ARGENTINA PATAGONIA

Peninsula Valdez

Península Valdés is best known for its protected marine animals.

One of the best areas to experience wildlife in Argentina is at Peninsula Valdés, a Patagonian coastal nature reserve. Located in the Argentinian Province of Chubut, the peninsula is known for its conservation of marine mammals with a large breeding population of the endangered southern right whale as well as active breeding populations of southern elephant seals, southern sea lions and thousands of nesting Magellanic penguins.

One of the biggest attractions in this area is observing the unique hunting strategy of the killer whale or orcas—a coordinated strategy to encircle and push their prey into shallow waters where they are devoured.

In addition to roughly 400 kilometres (249 mi) of unspoiled shoreline, the mushroomshaped peninsula also boasts rocky cli s of up to 100 metres (328 ) high, shallow bays, shi ing coastal lagoons with extensive mud ats, pebble beaches, large sand dunes, and a few small islands.

e land ecosystem is dominated by the Patagonian Desert Steppe with herds of guanacos, one of South America’s native camelid species and cousin of the llama.

You may also get to see the Patagonian mara, a rodent endemic to Argentina, and plenty of birds including the migratory snowy sheathbill, white-headed steamer duck and the ostrich-like ightless lesser rhea.

Punta Pirámides is famous for its sea-lion rookery and cormorants that can be viewed from the cli s high above.

While you may need a few weeks to see all the animals that make their home at Peninsula Valdés, even a one-day trip from the nearby town of Puerto Madryn is a must-do. e ski resort at Cerro Catedral is the biggest in the southern hemisphere. Swimming in the lakes, shing, whitewater ra ing, hiking, and bird watching are some of the many reasons to visit.

Over 800 kilometres (497 mi) northwest of Peninsula Valdés is the town of Bariloche. Situated in the foothills of the Andes Mountains on the southern shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi, it is a long detour but the rewards are immense.

Patagonia Glaciers

Patagonia’s glaciers are among the world’s most impressive and accessible.

Southern Argentina has well over 300 glaciers. Many of them located in the Los Glaciares National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Argentina’s Santa Cruz province. Ice covers over 40% of this national park with about 47 glaciers, all of which are fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field which holds the world’s third largest reserve of freshwater.

Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the largest, most impressive, and most accessible glaciers in the park, covers an area of 250 km² (97 sq mi) and is about 30 kilometres (19 mi) in length. e glacier’s terminal (front-face) is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) wide, with an average height of 74 metres (240 ) above the surface of Lake Argentino. Its total ice depth at the terminal is 170 metres (558 ).

While most glaciers worldwide are retreating, glaciologists claim that Perito Moreno is one of only three Patagonian glaciers actually growing.

Glacier) can be visited by catamaran, kayak, or 4x4 excursions.

Argentina’s southern Patagonia region is famous for its Los Glaciares National Park with several massive glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

Glacier hikes are o ered, and as long as you are very careful you won’t die a slow icy death. Join a local glacier-hiking group with a guide, put on your crampons (spiked ice-boots), secure the ropes, and get onto the glacier. An unforgettable hike indeed!

A full day visit allows for views from di erent vantage points around the terminal of the glacier. e surrounding hills o er spectacular views of the glacier while other glaciers along the lake (e.g. Upsala

Upsala Glacier is one of the largest glaciers of the South American continent. H. Hesketh Prichard, who called it “Giant Glacier”, discovered the glacier in 1901 but in 1908, it was renamed by Geologist P.D. Quensel for the Swedish Uppsala University, located 71 kilometres (44 mi) from the Swedish capital, Stockholm. It was the frst university to sponsor glaciological studies in Argentina’s Los Glaciares National Park.

Perito Moreno Glacier is a 90-minute ride (78 km / 19 mi) west from the town of El Calafate (pop. 6,500). e town is a convenient base for many scenic spots in the area, including the spectacular amingos that congregate on Lake Argentino. While in the area, take a three-hour drive up to El

Chaltén, a small mountain village located on the riverside of Rio de las Vueltas which is known as “Argentina’s Trekking Capital.”

