Situated on the Beagle Strait, Ushuaia is the largest city in the Argentine Tierra del Fuego. In the past, the town has been a missionary base, penal colony and naval base for the Argentine navy. Ushuaia is now a major tourist town, complete with casinos and nice restaurants, and commonly used as a base for hiking, winter sports and cruises to Antarctica.

Around and closeby
Provided that you wear comfortable shoes and have the patience, a hike up the Glacier Martial will provide a very beautiful view of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. There is also a single ski slope open during the winter months, and ski hire is available from the site. Catamaran trips will take you around the Beagle channel and give you nice views of the mountains, cormorants, sea lions and penguins. The Cerro Castor centre for winter sports offers skiing and snowboarding. Nearby, you can also ride snow-cats or husky sleighs.

Getting there
There are daily flights from Buenos Aires. There are also flights a few times a week from Santiago de Chile, stopping over in Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas. Flights can be booked from local travel agencies. On-line bookings are now possible but you might then have to pick up your tickets at the airline office/representative rather than at the airport. Buses from/to all destinations (apart from Puerto Natales) stop at Rio Gallegos. It can be cheaper to just buy a ticket to Rio Gallegos and purchase an onward ticket from there.

Getting around
There is no public transport around Tierra del Fuego. However, tours / transport can be booked through the tourist office on San Martin or through many of the hostels. Taxis are another option and there are also several car / bicycle hire companies.