To The End of the World: Ushuaia, Argentina

Most Antarctica cruises leave from the port of Ushuaia in Argentina on the southernmost tip of South America. Ushuaia is dubbed "the end of the world"and is Patagonia's southernmost city. Come along as we take a tour of Ushuaia before boarding our Antarctic cruise!

As our guide surveys the grey, misty and rainy weather in Ushuaia she says, "This is a very Ushuaia day". In fact it rains in Ushuaia for around 150 days a year. As a result of its location, Ushuaia (pronounced oo-swahy-uh) it is often called the end of the world and it’s a moniker that they gladly embrace. Technically Puerto Williams, a small town in Chile is the southernmost town in South America but Ushuaia is a larger city. Ushuaia is located at the foot of the Andes mountain range. This cold and wet remote capital of Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) is also part of Argentine Patagonia and its port is also where many Antarctic cruise ships depart from.

We arrive in Ushuaia around noon after boarding a charter flight from Buenos Aires. All 153 passengers climb onto buses to do a tour of Ushuaia before we can board our Insider Expeditions cruise. Although the flight from Buenos Aires was just three hours and 20 minutes, the change in weather is remarkable. Whilst Buenos Aires was enjoying a sunny and warm summer, Ushuaia’s weather is 6°C/42.8°F.

Because of Argentina‘s size, the terrain and climates throughout the country. There’s the Atacama desert in the north west, the Iguazú National Park rainforest jungle in the north east that shares a border with Brazil and in the centre there are small hills and rivers. And of course on the East Coast, there is cosmopolitan Buenos Aires.

The town of Ushuaia is relatively young at 139 years old and was founded in 1884. During winter residents get five hours of sunshine while during summer 18 hours, but it is the strong winds that make this place a challenge to live in, hitting strengths of 60 to 90 km or 37 to 56 miles an hour. We are headed towards Tierra del Fuego National Park past horses standing in the grass while light rain falls. She points out a mountain to the left. "That is called the Weather Report Lady. If the mountain is visible, then the weather will be clear, but if it is covered it will rain all day," she explains. Other mountains sport snowy peaks even during summer season.

We pass Pipo river named after a prisoner of Ushuaia Penitentiary called Pipo who was found frozen in it after trying to escape. There is a vast area of moss that is 10 metres/32 feet high moss and spongy - you can squeeze it like a sponge and water will come out. Slender beech trees are covered in lichen called Old Man’s Beard. These trees apparently only grow where the air is pure. A well fed red fox swivels its ears around. Our tour bus causes him no worry as he ignores us; he’s listening for something else.

We reach Lake Roca or Lago Acigami with views of both sides of the mountains. This 11km/6.8mile lake connects Argentina and Chile with stunning views of the Martial mountains.

Ushuaia was also home of the indigenous Yámana or Yahgan people who lived in the area for 7,000 years. Nowadays descendants of these people remain but the tribe is mostly extinct. Despite the cold weather the Yámana people wore loincloths and sea lion skins on their back. To survive they ate sea lion meat that is high in fat. The language is now extinct but just one word would describe certain phrases that were related to their way of life. For example "kaiyerri i" means to come to the surface and cause a rush of water or a ripple on it as a seal, a fish, or a bird rising up from below.

The national park is also where Onashaga (in Yahgan "the channel of the hunters") or the Beagle channel lies. It gets it name from the Charles Darwin's British ship Beagle that explored the area. This is the extreme southern tip of South America and is one of three navigable passages around South America and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. To make our way to Antarctica we will first pass through the Beagle channel and then onto Drake's Passage before reaching Antarctica. And with that it's 3pm and time to head to our ship, the Atlas World Navigator to board our Insider Expeditions Antarctic cruise.

Up next: boarding the World Navigator ship to Antarctica!