Day 27: Usuhaia, Argentina

Beagle channel lighthouse

With adverse weather approaching the Falkland Islands, we weren’t able to anchor and tender over to the pier. We continued to sail toward Ushuaia, and as the weather calmed, we were able to do a sail-by of Cape Horn before returning to Beagle passage and Ushuaia. The captain announced when we crossed into the Pacific Ocean. As we passed Cape Horn whales were frolicking in the distance, breaching and spouting.

We arrived into Ushuaia early in the morning, to a cloudy and rainy morning. The itinerary was changed to stay an extra day there, so we had twice the time to explore. Unfortunately, the first day was Sunday, but we had reservations at a crab restaurant at the end of the world and it didn’t disappoint.

We ubered to the train station at the end of the world, looked at the museum and hired a taxi to guide us around the Terra del Fuego park, which was well worth it.

We added a couple of our new friends to our reservation and had a great time! We went to a bar afterwards and saw a bunch of the ship’s crew having a good time and unwinding. These folks work so hard to show us a good time!

The next day we had to get up kind of early to go see penguins! We took a five hour tour on a catamaran, and it was a bird-lovers dream. We saw the penguins, but also cormorant’s nesting sites and terns nesting islands. The weather was mostly clear, which was unexpected, and allowed us to see the beauty of the area.

This was a busy port, with all kinds of ships coming and going while we were there. Some were bound for Antarctica, some were small and posh, and one large was was filled with Germans! It’s been really eye-opening, leaving our small bubble to come to the end of the world and experience South America. Parts have made our “return to” list for sure!

Next we will be heading north up the coast and fjords of Chile, so stay tuned!