As me and Ed loved Ushuaia so much and it has been one of our favourite places in Patagonia, we have put together our ideal guide for exploring Ushuaia on.
Location
With Ushuaia being the gateway to Antartica and Tierra Del Fuego national park, it is a very touristic towns in Argentina. Whether you are a lover of nature, history, food or hiking, this town has it all and is a fabulous place to visit on your South America adventure. Ed and I loved it here so much, we ended up staying for two weeks!
Although Ushuaia is famously known for being the ‘end of the world’ – which lets face it is pretty cool! It once had a history and used to be an old prison town. So its a real perfect little place to explore if you are a lover of history.
Follow along this post for a backpackers guide to seeing the best of what Ushuaia has to offer!
As it is such a touristic spot you can imagine the amount of tours available for you to enjoy. However, as much as me and Ed love tours, first I’d like to list the less expensive things you can do in this little town. This way you can see how it can fit to your budget and you don’t have to miss out on visiting the end of the world!
Take a tour of the city – First things first the town is super cute and full of things to do to fill your day…
With the option to do this via the big blue double decker bus or to just lace up your walking shoes, me and Ed opted for the latter.
We spent a few days actually seeing what the the city has to offer. It is a beautiful picturesque town with so many lovely spots to relax and enjoy the scenery around you. Not only that there are many bars, cafes and shops to look around. If you love hot chocolate and a Alfajore I really recommend checking out Tante Sara Pasteleria & Cafe. I had a Baileys hot chocolate and it was to delicious.
Don’t forget your Camera…
While you’re at the worlds end and with Ushuaia being so proud to shout about it you definitely should be getting your iconic photo with the Fin del Mundo sign! Located right besides the information centre. Amongst all the tour desks, why not get this cheeky photo while you’re checking out the tours?
During this walk, don’t forget to pack your passport! In the information centre located opposite the ferry terminal you can get a stamp in your passport, which will give you your full blow evidence that you have been to the end of the world! In all seriousness, if you’re someone who like to collect souvenirs when you travel, this one is free. Here you can also see the blue double decker bus parked on the road opposite. Another great photo opportunity! While you’re on a photo spree you should head to the famous Ushuaia sign. This is an iconic spot in the town with an amazing backdrop of many mountains and the bay.
Check out the History
Also in town as I mentioned before there is a lot of history. The souvenirs shop La Ultima Bita is not only the cheapest souvenir shop I found in town but actually has a back garden with a free 3D gallery. This give you some insights to the towns history. It is next door to the Galeria Tematica which for a small cost you can have more of an in-site into what the town used to be like. Or if you want to go more into depth there are many museums in town! One being called the museum at the end of the world and one which is inside the old prison!
Food – Everyones favourite…
Ushuaia is famously know for its king crabs!
Many restaurants sell seafood with the crab being the signature dish. Like I said previously we like to try and visit a place on the smallest budget possible. So we chose two restaurants out of many to try with slightly different price ranges.
The first restaurant we tried is called El Viejo Marino, this place is slightly cheaper in price and had a line out the door so we assumed the food must be amazing, and we weren’t wrong! We ordered the seafood stew and a dish the restaurants signature dish Centolla el veto marino. They were delicious and we enjoyed these so much, there was plenty to bring home which was a bonus. They also have live crabs in the restaurant, you can choose the one you want and have cooked fresh for you.
The second restaurant we tried is called La Casa de los Mariseos, even though it was a bit more expensive and both restaurants were good this one was definitely my favourite. Here we ordered what the waitress recommended and it looked so delicious when it arrived both me and Ed forgot to take a photo. This dish was the king crab with a prawn cream and hot fried potatoes HIGHLY RECOMMEND! It consisted of large chunks of fresh crab meat in a delicious creamy sauce with large prawns and the most delicious crispy potatoes… Mouth watering whilst writing this!
Both restaurants give you free bread and a garnish when you sit down which I also think is a really nice touch. We chose these restaurants as they were not only recommended to us by a locals but because there were always lines outside both restaurants. So to me this is a big indicator that the food must be amazing! If you’re a seafood lover these are a must try!
Day Hikes and Treks in Ushuaia – If you’re a keen walker on a limited budget you chose the right place!
To be honest if its not to go to Antartica, the main reason people come to Ushuaia is to explore the area on foot!
Ushuaia is at the start of the Patagonia region in the Southeast zone. What makes it so unique is the coast line. No other southern town in Patagonia has this so the walks you can do from here are extra special. The landscapes of the mountains, oceans and rivers are spectacular and something I highly recommend doing while you’re in town. What makes it so handy is that most of the walks are really easily accessed form town and for free. The national park is the only one with an entrance fee and if you arrive there before 8am you can get into the park at no cost. Which means you only have your transfer fee.
With there being so many hikes to do, you can imagine the amount of tours available. This can make it really difficult to decide if it’s necessary or not. Especially if you’re not actually an experienced hiker.
Luckily for you I have a seperate post about my favourite walks in town. You’ll see how to get there, how difficult they are and how much they will cost you. Click here to see my top 5 walks in Ushuaia!
