How to spend 72 hours in Ushuaia
Planning a trip is always equivalent to a great challenge, and if we talk about planning a trip to the "end of the world" the challenge is much greater.
Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. It is where Patagonia Argentina ends, the South American continent and the southern hemisphere, for all this it is known as "the end of the world".
Just before we continue to reading our travel guide, I want you to note that we have a few itineraries that include Ushuaia and it’s surroundings as well as other parts of Argentina:
8 day End of the World Tour - https://voyagers.travel/patagonia/tours/the-end-of-the-world-tour
12 day Argentinean Patagonia Tour - https://voyagers.travel/patagonia/tours/peninsula-valdes-tour
We are also able to offer custom itineraries.
This unique geographical point is located 3000 kilometers south of Buenos Aires. We can arrive by air at the “Malvinas Argentinas” International Airport. Another transport widely used by tourism is the sea route, through different cruise ships that arrive at the port of Ushuaia. And finally, and in the least of the cases, the land route is used in which it is necessary to transfer through Chile.
As for the climate, it has an average annual temperature of 3°. Winter brings us very cold, lots of snow, and many activities. The ski centers, such as the "Cerro Castor" are attractions that become a must. There are also snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice biking, among many other activities.
I am going to ask you to please wrap up warm and follow me because I am going to guide you on a unique adventure so that you can enjoy Ushuaia in 72 hours and also open a door that they can hardly open called Antarctica.
So that our excursions and walks are very dynamic, I am going to divide the trip into 3 days and the time that you are going to spend in each place. Ushuaia, here we come!
DAY 1
TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK
Estimated travel time: 4 hours
Address: 12 km west of the city of Ushuaia
Transportation: Taxi, rented car.
We are going to get to know a unique place in the world to go on beautiful walks, for that reason I am going to recommend that you put on your most comfortable shoes, and if they are for trekking, much better because it has a network of trails of 40 kilometers with different difficulties. To make the most of it, I recommend entering the first thing in the morning.
It is the gateway for cruise excursions to Antarctica. Being the only National Park south of the Andes, it protects around 70,000 hectares of Patagonian forests. It has very varied landscapes: lagoons, forests, mountains, and rivers, all flowing into the Beagle Channel.
The park is divided into three areas: a Strict Nature Reserve with no access; one Wild Natural Reserve, with restricted access; and a Recreational Area, which is the area that we can visit.
Contact link: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/parquesnacionales/tierradelfuego
LUNCH AT THE GENERAL BRANCHES STORE
Estimated travel time: 2 hours
Address: 749, Maipu Street, Ushuaia
Transportation: Taxi, rented car.
This wonderful restaurant dates back to the earliest days of Ushuaia's history, it was the place where construction workers would stop for lunch and then continue to build the wonderful city that is Ushuaia. In addition, historical figures passed through here and very important social gatherings were formed.
On its walls you can see the different artifacts that were used since its foundation, at the end of the 19th century, transmitting a feeling between a museum and a time machine.
It has a bakery and all its dishes are homemade. The menu is very extensive, including pasta, exquisite meats, and many typical Argentine and Patagonian dishes.
Contact link: https://www.ramosgeneralesush.com.ar/
MARITIME MUSEUM AND PRESIDIO OF USHUAIA
Estimated travel time: 3 hours
Address: 173, Maipu Street, Ushuaia
Transportation: Taxi, rented car.
After having enjoyed an exquisite lunch at the “Almacén de Ramos Generales”, a few blocks away is the Ushuaia Maritime Museum and Prison. To enter it has very affordable prices for tourists.
Undoubtedly, the End of the World Prison is the most emblematic building in Tierra del Fuego, it contains four museums: the Maritime Museum, the Ushuaia Antarctic Museum, the Marine Art Museum, and the Ushuaia Prison Museum.
To talk about the history of this great building we have to go back to the beginning of the 20th century when Ushuaia had only 50 houses, it was not even a city. The prison came to house up to 600 prisoners, from 1904 to 1947, when it was closed by national decree.
On the other hand, there is the "Maritime Museum" which is ideal for understanding the geographical and historical context of Ushuaia. When visiting it we will be able to observe its great collection of maritime testimonies, objects of expeditions, maps, and everything related to the maritime activity of Tierra del Fuego.
