At the beginning, I didn’t plan to get in Patagonia. Too far, renowned expensive, I preferred to avoid it. However, being a nature lover and after lots of recommendations, I change my mind. It would have been such a shame to be so close and miss it. So, I go to the southern part of the South continent for better going up again. Welcome in Ushuaia!

Enjoying the end of the world

Glacier Martial

This is a nice walk close to the city and avoids you to take any transport. I found a lot of information from Tristan’s post about the trek. After a short climbing, I can enjoy the view of all the valley and the city Ushuaia. On my back, lot of snow, it was a long time I haven’t seen it. I can’t help touching it!

In my way back, I discover a nice trek in the forest. The trek starts on the left from a small house of wood. It is marked with yellow signs. The atmosphere of the forest delights me although the path is a bit of adventure.

Canal Beagle

I followed the recommendation of the blog “Une fille et le monde”  and did a tour on the beagle canal. It is still the same price of 70€. I love the tour on the catamaran as you are on a small boat and without the noise of a motor. You can easily build up friendships. During the journey, you see the canal, the mountains around, sealions. The tour has a stop on the H island, an island empty. The guide that accompanies us is not as useless as the one in Tigre. This time, he explains us a lot about the indigenous peoples before and the ecosystem on the island. Definitely, it is worth doing it and my best moment in Ushuaia.

I recommend to do it on a sunny day for enjoying it and overall not get frozen. On the boat, with the wind and the water, you can feel very cold. Thus, don’t forget to cover yourself even if you feel good inside the city.

How to reach the most austral city

Bus vs Plane

I find two ways to reach the city by bus or by plane. Between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, there are around 3000kms, 50 hours of bus or 3h30 of plane and only 40€ more for the plane than for the bus. I take immediately the plane ticket.

From the airport

Arrived in Ushuaia, the airport is a bit out of the city. I decide to walk as my accommodation is not that far. Finally, the cloudy weather changes into a rainy storm. A good guy stops and takes me in his car to the city. I discovered only later that hitchhiking is common here. So instead of walking, you can hitchhike!

A stay at Charlo’s Airbnb

The house

I stayed 4 nights in Charlo’s apartment. The flat is really small and normally I would have slept in the living room. But the son was not present during my stay, so I was allowed to take his room.

Why an Airbnb ?

Usually, I prefer to stay in a hostel since it is cheaper and you meet more people. However, in Ushuaia, hostel are so expensive that it is possible to find a cheaper and good Airbnb. I take this Airbnb and discover another experience.

My experience with a local

Being at someone else home is an experience I like because you learn so much. I spend great with Charlo while sharing meals together. While I am practicing my Spanish, she explains me about the life in the area. Do you know that the city is famous for the electronic industry? Quite crazy when you think how far it is for everything!

Charlo is also learning how to be a yoga teacher and trained herself with her friends. During a rainy day, she invites me to join them to practice Yoga. My first class was a nice experience as I am interested in relaxation and meditation. For sure, I will continue.

Last day, I do a nice walk behind the neighborhood, there is a hill with vestiges of the Maldivian war. Those weapons were installed as a defense again Chile since the country was on the side of England. Too late, I heard that a friend of Charo was doing a walk starting in the middle of the night in the mountain. Her friend tells me that in December it is usual that it’s raining during the day so you have to trek during fancy hours.

A bitter taste…

Even if my stay in Ushuaia is a good memory, I got disappointed by the tourism lobby. Everything is too expensive. As an example, for walking in the main park of the city that is only 10kms from the city, you have to pay 40€… Too much for me. However, if you have determination and motivation, I strongly recommend this article about other treks to do in the area.

Other posts about Ushuaia

https://www.we12travel.com/things-to-do-in-ushuaia-on-a-rainy-day/

http://www.unefilleetlemonde.com/randonnees-a-ushuaia/

http://www.trace-ta-route.com/randonnee-au-glacier-martial-ushuaia/