December 8, 2015 ~ Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego & the Beagle Channel
Ushuaia, in the most southern tip of Tierra del Fuego, claims the title “fin del mundo” or “end of the world”. Ushuaia is the main port entry to Antarctica, well ahead of Hobart, Australia and Cape town, South Africa. Every week 40 ships more dock in this town, or about 85% of the maritime traffic to the Great White Continent.
Our Expedition leader, Raphaël Sané describes the Ushuaia in his book Antarctica: Journey to the Peninsula.
Ushuaia owes its economic boom to tourism. This small town, with 800 inhabitants in the 1930s, now has a population of 60,000 and continues to grow. Every year Antarctic cruises bring 35,000 travelers to town, but as many as 6 times more visitors are interested in the local natural treasures: the Tierra del Feugo National Park to the west of town, the colonies of Magellanic penguins and and sea lions in the Beagle Channel.
