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What to pack when traveling to Patagonia

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Planning to visit Patagonia along with your Antarctica expedition? One of the most important details to have in mind if you want to enjoy this experience to the fullest is how to dress and what to pack – without packing too much! Weather changes all the time (just like in Antarctica), so you do not want to forget your raincoat or your trekking shoes.

Temperature can drastically change depending on how windy or humid the day is so it is always advisable to dress in layers as air between these layers ensures more insulation. While traveling for many days or months it can be tiresome to carry a heavy backpack, but you also need to be prepared for the weather of these latitudes to truly embrace the outdoors adventure. Here is a list of what we recommend you bring:

  • Water-resistant trekking pants
  • Trekking shoes
  • Insulated socks
  • Thermal liners /Fleece liner
  • Rain coat/ windbreaker
  • Gloves
  • Beanies/ Headband
  • Sunglasses & Sunscreen
  • Bottle of water/ thermos
  • Backpack

Notice that in some Patagonian cities/towns there are rentals where you can find water resistant/waterproof gear in case you are planning to participate in a specific activity such as skiing, snowshoeing or kayaking.

If you have a little spare space, do not forget to pack:

  • Gaffer tape: in case your backpack tears this can help you fix it temporarily!
  • Waterproof bag cover: chances are you’ll meet all kinds of weather so if you do not have a waterproof backpack, a cover will help you keep your stuff dry!
  • A Padlock

A Must!

  • Insurance: For when things do not go exactly as planned, we strongly recommend you get a baggage & cancellation insurance as well as a medical insurance while you are traveling!
  • Medicine: It is always a good idea to travel with some basic medicine for allergies, headaches or diarrhea

 

 

Two Museums of Ushuaia you shouldn’t miss!

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If you want to expand your knowledge about the history of Tierra del Fuego, here are two museums you can visit in the city of Ushuaia:

Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia

You’ll have the chance to visit the old jail of Ushuaia, learn about the life, work, privileges and punishments of the criminals who endured the harsh weather conditions of this place about a hundred years ago. Inside this building you’ll find the Museo Marítimo, Museo del Presidio, Museo Antártico and Museo de Arte Marino and a gift shop.

WHEN?

Open seven days a week
March to December, open daily: 10:00 – 20:00hs
January and February, open daily: 9:00 – 20:00hs
LAST ADMISSION 19:30hs

GUIDED VISITS

All days in Spanish
January and February: 11:30hs, 16:30hs and 18:30hs
March – December: 11:30hs and 18:30hs

The entrance ticket is valid for 2 days in a row, with the seal of receipt and ID. Only cash accepted.

  • Adults ARS $ 600
  • Students + ID ARS $ 450
  • Family Ticket ARS $ 1350

WHERE? Yaganes & Gobernador Paz, Ushuaia

Pequeña Historia Fueguina: Galería Temática

This is a great opportunity to have a general overview of the history of these austral lands. You’ll be given earphones with an audio guide (in the language of your choosing), which will explain you in a chronological way the life and costumes of the aboriginal peoples [Shelknam or Onas, Haush or Manetek, Yamanas or Yaghanes] as well as the interactions between them and their environment. You’ll also learn about the Fitz Roy, Darwin and the HMS Beagle voyages, recognize Officer Augusto Laserre considered the founder of Ushuaia in October 12, 1884 and Gunther Pluschow with his Cóndor de Plata. The museum also shows different scenes related with the penitentiary and its prisoners and introduces visitors to Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition. If you have time we recommend you do not miss the 20-minute documentary the museum offers which sums up all the information you have seen in the scenes around the ‘Galería’.

WHEN? It is open all year round with different Winter and Summer timetables.
Tuesday to Sunday: 12 hs to 20 hs
Monday: Closed
Consult for holidays

WHERE?  Located in the center of the city of Ushuaia at 152 San Martin Street entering at the ground floor the exhibition takes place in1st and 2nd floors.

 

 

 

Gastro Tour: Where to Eat in Ushuaia

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After traveling thousands of kilometers to get to Tierra del Fuego, you must be ready to eat! Fear not, Ushuaia has a great variety of delicious offerings.

From empanadas and pizza, to delicious seafood, tender steaks and Patagonian lamb, you’ll find a varied menu in the capital city. Take a look at this list of cuisines & recommendations to try a few of the delicious options Ushuaia has to offer.

EMPANADAS & PIZZA

These are one of the most popular Argentinian options an easy night in with friends, or out on the town. Sometimes you can’t make up your mind as what to choose due to the great variety of options!

For empanadas you can choose from: “de verdura”(veggies), “cordero” (lamb), “carne” (meat), “pollo” (chicken),  “choclo”  (sweet corn), “cebolla y queso” (onions and cheese), “matambre” and many other creative options depending on the place you choose! Pizza is also offered with many different toppings: you can have the classics Mozzarella or the Napolitana, or try the Fugazzeta (lots of onions), Alemana (with sausages), Ananá (pineapple) and even pizza with smoked salmon!

  • TO GO: Doña Lupita (Don Bosco 341) & Pizza Bely (Gob Paz 747)
  • SIT DOWN: Bar de Pizzas (San Martin 753) and Dublin Pub (9 de julio 168)

MILANESAS

The favorite food of many kids and adults alike, you may know milanesas as ‘breaded cutlets.” Meat, chicken, fish or veggie, these are delicious and usually moderately priced.  Milanesas can be ordered to go from most rotisserie shops, with a side of potatoes or salad. If you prefer to sit down, the classic El Turco (San Martin 1410) is a great place to try these. Also the new El Mercado (San Martin 1488) offers gargantuan size milanesas with various toppings – one milanesa is perfect for 2 people!

