Ushaia: 8th - 12th March 2026
8th March – Sunday
Whoop whoop, I made it – I am in Ushuaia. Not only has getting here been my ultimate goal, being here in time for my birthday is the icing on the cake. And I have booked myself what should be an awesome trip tomorrow.
Getting here was trouble free although the turbulence just before we landed was very scary, if I had been religious I would have prayed. Everyone was so relieved when we landed they clapped – lol. It was quite funny as the flight was full of ‘old’ Americans all togged up in their trekking gear and once landed they all put on thick winter coats, gloves, hats and scarves. I stayed in my T-shirt, but did have my coat to hand. It wasn’t needed as we went through a tunnel to the terminal building, the luggage collection hall was warm and so was the exit lounge. In fact it was not even that cold outside so I just pulled a cardigan out of of my rucksack and was warm enough in that while I waited for my uber.
OMG, Ushuaia is so beautiful, it is surrounded by glacial mountains and water, the Beagle Channel to be precise. There is only snow on the peaks of a couple of the mountains as it is only autumn, but the taxi driver assured me that the whole place in knee deep in snow in the winter and is a very popular skiing destination. I don’t doubt him what-so-ever.
My apartment is beautiful, with views to die for. It is warm and cosy and unlike the last has a decently equipped kitchen that is not in a cupboard and a toilet that actually flushes properly. It is clean bright and fresh and the supermarket is literally just across the road so that was my first port of call. After that I went for a walk along the water front, down to the pier, which is where I booked my trip for tomorrow. I then returned along the main drag through town, It does not get dark here until 8:15 so the daytime shops were closing and the bars and restaurants were just opening as I made my way back. As expected there are a lot of outdoor and hiking clothing shops, souvenir shops and much to delight a few king crab restaurants, I will be treating myself to a lush meal out one evening. The town is very pretty, with some beautiful wooden style buildings, typical in style to that of a port / fishing village but in very good condition, the town is obviously well looked after, but so it should be. It is a very touristy place and being the last town before the south pole does have a reputation to maintain.
I forgot what it is like to be cold. I was fine until about the last 10 minutes walk back and then a chill in air leapt in from nowhere. I zipped up my new jacket and picked up my stride. And all of a sudden the urge for a hot chocolate hit me – yes, I was feeling the cold enough to think about hot chocolate. Could I find a shop that sold any – no. But I did find a carton of cold chocolate drink which I brought back and heated up – it did the trick nicely and it was a treat to drink it watching the amazing view from my cosy and warm apartment.
I booked my trip for the afternoon, so I can have a nice lay in tomorrow and maybe even do a bit of my very neglected website while drinking coffee and eating a sausage sandwich in bed.
9th March – Monday
Happy birthday to me!
And what a lovely day it was. I had a very lazy morning responding to my messages and on the phone to Yas and my mum and dad. In the end I got a little bored so I ended up going out a little earlier than planned. I found a cheap cafe and had a cheap burger, chips and a beer. The beer did not do my stomach any good, I was left feeling very gassy and bloated. I need to stay off the beer until I am 100% better.
The catamaran left on time, it wasn’t full, but full enough. I was a little disappointed that I did not manage to get a window seat but in the end it didn’t matter as most of the time was spent outside in the freezing cold. I am so glad I wore several layers, including my Peruvian coat and new windproof jacket and Mexican hat.
Our first stop was a small island that was covered in sea lions. The captain of the ship did give us inform us all about them but from where I was standing I didn’t hear anything. It was fantastic to see them in their natural environment, fighting with each over for space and attention. There were also a few penguins here but they were not doing much. I loved the way the captain moved the cat so that the people standing on each side got good views of the sea lions, it was very diplomatic of him. The iconic les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, aka the Lighthouse at the End of the World was not far from here. It is only small at 10 meter tall and 3 meters in diameter, it was built in 1920 and not designed to house anyone. Originally every morning and every night someone would sail out to it and turn it on or off. Now it is solar powered and has an automated system. From here we settled down for an hours journey down the Beagle channel to Martillo Island (Isla Martillo) which, between October and March, is home to colonies of Magellanic and Gentoo penguins.
