit!
The first time I had ever heard of Ushuaia was in a Jimmy Buffet song, and the musical ring to the name is almost magical itself. With it being a jump off point to so many natural wonders, it truly is a must do on the adventure travelers itinerary. With the post office losing its title of southernmost to Antarctica, it gives you and excuse to go there now.
Great post! You have amazing photos of the points of interest of Ushuaia. The Flag Trees unique to Ushuaia look wonderful to photograph.
Great post. I’ve just sat down to start planning our South America trip and have Ushuaia, Argentina high on my list of places to go to. Hadn’t considered going to the Falkland Islands but now I think we have to. I love penguins so the penguin tour in Ushuaia would be fun.
Wow! Ushuaia, the southern most city looks absolutely amazing. I have yet visit anywhere in Argentina.