As the crow ies, roughly 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Perito Moreno lies the equally impressive Upsala Glacier, one of the largest glaciers on the South American continent with a surface area of 765 km² (295 sq miles), 53.7 kilometres (33.3 miles) long and 70 metres (230 ) high. Back in 1986, the area of the glacier was 896 km² (346 sq miles), so it has shrunk signicantly. Occasionally, large portions of the glacier break loose that create “ oating isles” on Lake Argentino.

Southeast of El Calafate, a half-moon detour of almost 300 kilometres (186 mi) by road, is the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the world.

Perito Moreno Glacier has a powdery blue colour that comes mainly from compressed snow and ice crystals formed by air bubbles. It appears blue as a result of an overtone of oxygen-hydrogen (O-H) in the frozen water which absorbs light at the red end of the visible spectrum (long wavelengths) while the blue end of the visible spectrum (short wavelengths) is transmitted and scattered. The longer the light takes to travel through the ice before reaching our eyes, the deeper blue it appears.

El Calefate, Patagonia, Argentina

The Hotel Edenia is strategically located in front of the Redonda Bay of El Calafate and meters from the Argentino Lake, allowing you to enjoy a unique view.

It has a gourmet restaurant overlooking Lake Argentino and a Lounge Bar overlooking Redonda Bay and the city of El Calafate.

Our spacious rooms are soundproofed for the tranquility and rest of the guest.

Surrounded by mountains and lakes, this hotel gives you the opportunity to be in contact with nature and enjoy the tranquility of the landscape.

USHUAIA, ARGENTINA

It is located 15 minutes by car from the International Airport of Ushuaia Islas Malvinas and 5 minutes from the Port of Ushuaia from where they start sailing excursions to the Beagle Channel.

San Martin Avenue is 200 meters away. In common areas of the hotel, high speed Wi-Fi is free.

Argentina Far South

Ushuaia

The world’s southernmost town is also the gateway to a lot of adventure.

Ushuaia, pronounced [u’swaia], is the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego in southern Argentina. Lonely Planet Travel guides describes the town as “A sliver of steep streets and jumbled buildings below the snowcapped Martial Range. Here the Andes meets the southern ocean in a sharp skid, making way for the city before reaching a sea of lapping currents”. How idyllic!

While this is not the most southern settlement, it is generally labelled as the “southernmost town” in the world, a title long disputed by the much smaller Puerto Williams.

Although Puerto Williams, southeast of Ushuaia on the Chilean island of Navarino, is farther south, it has only 2,900 inhabitants compared with Ushuaia’s population of more than 60,000. As Ushuaia is commonly regarded as the “southernmost town,” it leaves Puerto Williams with the title of “southernmost village.”

Ushuaia is located in a wide bay on the southern coast of the island known as “Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.” Guarded on the north by the Martial Mountain Range and on the south by the Beagle Channel, the rst humans to settle in the Tierra del Fuego date back about 10,000 years when the Selk’nam Indians, also called the Ona, arrived. eir southern splinter group, referred to as the Yaghan or Yámana, occupied the area which now is known as Ushuaia. e prisoners were subjected to hard labour both inside the prison grounds and outside. As forced colonists, they spent much of their time building the new town of Ushuaia with timber collected from the lush forest around the town. ey also constructed a short railway to transport rock, sand and timber to expand the prison and the town. e original train line was constructed in 1902 and shu ed around on wooden rails with atbed wagons pulled by oxen. In 1910 a steam engine was brought in and the gauge was widened, presumably with steel tracks. e 1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquake caused a landslide which blocked much of the line just two years a er the prison was closed, so gone were the labourers to remove the blockage. e blockage was cleared by non-prisoners but again closed in 1952 due to a lack of money.

British missionaries founded the town of Ushuaia in 1884, and the town’s population slowly grew. However, epidemics including typhus, pertussis, and measles decimated the native population and by 1911 the Yámana had all practically vanished.

