Beautiful landscapes – flora and fauna – islands with stunning mountain sceneries – coastal birds, penguins and mammals.
The Pan American Highway ends here, Route No 3 from Rio Grande to Ushuaia. You can even drive further to Bahia Lapataia and to the lake Roca. Chilean mountains can be seen from here.
Canal Beagle is the southernmost of the two waterways linking Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The northern waterway in Tierra Del Fuego is Estrecho De Magellan (the strait of Magellan), a few hundred kilometers north on Chilean territory. The use of these waterways has changed a lot after the opening of Panama Canal. Today also the presence of the Argentinian Navy is somewhat smaller, when you look at the old vessels on the Navy pier. This has changed a lot what I understand it was 20 years ago.
International Cruise vessels stop here when going around Cape Horn or Antarctica.
The town Ushuaia is busy and a lot old and new entrepreneur activities are seen around tourist traps.
Normal everyday life for the Ushuaians: They really like building, beautiful houses and lots of houses with less character. The lack of city planning (good or bad) is clearly seen on the hillside colonies. Still a lot is done to build streets, plumbing with water and gas etc. This has made a lot of companies from small carpenter shops to complete house construction companies. Modern markets arise and even shopping malls can be seen.
It is a log way from the romantic steel-plate houses that built the cityscape for the past years. There are many modern very beautiful steel plate constructions and even some studies to build ecological clay cottages around hillside colonies. I dont´t really know is the fascination of Ushuaian cityscape from the pioneer constructions, prefabricated houses and warehouses or just strong colour of the house facades. Often very strong complementary colours are used without the fear of architectural aspects. That is life what has always been of greatest importance here. Long winter period with very short daylight, maybe you need colours to bring joy for the life!
Tourism is of course the cash cow for the modern urban Ushuaian. The wild nature is building a huge resource for the tourist industry. I really hope modern Ushuaians understand its meaning and strive with all possible means to keep it wild and keep it clean. The tourists are well aware of todays ecological aspirations and want to promote it.
There are two main aims to the tourist expeditions: The mountains with vast sceneries and extremely beautiful nature. The second is to explore the waterways in Beagle Canal and its surroundings. The latter is much smaller due to hard conditions round Cape Horn.
Where the road ends you must take a boat to explore the waterways of Canal Beagle.
If you want to continue further south to Isla Navarino or to Cape Horn you must sail to Puerto Williams and clear Chilean customs. Sailing westwards Canal Beagle to Chile you meet glaciers that reach all the way to the sea. You can hire several boats that are lying in Club Nautico Afasyn in Ushuaia to make these trips. Sailing usually takes from 7 to 14 days. http://www.afasyn.org.ar/ There are boats from 35 feet up till 5o feet. Mostly steel or aluminium yachts with sturdy rigs that are capable of making heavy weather sailing trips. You can also agree with the skippers for day sailing trips to nearby islands like Faro Les Eclaireurs or Islas Bridges. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MNfF0w3lqI
You can of course rely on the big cruise ships to get there allthouhg the experience is different. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J1Y0jnwI8c
Magellan Channel, Punta Arenas, Chile: fmt=18&src_vid=5J1Y0jnwI8c&v=6aevgX43sFA
West from Ushuaia on Route No 3. you find the southernmost railway in the world. En Tren Del Fin Del Mundo, an old prisoner train which runs along Rio Pipo and was built to transport wood to the needs of Ushuaian people.
At the very end of the road at Bahia Lapataia and Lago Roca you have beautiful trekking possibilities (Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego starts from here and goes all the way to Lago Fagnano).
North-East from Ushuaia on Route No 3. just before a beautiful winter sports center Tierra Mayor. My excellent trekking guide found a track from Tierra Mayor valley to Lago Esmeralda. A beautiful 5 hours walk To the Lago Esmeralda and back. The trail continues uphill to a small glacier that can be seen from the lake.
Thick lenga forests, peat bogs and many beaver dams in the mountain rivers. Also many waterfalls tumbling from the mountains. The water glides all over the thin peat layer and ground is really wet. Red foxes and birds like parakeets are familiar here in the leafy forests. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQRNvxE8TUU
SLIDE SHOW OF THE PHOTOS
Photo J Pohjola 