Ushuaia – el fin del mundo
At the tip of the American land mass, Ushuaia is a busy little town in southern Argentina. We spent a few days exploring the town and the surrounding part of Tierra del Fuego. We even stood at the port from where the Antarctic ships depart. Although it was not the time of year where people take this journey, I took note of the spot and vowed to return, as the white continent is high on my list of places we have to visit.
The autumn colours were stunning, and the almost hourly shift between warm sunshine and snow blizzards is reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands. Argentina may not be the most obvious destination for observing the fall colours, but you will be amazed at the stunning landscapes here (the peak of the colours is in late April)
One abiding memory was stopping talk to a couple of cyclists who were on their final day of a bike ride from Alaska – 18,000 km through the whole of N and S America. What a feeling it must be to come to the end of such a journey! (and how sore they must be…). We saw them riding up the steep and relentless incline that ended at a snowy pass before a 25km freewheel into Ushuaia and the final few kms.
Our departure from Ushuaia turned out to be anything but straightforward. A six hour delay with almost no communication from the airline. But what a treat the delay turned out to be! Only a short walk from the aiport terminal into the town centre, and a fantastic cake shop in which to while away the time… no pictures of the cakes sadly.
A mention of honour to our accommodation. We stayed at Tierra de Leyendes, (www.tierradeleyendes.com) and the service was outstanding. If people doubt the veracity of TripAdvisor this is one place that can support the review website’s credibility. We booked solely on the outstanding reviews, and they were every bit as good as everyone said. A highly recommended stop if you’re staying in Ushuaia. (my thoughts on the property are featured on the travel website 101 Holidays).
(April 2007)
Great post Andy. Do you know that Ushuaia is just as southerly as Amsterdam is northerly? Yet it feels so much more remote; that ‘edge of the world’ feeling. Loved it there.
Cheers,
Keith
Thanks Keith. Yes it’s surprising how soon the southern continents end. Our maps are very biased towards the northern hemisphere: a true map have almost a third of pure white at the bottom!
I liked Ushuaia too. A very pleasant place to spend a couple of days. Did you manage to sail off to the south?