Ultimate 2-3 Day Itinerary for Exploring Ushuaia’s Natural Wonders

It’s already the third day in Ushuaia, and this small town is very pleasant, except for the slightly high prices, there are no other issues. The sky brightens after 5 AM, and the sun doesn’t set until 10 PM. If you get up a bit earlier, you’ll feel like there are 26 hours in a day. Joining a local tour, checking in at a cafe, or watching the ships heading to Antarctica from the apartment, all make you feel that the end of the world is beautiful.

Day 1: Arrived in Ushuaia from Buenos Aires in the afternoon. The airport is a mix of wood and steel. It costs 40 RMB by Uber to the city center. I went straight to the small travel agency by the pier and asked about various one-day tours. Most of the staff here speak English. The boss of the agency I found is from Taiwan, and we can communicate in Chinese via WhatsApp, which is very convenient.

I booked a 5-hour three-island tour for the next day and a hike in Tierra del Fuego National Park on the third day. For the park, you don’t need a travel agency; just take the shuttle bus.

The day I arrived was New Year’s Eve. In the afternoon, I met a Chinese couple with their child at the pier. The man was stationed in Argentina and knew a lot about the area. We talked for a long time about travel and life. By dinner time, it was already the first day of the lunar new year in China, but I still arranged a New Year’s Eve dinner for myself: seafood paella and white wine. The paella had half a bowl of seafood, and I was a bit tipsy after not finishing half a glass of white wine.

Day 2: The boat left at 9 AM, first to the bird island, then to the farthest lighthouse, and finally to the penguin island (without disembarking). There were Spanish and English explanations on board, and a photographer who could take pictures for you. The cost was 55,000 pesos per person (I’m not sure if it’s per person or per family).

All the photos from the three stops and the scenic spots during the journey would be copied to a penguin USB drive. You can have them taken first and decide later if you want to buy. Since the photos of me were not great, I didn’t buy them.

The penguins were indeed very cute, smaller than I imagined.

Day 3: Today, I originally thought of skipping the national park because of the weather in the morning and afternoon, but it cleared up after 9 AM. I left at 10:30 and caught the 11 AM bus. As expected, the farthest post office was closed, but the lake and mountain scenery were still nice. See the last few photos.

Following the principle of “since I’m here,” I completed a task I’m particularly bad at—hiking. It took less than three hours to cover nine kilometers. The first half had some scenery, but the second half was mostly through the forest. My evaluation is that unless you like hiking, you might as well walk for half an hour from the post office and return.

It’s 10 PM now, and it’s still bright outside. P16 is the view from my window. Tomorrow, I plan to rest for a day, and the next stop is Santiago.