The Route: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego National Park, Río Grande Porvenir, Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, Torres del Paine National Park, El Calafate, Los Glaciares National Park

Ushuaia

Ushuaia is the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Tierra del Fuego with a population of 50,000. Visitors to the city discover mixed colonial buildings with concrete blocks, sheet metal huts, wooden partitions – and construction sites. But the city is not the objective of this tour, rather it’s the the great outdoors!.
In the Maipú, Rivadivia corner is the Museo del Fin del Mundo (Museum of the End of the World). There you can admire Indian culture in addition to changing art exhibitions, ship wrecks and old photographs – and get a stamp in your passport. Next one finds a library with books on the history of Tierra del Fuego and a museum shop.
The Presidio, the former prison is found in the Yagan, corner of Gob. Nearby Paz is also worth a visit.

Excursions:
There are various Ushuaia tours, such as on the Beagle Channel to the lighthouse at the end of the world. This lighthouse stands at the beginning of the strait.
El Ferrocarril Austral Fuegino: This narrow gauge railway runs from Ushuaia to the Bahía Lapataia, travel time 1 hour
Info: www.trendelfindelmundo.com.ar
Mission of the Salesians: 11 km north of Ushuaia Salesian misson. It dates from the year 1893. There is a small museum (and an agro-technical school).

Antarctica

In Ushuaia you can also book tours to Antarctica, which typically cost between $500 and $700 USD per day per person. The route (800 nautical miles wide) goes through the Drake Passage to the South Shetland Islands and the west coast of the Antarctic archipelago.
We do not recommend these tours! In the interest of nature. Antarctica is a very delicate ecosystem that is affected by every tourist and best left alone !

Tierra del Fuego National Park (Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego)

This national park spreads across about 63 000 hectares. It runs about 20 km west of Ushuaia on the border with Chile. In the park is via the third Ruta The bus heads to the only shop and restaurant in the park you can go by bus to the end of Ruta 3, the Bahia Lapataia. There ends the famous Pan-American Highway, the road that starts in Alaska and continues through the length of the entire American continent.
The park is accessible for visitors with walking paths. There are swamps, caused by flooding. This in turn introduced by beavers, who have been busy destroying the forest at these sites. The coast is inhabited by sea birds and penguins, in the inland, there are guanacos.
The northern part of the national park is inaccessible.
Info: at the park entrance, where there are sketch maps.

Lago Fagnano

The mountain landscape between Ushuaia and Lago Fagnano, which runs along the north-east Route 3 is characterised by forests and swamps, interrupted from time to time by small valleys. The Lago Fagnano is 10 miles wide but 100 miles long.

Rio Grande

Río Grande is located on the Atlantic coast and has a population of around 36,000 residents. It is a city of sheep in Tierra del Fuego. The port is mainly used industrially by an oil refinery. Tourism in Rio Grande is not a worthwhile goal to be honest, but all the tourists who use the land route go through this city, as there is no other road to the mainland.
Info:
Tourist information: Hotel Los Yagan, Belgrano 319
Buses: Ushuaia, Porvenir and Punta Arenas in Chile
Flights: Buenos Aires, Río Gallegos, Calafate, Trelew, Punta Arenas in Chile

San Sebastian

San Sebatían is the name of a city as well as a bay. The town of San Sebastian is on the border with Chile.
You drive away, in Chilean territory, so you can reach after 50 km drive along the dirt road the Bahia Inútil from the Strait of Magellan. From here it’s only 60 km from Porvenir.

Porvenir

Porvenir is located on the Strait of Magellan. From here the ferry to Punta Arenas on the Chilean mainland go. The trip takes about 2.5 hours.
The Strait of Magellan is named after Fernao de Magellan (Ferdinand Magellan), who discovered the ship’s passage in 1520. The passage was used until 1914 by all ships, which drove around America. Then in 1914 the Panama Canal was opened.

PATAGONIA

What comes now is, Patagonia!