It became bitterly cold outside so I found myself a seat in amongst a group of Italian tourists and tried to turn off from their chatter and listen to the information the captain kept giving us about the journey and places along it, such as Fort William, which is a
Chilean town we passed. We also passed a dead whale, it had been beached for the last 4 weeks and stank. Then a live humpbacked whale started to perform for us and at one point it almost landed on the cat, it was such an impressive sight, as were all of the dolphins that we saw. The highlight of the trip was penguin island, and they didn’t disappoint. As we pulled in 3 of them came running towards to the boat, it was as though they were coming to greet us. They weren’t, they were heading for a drink from the
channel – lol – but they were fun to watch. We also watched another group of sea lions and then finally hankered down for the trip back.
Two of the ladies I was seated next to really did not stop talking and then one said to me that she was sorry she could not involve me in the conversation because she could not speak English. And that was it, we spent the rest of the journey chatting, their English was certainly better than my Italian – lol. They were lovely ladies, 72 years old and friends from childhood. One was a doctor and the other a lawyer. Chatting with them certainly made the journey back go a lot faster and by the time we docked it was 8pm and all I could do was think about was my warm apartment and a glass of wine.
It was such a lovely trip, I am so glad I did it and on my birthday. I have had a lovely day, even if it has been a relatively sober one.
10th March – Tuesday
25,000 steps, which equates to about 10k, first up a mountain and then back down again – my legs and feet are not happy with me, they are screaming blue murder.
I am not sure what time I left but it wasn’t too late, probably a little after midday. It didn’t take long to decide on a hike to the Glacia Martial, which is clearly visible from here. After reading the reviews I decided to do the walk to the base camp rather than get a taxi, it sounded like a nice walk and not too far. Uhm, it was a long walk along a road full of hair pin bends. There were some short cuts, cutting off several of the bends, but finding them was very difficult and a couple of times I thought I had found a route but was nervous and each time doubled back on myself. One of these times I was actually very glad I did as it really looked like I was getting further and further away from the glacier and it was in the middle of a forest which was a tiny bit nerve wrecking- being there on my own with no mobile data – uhm.
By the time I got to base camp, or the park at the end of the world, I was exhausted and took refuge in a cafe and had a sandwich and hot chocolate – it was so delicious and so expensive. But such is life. I had to take off my T-shirt and cardigan as they were soaking wet from carrying my day bag on my back. I will say one thing for my new jacket, it is definitely waterproof as I didn’t even know I was soaked through until I took it off. Luckily I had my Peruvian coat with me, so I was able to change. Once fit, I embarked on the hike to the glacier. A lot of people had complained in their reviews that they had to pay to go up it. I did start to stand in a line to pay but then realised it was for a guide and Wi-Fi, so I ducked out and did the rest of the hike for free, although with hindsight I wish I had hire some walking poles.
OMG, it was steep….. and I only managed, with a break about ¼ of the way up, to the first viewing point. This was the easy stage of the hike and more than enough for this novice. I had managed to attach myself to a small group of ‘older’ ladies for Buenos Aires, and it was enough for them too. If I hadn’t just walked from town and had walking poles then I probably would have embarked on the second stage, which takes you to the actual glacier. You live and learn, and next time I embark on a hike such as this I will taxi to the base camp and hire poles. So I sat for quite a while, watching little dots (people) in the distance climbing the last of the hike, it looked cold and difficult. But the views of the glacier in one direction and Ushuaia and the beagle Channel in the other direction, were stunning and well worth the while.
