We were among those brief-stay visitors as our cruise ship the MS Fram was departing later in the day, which gave us only a few hours to spend in the city and surrounding area. But it was long enough to realize Ushuaia has a lot to offer.
First there's the spectacular setting on the southern coast of the island of Tierra del Fuego, with the snow-capped Martial Mountain Range as a backdrop and the Beagle Channel to the south, plus a variety of good day trips, not to mention bragging rights as the "Southernmost City in the World."
Naturally, local attractions make the most of their geographic location.
There's an End of the World Museum -- which details the city's history, and an End of the World Train, a narrow gauge steam train that takes visitors on a scenic 50-minute ride through Tierra del Fuego National Park on a convict-built railway.
Another way to see the park is on a four-hour bus tour with Rumbo Sur. It begins with an introduction to Ushuaia, a city whose population has grown from 10,000 in the 1960s to 64,000 today, thanks to work opportunities made possible after several international electronics companies relocated here.
Only 30% of inhabitants were born in the city.
"We're all imported in Ushuaia," explains our guide Lucas Julian Ramos -- a transplant from Buenos Aires, who speaks Italian, Spanish and English. The first inhabitants were aboriginals, who were wiped out by 1911 after being exposed to various diseases introduced by early European settlers. You can learn more at the Yamana Museum.
Another museum is a former prison. Ushuaia was founded as a penal colony, which became known as the Argentinean Alcatraz. Many prisoners tried to escape but there was no where to go since they were on an island. At its height, more than 900 inmates were crammed into the facility built with a capacity of 380.
As we leave the city behind, passing horses grazing in the hilly fields, our guide points out some peat moss on the right -- decayed plant material so old it can provide information about weather conditions 10,000 years ago.
Tierra del Fuego has 95% of the peat moss in South America thanks to ideal conditions -- cold weather and at least 300 mm of rain per year. This area gets more than twice that amount of precipitation per year, which accounts for the lush vegetation.
Our guide chuckles at tourists who check the weather on the internet a week before their arrival.
"Here the weather changes all the time -- every five minutes, that's why we dress like onions -- in layers." Winds can be strong, too, and often uproot trees from the shallow soil.
"People say how can you live in a place like this coming from Buenos Aires," Ramos says. "My answer is always the same, it depends what you like. If you like nature, trekking, skiing, mountain biking, climbing, this place is perfect for that."
This time of year is summer in Argentina and on the day of our visit the temperature is mild with no sign of inclement weather. There are plenty of signs of wilderness though. Just 10 km west of Ushuaia and we're in the national park, where we stop for a walk along Roca Lake -- a calm body of water too cold to swim in but a good base from which to do hikes. There's a campground here, some cabins and lots of rabbits scurrying between trees with twisted branches.
Walking on spongy soil, we learn about the damage caused by Canadian beavers (another imported species like the rabbits), see a pair of Upland Geese, and admire the Darwin Mountain Range, which is visible from the lake.
Back on the bus, Ramos tells us we are driving as far south as it's possible to go -- the end of National Route 3.
"This road is part of the Pan-American Highway that begins in Alaska and finishes here in Lapataia Bay, almost 18,000 km later," he announces. "Tourists pose with the sign here, it's compulsory."
Smile and pose. It's the thing to do at the end of the world.
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