To boost the small population, the Argentine government started sending reo enders and dangerous prisoners, as well as political prisoners from Buenos Aires to the new jail in Ushuaia which at this time was known as Presidio, meaning “the jail at the end of the world.

Fast forward to 1994 when the line was reopened and upgraded, with the addition of a new steam engine from England. Now known as the “Southern Fuegian Railway” or “End of the World Train,” it serves champagne and dinner to tourists on a short ride along Pico Valley in the Toro Gorge. At the Macarena Station passengers learn about the Yámana indigenous people and then continue on through the scenic Tierra del Fuego National Park.

Guess what? It is indisputably labelled as the “southernmost railway in the world.” e original jail, closed in 1947 by President Juan Perón, today serves as a museum known as the Museo Marítimo de Ushuaia, which is the southernmost museum in the world, we assume! One of the cells known as the Ala Histórica remains almost intact to demonstrate the mysterious and dark atmosphere inside the cells, complete with memorabilia from the last prisoners who lived here.

Another pleasant day trip is to explore the Beagle Channel and Lapataia Bay by boat. e channel, named a er the explorer Charles Darwin’s ship which sailed here in 1833-34, separates Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego from the southern islands of Navarino, Nueva, Lennox, Picton, and many other smaller islands.

As your boat sails past the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse and many islands, look out for breeding colonies of sea lions, imperial cormorants, dolphin gulls, and steamer ducks.

Tierra Del Fuego

Tierra del Fuego National Park has dramatic scenery and wildlife.

From Ushuaia, it’s a pleasant day trip into the nearby Parque Nacional Tierra Del Fuego. Established in 1960 and expanded in 1966, the park is well-known for its dramatic scenery with waterfalls, forests, mountains and glaciers.

Look out for several species of mammals, including the guanaco, Andean fox, and the North American beaver. Ignore the many European rabbits as they don’t belong here, and neither do other introduced species such as Canadian beaver, muskrat rodent, mink and armadillo.

A few pairs of European rabbits were introduced to the Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego Island in 1936 and knowing these bunnies, they multiplied rapidly. Due to these unwelcome breeders, the ground in many parts of the park became riddled with holes, and some areas denuded of vegetation.

Back in 1950, the rabbit population was estimated to be a whopping 30 million. In an attempt to control them, grey foxes, which never existed on Tierra del Fuego Island, were released in 1951.

e grey fox and the native Patagonian fox did not do much to control the rabbit population, so the muchfeared myxoma virus that causes myxomatosis in rabbits was introduced. It almost decimated the entire rabbit population, however, some survived so today there are plenty of rabbits to be seen within the park.

The 63,000 hectares Tierra del Fuego National Park stretches from the Beagle Channel to the edges of Lago Kami at the southernmost point of Argentine Patagonia.

Among the many species of birds in the park are kelp goose, upland goose, torrent duck, southern crested caracara, Austral parakeet, Andean condor, blackish oystercatcher, and the Magellanic oystercatcher.

In addition to the fauna and ora, the park is also famous for being the southern terminus of the Pan-American Highway (National Route 3), a highway which runs 3,045 kilometres (1,892 mi) all the way from the nation’s capital, Buenos Aires. e Martial Range to the north of Ushuaia o ers good ski runs. Taking the Aerosilla chairli to the top during any time of the year o ers spectacular panoramas over the mountains, Tierra Del Fuego Park, Ushuaia, and the Beagle Channel. At the exit of the chairli is the Club Andino Ushuaia shelter which is a great place for a rest and a drink. From here the trail leads to the base of Glacier Martial, which runs alongside a little mountain river in its last stage. However, if conditions are favourable, the panoramic views are more impressive than the actual glacier. Glacier Martial has shrunk dramatically over the past century, as is shown in the photographs on display in the shelter’s café.

So now we have made it all the way down to Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. Going any farther south, we will enter the most southern territory of Chile, Isla Navarino and the Wollaston Islands. Next stop is the Antarctic Peninsula which we will leave for next time. GR