Trip to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina (Click on any image to load a larger copy)
Introduction
The flight to Ushuaia in the Tierra del Fuego from Buenos Aires (See Trip to Buenos
Aires, Argentina) was not that eventful but the landing in Ushuaia was interesting as the airport is located
on a small peninsula and the only runway is surrounded by water on three sides. (See a picture of the Ushuaia Airport). The flight time was three
and a half hours but as the flight took off from Buenos Aires very early in the morning, I arrived in Ushuaia
around 9:00 AM. This was great as it gave me nearly a full day to explore Ushuaia, the southern most city in the
world.
After checking in at my hotel, I headed off to see the Museo del Fin del Mundo - the Museum of the End of the World. which covers the history of Ushuaia. Of interest was an exhibit of the Penal Colony that existed in Ushuaia from 1902 to 1947. At the Museum, I bought and mailed a few postcards so that the would have the cancellation stamp of Fin del Mundo - End of the World on them. After visiting the museum, I had a steak sandwich for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Ushuaia. I went to bed early as I started the day early.
The next morning, I visited the Tierra del Fuego National Park - an interesting area of the world. It is quite beautiful but you can see the harm man has created there. First part of the National Park was logged when the Prision Colony was around and the trees have not regrown much. Secondly, someone had the bright idea of bringing beaver to the area. As the have no natural predators in the area, they are reproducing rapidly and devastating the remaining forest. For part of my visit of the National Forest, I took a narrow gauge steam train. The rail line for the train was built by the pensioners to haul trees out of the forest and now has been rebuilt for the tourists.
After visiting the National Park, I headed back to Ushuaia to first have lunch (a steak sandwich again - it is hard to get away from steak in Argentina) and then to take a boat trip through the Beagle Channel. This was the highlight of my trip as I was able to get close to several small islands that had many sea lions and petrels. I also saw a lighthouse that made a great picture.
The next morning I headed back to the airport to fly to El Cafatate in the Patagonia region of Argentina (See Trip to Patagonia, Argentina).
After checking in at my hotel, I headed off to see the Museo del Fin del Mundo - the Museum of the End of the World. which covers the history of Ushuaia. Of interest was an exhibit of the Penal Colony that existed in Ushuaia from 1902 to 1947. At the Museum, I bought and mailed a few postcards so that the would have the cancellation stamp of Fin del Mundo - End of the World on them. After visiting the museum, I had a steak sandwich for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Ushuaia. I went to bed early as I started the day early.
The next morning, I visited the Tierra del Fuego National Park - an interesting area of the world. It is quite beautiful but you can see the harm man has created there. First part of the National Park was logged when the Prision Colony was around and the trees have not regrown much. Secondly, someone had the bright idea of bringing beaver to the area. As the have no natural predators in the area, they are reproducing rapidly and devastating the remaining forest. For part of my visit of the National Forest, I took a narrow gauge steam train. The rail line for the train was built by the pensioners to haul trees out of the forest and now has been rebuilt for the tourists.
After visiting the National Park, I headed back to Ushuaia to first have lunch (a steak sandwich again - it is hard to get away from steak in Argentina) and then to take a boat trip through the Beagle Channel. This was the highlight of my trip as I was able to get close to several small islands that had many sea lions and petrels. I also saw a lighthouse that made a great picture.
The next morning I headed back to the airport to fly to El Cafatate in the Patagonia region of Argentina (See Trip to Patagonia, Argentina).
Photo Info
I used a Olympus C-750UZ 4.0 Megapixel Digital Camera. The images were cleaned up a bit with Adobe PhotoShop
Elements (To correct the color balance). Additional Camera Information
Tierra del Fuego
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| The train station for the tourist train in the Tierra del Fuego National Park | The train that goes through the National Park. It was built by prisoners when the Tierra del Fuego was a penal colony | The Rio Pipo going through the National Park. The tree stumps are the remains of trees cut by the prisoners |
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| More of the Rio Pipo | A small waterfall. This is where the train stopped to fill its water tanks | The train engine on the narrow gauge of the tourist train |
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| Damage to the forest done by beavers. Canadian beaver were imported here for their fur but with no natural predators their population has grown too much | The Bahia Ensenada | Ushuaia Harbor with two Russian ships that do Antarctic Cruises (Antarctica is only 1000 kilometers/600 miles south of here) |
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| Ushuaia - the southern most city in the world | A pair of Petrels with South American Terns in the background | A colony of Petrels |
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| Some Petrels and Sea Lions | Two Sea Lions having an argument | The large Sea Lion is pushing his opponent into the water |
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| A Sea Lion | A pair of Sea Lions | A Lighthouse in the Beagle Channel |
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| Some young Petrels being fed by their parent | The Beagle Channel with Argentina on the left and Chile on the right | A sign indicating that Ushuaia is the End of the World |