For anyone who wants to travel and get to know Antarctica, we have the possibility of visiting the Ushuaia Antarctic Museum. Called the museum of Dr. José María Sobral, it was the first Argentine scientist to spend an entire winter in Antarctica. The museum is a great link with the white continent. And for those of us who like art, we have the Museum of Marine Art to visit and enjoy.
Contact link: https://museomaritimo.com/
DAY 2
NAVIGATION THROUGH THE BEAGLE CHANNEL TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
Estimated travel time: 3 hours
Address: Tolkeyen's office at the tourist wharf
Transportation: Taxi, rented car.
We are going to embark on a unique adventure and to enjoy it to the fullest, it is advisable to bring: a coat, hat, waterproof gloves, and if we go in summer, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
In this unmissable maritime experience, we will appreciate views that will be saved in our retinas for life. Among the different types of excursions, we can choose the classic route: sailing from the Isla de Los Pájaros where we can observe many types of birds, to then reach the Lighthouse, here I recommend that you have your camera battery fully charged because it is a point popular collection of photographs and I would not like you to miss your postcard.
For the more adventurous, there is a walking tour: in addition to the previous itinerary, we will be able to go ashore and walk along the paths that will allow us to appreciate the flora and fauna while we walk.
Without a doubt, sailing through the Beagle Channel is a must-do excursion, I just hope you enjoy it as I have enjoyed it.
Contact link: https://turismoushuaia.com/zonas/canal-beagle/
Martial Glacier
Estimated travel time: 3 hours
Address: National Route No. 3
Transportation: Taxi, rented car.
The Martial Glacier is an emblem of Ushuaia. It is located within the Protected Natural Area that bears the same name, just 7 kilometers from the center, and offers all kinds of activities to enjoy nature: here we can go snowboarding, skiing, and trekking. The glacier is 1,050 meters above sea level and is the most important source of drinking water in Ushuaia.
Once we reach the base, the best way to go up is through the chairlifts, which also allow us wonderful views of the mountain and the city. When the tour ends, we find the shelter of the Andean Club of Ushuaia. Here we can choose whether to continue hiking through the ice of the glacier with a very low difficulty level, or those who prefer not to climb the ice can choose to climb the Cañadón Negro.
Contact link: https://turismoushuaia.com/actividad/glaciar-martial/?lang=es_AR?lang=es_AR
DAY 3
CASTOR HILL
Estimated travel time: 4 hours
Address: National Route No. 3
Transportation: Taxi, rented car.
In addition to being the southernmost ski center in the world, it is the most exclusive in Argentina. It is located 27 kilometers from the city of Ushuaia. It has the particularity of being the newest ski center in Argentina, which opened in 1999.
Cerro Castor, according to expert skiers, has snow of a unique quality in the world, because the snow is made up of a white powder that never turns into ice thanks to the geographical characteristics of the place, at low altitude and near the South Pole.
It has 8 gastronomic points so that all visitors can enjoy it. Without a doubt, it is a place that exceeds the expectations of any visitor.
To access Cerro Castor you must pay for daily passes that are very accessible, they are not the cheapest but they are not the most expensive either. To enjoy!
Contact link: https://www.cerrocastor.com/
WALK THROUGH THE CENTER AND RELAX
After a day moved by the practice of snow sports, it is very important to relax our mind and body, enjoying a walk through the center of the city of Ushuaia is the best option we can choose.
I recommend as a gastronomic duty to go to any of the restaurants located on Calle San Martín and order a plate of king crabs, a very traditional meal.
Located on the same street, is the Thematic Gallery of Little Fuegian History. In this unique museum, we can observe the history of the native peoples of Ushuaia, the first trips to Antarctica, and also recreations of the prison.
And finally, to take advantage of the fact that we are in the center, along the same street we can enter any of the souvenir and gift shops.
I hope you have enjoyed the trip. Ushuaia is an incredibly beautiful city, both in winter and summer.
An excursion that was left out of the recommendations due to lack of time is the navigation to Antarctica, it is a unique experience in a place in the world with areas not yet unexplored by human beings. I hope one day I can do it.