Punta Arenas

The city of Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan, the site of Porvenir in a westerly direction towards.
From Punta Arenas, with its 110 000 inhabitants, is said to be the most beautiful city in Patagonia. As is some truth: the visitor receives a neat downtown with historic buildings, a plaza, a museum and a quaint cemetery.
A walking tour could visit the following places:

• The Palacio de Sara Brown – it is an ornate splendor construction at the Plaza and houses a luxury hotel. In the neighboring town house brown Menédez that belonged to Sara Brown’s brother, Mauricio and his wife Josefina Menédez, the Museo Regional de Magallanes is located. Most users gain an insight into the former upper class lifestyle when the precious and admired from the Old World native furniture. Thus, there are gold-plated fender from Flanders, a pool table from Great Britain or the French wall fabrics on display.
• The Cementerio the cemetery in Punta Arenas is now a national monument. For example, the tomb of the family Menédez-Braun is built of black marble, decorated by José Menédez with angels.
• The Museo Regional Salesiano in Avenida Bulnes 374, the history of the Patagonian Indians who were exterminated by the white quasi.

It is also well worth a trip to the penguin colony at Seno Otway in the meadows west of Punta Arenas. In the summer you can find around 2500 Magellan penguins.
Info: www.sernatur.cl
Tourist information: Sernatur, Waldo Seguel 689 (Plaza)
Buses: Río Gallegos and Río Grande, Argentina, Puerto Natales in Chile
Flights: Santiago, Puerto Montt and Porvenir (in all of Chile)
Travel agencies for more bookings in Punta Arenas

Puerto Natales

Puerto Natales has about 15,000 inhabitants and is connected to Punta Arenas on the Ruta 9th The city is the starting point for excursions into the National Park Torres del Paine.
Tourist information: Calle Bulnes 285
Buses: Punta Arenas in Chile, Río Gallegos and El Calafate in Argentina

National Park Torres del Paine

The National Park Torres del Paine spreads over an area of 2,000 km ² in the southern Chilean Andes. The bizarre peaks of Southern range building up in front of the Patagonian Ebena. The Cerro Torre is the highest peak (3050m) and one of the most difficult mountains in the world.
The Grey Glacier sent his ice in the layer. Metre thick walls of ice constantly break off his snout. On the numerous glacial lakes swim shattered blocks of ice.
There are many hiking trails and accommodation: Hotels, simple refugio and camping facilities.
Info: Puerto Natales

El Calafate

El Calafate is a tourist resort with about 7000 inhabitants. It is the starting point for visiting the National Park Los Glaciares.
From Puerto Natales, El Calafate is reached by following near Rio Turbio crossed the border into Argentina and then the Ruta 40th It is a
Gravel road, which is also used by buses and guarantees magnificent views of the Patagonian desert. The Route 40 past the Lago Argentina, one of the largest lakes of Argentina (1600 km ²).
In El Calafate, there are a number of tour operators who organize tours to the National Park Los Glaciares: mountaineering or
Sightseeing tours to the glaciers, such as trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier or boat trips across Lake Argentino to the ice walls. In the southern part of the park can get one too, where campers can stay overnight.
Tourist Office: Avenida del Libertador (bridge at the entrance)
Buses: Río Gallegos, Río Turbio and Puerto Natales in Chile
Flights: Río Gallegos, Puerto Madryn, Río Grande, Ushuaia

Los Glaciares National Park

The Los Glaciares National Park covers an area of 600,000 ha. Natural attractions include the Fitz Roy Range in the north and the glaciers in the south. The glaciers are part of the Patagonian ice cap. The Patagonian ice sheet is the largest ice cap on planet Earth (22,000 kilometres) outside the North and South Poles. It sends nine glaciers in the Los Glaciares National Park. Particularly spectacular are the Upsala glacier (600 km ²) and the Perito Moreno glacier. The Upsala glacier can be a boat trip across Lago Argentino explore the Upsala glacier is accessible by bus.

The Fitz Roy range is the El Dorado of mountaineers and climbers from around the world. Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865) was the captain of the research ship Beagle by Charles Darwin. The Cerro Fitz Roy (3375) was climbed in 1952 for the first time, and although Guido Magnone and Lionel Terray. Both kept him at the time of the schwiergsten climbing mountain in the world. But also (and especially) as a hiker can experience the natural beauty of the Fitz Roy massif. Sun walking tours take you to the base camp of mountaineering; you can enjoy views of the Blanco River and Lake Viedma far into the plains. Or admire the tongue of the glacier Torre, which broke off in Lake Viedma.
Note: If you visit the Fitz Roy massif in the Los Glaciares National Park, El Calafate, you must stay in El Chalten!