Flying to the town that calls itself ‘the end of the world’, it’s not hard to believe that the world is indeed about to come to a rather abrupt end. Four hours after leaving the teeming sub-tropical humidity of Buenos Aires our Aerolineas Argentinas jet descends through never-ending cloud towards an impossibly short runway at the very tip of South America.

Dodging icy peaks, the storm-tossed waters of the Beagle Channel and — perhaps more importantly — the edge of Chilean airspace, the pilots drop the jet onto the runway and ram the engines into full reverse. As the screaming (engines, not passengers) fades away a deliciously exotic voice floats over the intercom. “Bienvenido a Ushuaia”.

Welcome to Ushuaia. The end of the world as we know it.

As the capital of Argentine Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia (pronounced oo-sweye-ya) has become a popular destination for adventurous travellers looking to enjoy some of the untouched wilderness that surrounds this robust little settlement. The town itself is unlikely to win any charm awards, but its dramatic location tumbling down towards the Beagle Channel gives the rough-and-tumble centre a character that’s hard to resist.

Sitting on the dock of the bay

Perhaps part of the attraction is that this is the place to pick up achievements to fuel dinner party one-upmanship for months to come. Apart from standing on as near as damnit to the end of the Americas, you can also play a round of 18 on the world’s most southerly golf course or take a ride on the southernmost train in the world, unsurprisingly titled “Tren fin del Mundo; ‘The Train at the End of the World’.

As with many seaside towns the best place to start exploring is down at the pier, Ushuaia’s Muelle Tourístico. It’s here where you’ll find a number of tour operators running trips out into the Beagle Channel, and no trip to Ushuaia is complete without a trip out onto this magnificent waterway linking the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The land of fire

Although it’s very name means ‘Land of Fire’, when you’re crouched in the cabin of one of the many boats sailing on the strait that separates Argentine and Chilean Tierra del Fuego it’s hard to think of any flames other than the ones in the hearth keeping the cabin a toasty twenty degrees above the freezing temperatures outside.

With winds blowing straight up from Antarctica, the temperature in the channel can plummet unexpectedly, and snow can fall at any time of the year. As tempting as the fire may be, don a down jacket and brave the outside deck and you’ll be rewarded with sightings of black-browed albatrosses, giant petrels, Magellanic penguins and even the occasional orca.

Fringed by snow-capped peaks swathed in clouds ready to unleash fierce Patagonian storms, it’s wonderful to find yourself in a landscape that has been little touched by man in the last thousand years.

Wildlife aside, it’s the wild landscape that’s the real highlight here. One of the most popular trips is down the coastline to Lapataia Bay, the small harbour in the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego. Just 12 kilometres west of Ushuaia, the park's 630km² of dramatic coastline, pristine mountains and lakes overflowing with trout and salmon attracts adventurous tourists from all over the world. The park is accessible by boat or car (regular mini-buses also run from Ushuaia), and makes a fantastic day trip to enjoy the scenery and adventure activities.

If all that fresh air works up an appetite you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to satisfying a hungry hiker.

For something simple, take a wander through the coffee shops and restaurants scattered along Avenida San Martin, where you can pick up anything from pizza to a traditional Argentine parilla. The Argentines are also famed for their chocolate, and a mug of traditional Ushuaia hot chocolate is the perfect way to beat the chills after a day in the mountains.

King of the crustaceans

For such an isolated corner of the world there’s surprisingly good dining to be had here too. Lamb from the Patagonian steppe a few hundred kilometres north of Ushuaia can compete with the best the Karoo has to offer, but it’s the seafood that’ll have you coming back for more. The region’s many lakes and rivers mean that salmon and trout are as common (and affordable) as kingklip back home, allowing you to tuck in guilt-free. The region’s speciality though is the mighty Centolla, or King Crab.

Sporting spindly legs up to a metre from tip to tip, these colossal crustaceans make for fine eating. Just be sure that it’s fresh though, as frozen or tinned crab is often used out of season.

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Published courtesy of Out There.
The eclectic Volver seafood restaurant on Avenida Maipu is certainly one of the best in town, offering well-priced seafood and fantastic views of the Beagle Channel. Their winelist is also reasonable, given that they’re nearly 3000 kilometres from the nearest vineyard. No surprise then that the best tables with a view are often booked up, so make sure you reserve a seat in advance.

Even tucked away in the cosy confines of the restaurant, the site of the Antarctic cruise ships leaving harbour will make you wish you were one of the lucky tourists setting sail.

Although Ushuaia is over 1000 kilometres north of the tip of Antarctica, it’s still the world’s closest harbour to the great white continent and many tourists leave from here to cross the fiercesome Drake passage that separates the two continents. Regular cruise ships leave from the harbour between November and March, with many calling in at the Malvinas (as the Falklands are known) and South Georgia. Trips last anywhere from eight days to three weeks and cost upwards of $3000. Not a cheap holiday by any means, but certainly an experience worth every cent.

But perhaps that’s the great thing about Ushuaia. While a voyage to the bottom of the earth would be the trip of a lifetime, a week in Ushuaia, with its snow-capped peaks in every direction, glaciers tumbling towards town and some of the wildest oceans in the world pounding the shoreline, makes you feel like you’re at the end of the world already.