Eventually I embarked on the trip back down. Ouch, it was so steep that my toes were squashed into the front of my new hiking boots, it was so painful, but I had no choice, I had to endure. At base camp I had a dose of sugar in the form of a fizzy drink, and then continued on the road leg of the journey. How jammy can I be, this time it was so much easier to see the correct short cuts and I managed to shave 20 minutes of the entire journey. It was a little precarious at times and I had to descend a couple of very steep slopes crouched down and almost of my bottom, but the discomfort and fear of falling was totally worth it, and I didn’t fall. In fact at one point I recognised the path I was on, I had tried it on the way up but gave up and went back on myself, if only I had continued a couple of more meters I would have found the short cut that I was looking for. Anyway, I found it on the way back, which was awesome, especially as the rain had started.
I actually didn’t think I was going to make it back, for the last 15 minutes my legs and feet felt like they were about to seise up and climbing the stairs from the 4th floor lift drop off to the 5th floor, where my apartment is, was total agony. I have never felt so much relief removing my trainers, socks, leggings and tights – I really could have done with a foot spa treatment but there is no bowl or bucket big enough here for my feet, I had to do with a glass of wine instead.
I will not be going out for king crab tonight, my feet will not let me. I think tomorrow I will do an easy hike, perhaps a flat walk around the lagoon that I can see from my window, It is supposed to be great for bird watching, If I take it easy then I can go out in the evening and have that king crab – my last birthday treat.
11th March – Wednesday
After all the excess strain on my body yesterday you would have thought I would have slept through last night – but no. It was another shit nights sleep – I’m beginning to wonder what the fuck is wrong with my sleep mechanism because it is certainly not working right now.
After researching where to go next and the cost I tired to extend my stay at this apartment by one night but alas and not surprising they are booked. So I went back to bed and slept a little bit more.
I had to really push myself to get up, shower and dress, And even then the thought of leaving the apartment was horrendous. The only reason I did was because of my muscles and after yesterday I need to stretch them again today and tomorrow,
I had to book another night for tomorrow elsewhere so I went for a walk to find my accommations loacation, it is only a 15 minute walk. After that I walked around the laoggoon and then to a pub called the Dubkin – yes it was Irish and I had 3 very delicious pints of red beer and a cananloni before heading back to my apartemnt. I am now contentedly pissed and looking forward to moving onwards to, hopefully, warmer climates.
12th March – Wednesday
I checked out of my beautiful apartment and walked to the hostel I am staying the night in this morning. This will be the first time I am staying in a dorm, it is only for one night, so what the heck.
I had to find something to do to fill my day, so after checking in I walked to Museo del Fin del Mundo I was not impressed, it was very small and was mainly about a few ships in the 1800’s that got ship wrecked in the Beagle Channel and surrounding areas. I was hoping there would have been more information regarding the indigenous population but it was so limited in that regard. The ticket also got me into another museum which was 2 blocks away and much more interesting, I think it still had the same name and was one museum spread over two sites. This one was about the animals of the region and they were all stuffed and labelled according to how endangered they are. It was quite amazing to see the real size of some of these birds and beasts – quite amazing. Again it was a very small display but I must admit it was very fascinating and informative.
From there I went looking for a bar – FFS – I must be the only consumer of alcohol in this entire town, nothing appears to be open before 4 pm unless you have food. I was going to have king crab but after seeing the big fuckers swimming around in the tanks I really couldn’t bring myself to having one slowly steamed for me to consume. Not that I am a vegetarian or vegan or anything like that, but it is a bit like asking asking someone to choose their lamb from the field for their Sunday dinner. I am so used to supermarket pre-killed and sealed in plastic products that killing the real live thing in front of me just doesn’t feel consciously right. So I had 3 beers and a cake instead – lol.
OK, so this is really weird. I am at the hostel and no one seems to be chatting to anyone but the atmosphere is not cold – it is actually quite warm and friendly. I am sitting in the ‘front-room’ area just wondering what I am going to do with the rest of my evening. I hadn’t actually planned for this extra day in Ushuaia but it proved easier and more cost effective than getting the bus to my next destination. Perhaps I will do as the guy sitting next to me is doing and read my kindle. I think I should also find some food – I have drank far too much beer, for the second day in a row!
