Cruises to Antarctica depart from a really neat port town at the end of the world. The southernmost “city” in the world is Ushuaia’s claim to fame. For a city that is isolated from most of the world, Ushuaia has a bustling main drag, a plethora of hotels and an incredibly busy pier. There is no shortage of ways you can fill your pre-embarkation days in Ushuaia to maximize your time and have an awesome pre-cruise experience. You are in Argentina after all, it's worth taking the time to enjoy the fantastic food and wine and to find all of your souvenirs that say you have been to “The End of The World”.
Our cruise aboard the Hebridean Sky included two pre-cruise hotel nights in the Arakur Resort and Spa - an incredible hotel in its own right but also a great place for all of our fellow passengers to assemble and start to mingle before the cruise. Polar Latitudes holds a pre-cruise briefing in the hotel conference rooms explaining how embarkation, luggage and transportation to the pier would work over the next couple days. The timing was down to minutes and there was no way to get confused. We all departed excited for what was to come. With the free time that my companion and I had in Ushuaia, we decided to check out Tierra del Fugeo National Park by participating in a group “trek and paddle” tour in hopes that this might help limber us up after our long flights. The weather at the end of the world proved to be unpredictable and wild. We were picked up in the morning by our guides and shuttled out to the park, where we promptly put on all layers and a rain jacket in hopes of shielding the passing storm. Our hiking portion of the trip began at the Southernmost post office in the world (barring the mailing stations at the Antarctic Research bases). The post office itself was a tiny shipping container decorated by eclectic doodads that the postmaster had rounded up over the years. Obligatory post cards sent, our group was once again out in the remaining trickle of rain exploring the coastal beach forests of Tierra del Fuego while our guide informed us of the passing flora, fauna and exploratory history of the region. The seven kilometer hike led us up and down rolling hills and across beaches to historic sites of the Yamana tribes who used to inhabit these lands and for whom the land was named. The explorers of old rounding the tip of South America often spotted the fires of these tribes on shore- aptly naming the point, The Land of Fire” or Tierra del Fuego as we all recognize today.
After our hike, we all huddled into a park eco dome where a huge spread of chicken and rice, salads, pasta and dessert was waiting for us, as well as traditional Argentinian Malbecs to taste. The group feasted and warmed ourselves up while preparing for our canoeing portion of our trip to come. The sun had peeked through the clouds in the meantime, we all filed out to the beach, stuffed and quite happy, we started suiting up into the one size fits all “Semi-dry” suits and rubber boots provided to keep us dry on our next adventure. I have to say, inflatable canoes are no match for the Patagonian winds, regardless of how strong you paddle. We paddled and paddled and struggled against the wind, stopping to check out passing cormorants and seals, giggling at each others highly skilled paddle techniques the whole way until the guide decided we should probably get to shore and safely back to the warmth of the bus. Looks like we were not quite as strong as the explorers of old.
Our tour ended with a trip to the sign denoting the very end of the Pan-American Highway that runs from the top of Alaska to the bottom of Argentina, a milestone for bikers, and drivers alike. Not a bad way to shake the jet lag and begin our exploration of Ushuaia for one day! Of course this is not the only way to spend your time. Ushuaia boasts treks to hanging glaciers and alpine lakes, 4x4 off-roading tours, cruises along the Beagle Channel, even trips to Magellanic and King penguin colonies if you need to get your fix before the cruise starts! The town is rich with history and the food is surf and turf at its most Argentine. This city is not one to ignore.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.