SEAFOOD

Tierra del Fuego is an excellent place to enjoy fresh, local seafood dishes. Try local river trout or the famous “centolla” (king crab). Check out the iconic Cantina de Freddy, a small joint with an aquarium in the window. You can pick out which king crab you want to eat! We also recommend Chikos (a Chilean restaurant), as well as Tia Elvira, both known for excellent and fresh seafood varieties.

Off the Beaten Track: If you are out to discover Ruta J and Estancia Haberton on your own, you do not want to miss “La Mesita de Almanza” in Puerto Almanza, which is about 70 km away from the capital city of Ushuaia. As this is a small restaurant and they do not open daily, it is advisable that you make a reservation before going! Check their Facebook page for details.

MEAT

You have probably heard a lot about Argentinian meat, Patagonian lamb and asados (barbeques). As you can imagine, there are also great places in Ushuaia where you can enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner, Argentinian style. In many restaurants you are offered “buffet style” where you can eat all you want, and in others you can order different cuts of meat. We love Maria Lola Resto for beef & lamb, and La Estancia for the “All you can eat” option.

 

Off the Beaten Track: Most Winter Centers on Route 3 have their own restaurants, and these are the favorite places to eat lamb during the winter or summer months. About 20 minutes outside of town you can find Llanos del Castor, a family-run center with sled dogs, miles of cross country ski trails, and an amazing lunch menu of lamb and “pollo al disco.” Set in a rustic cabin at the foot of the mountains, you get a real taste of the Andes! Check out their Facebook page to reserve before going.

 

SPLURGE MEAL

If you are celebrating an important occasion or want to go out for a nice dinner, Ushuaia has some wonderful options. Kaupe, which means “to be at home” is a family-run restaurant with incredible meat and seafood. Desserts are also homemade, including gelato, and you will be welcomed with warm hospitality of the Vivian family.

QUICK BITES: SANDWICHES

If you are out for a trekking day, sandwiches are a great option to go. You can choose from the traditional chicken or ham sandwiches or try “sandwiches de miga” with “huevo y queso” (eggs and cheese), “atún” (tuna), “primavera” (ham, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes), or “remolacha” (beet). Miga is a very thin bread with different fillings. You can find these sandwiches in any bakery, but the variety will vary depending on where you go.

We recommend Tante Sara or Panadería Eureka. Don’t forget to grab something sweet. You’ll be tempted to have an Argentinian merienda (afternoon tea)!

SNACKS & MERIENDAS

If what you are looking for is something to grab and continue your adventure day, you may be able to find a few options at the supermarket, but here in Argentina the “Dietéticas” are the places where you can find your favorite nuts and cereals, as well as other options of tea or juices.

If you plan to blend in and enjoy the merienda at 6pm, then you should try “facturas” (pastries) while you try a sip of mate! In the city center you can find the dietética “Madre Tierra” on San Martin Street and grab some delicacies at Tante Sara or Café Expresso on San Martin Street.

48 Hours in Ushuaia: What to do?

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If you only have two days to spend in Tierra del Fuego, these are the “must do” activities during your stay!

VISIT THE STUNNING TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK

TDF National park is about 20 kilometers away from the city center of Ushuaia. If you plan to spend the whole day there and enjoy from its many trekking trails on your own, you can get there by taking a regular bus. They depart from Maipú street daily every hour during the morning, and this is probably the cheapest option if you are traveling solo. If you are traveling with friends or want to be independent in terms of transportation, you can also rent a car!

For travelers looking for a guided half-day excursion on the National Park, you have the option to book an excursion that will show you the highlights of the National Park and can also offer a short trek along the most visited trails of the park. Also, at the National Park you’ll find the most southerly Argentinian post office, so you can send your post cards from there and get your passport stamped as being one of the privileged visitors to have visited the post office!

GLACIAR MARTIAL

During the summer, this is a great half-day excursion you can do on your own. It can be done in the morning before you embark for Antarctica, as it’s close to town. There is a trail that starts at the very beginning of Luis Fernando Martial Road and winds up to the base of the old ski center (about 5 km climb). You can either start there, or take a taxi to where this road ends and start your hike there. This is a steep trek, so do not forget to wear proper clothes and shoes and bring water and snacks to keep you energized! No matter how high you go, you will have an amazing view of the city and of the Beagle Channel from up there. There is a teahouse and a Refugio close-by, so when you finish your hike, you can grab your deserved cup of tea or hot chocolate.

SAN MARTIN STREET & PORT OF USHUAIA

 San Martin is the main street of the city center and it has most of the outdoor gear stores, clothing stores, souvenirs stores and popular cafés, restaurants and bakeries. Most museums are close by and the port of Ushuaia is just a few blocks away from the main street. From the port you’ll have a lovely view of the Beagle Channel and its visiting ships, the Chilean mountain range and the many birds that live on the coast. If you want to take a closer look, you can ask us about half day excursions and embark on a yacht to sail the Beagle and have a panoramic view of the port, this time from the Channel! Also, just in front of the port on Maipú Street you’ll find the Tourism Office where you can ask for a map of the city and get ready to discover the small city center.

MUSEUMS

 If it’s a rainy day or you are tired of hiking, you can visit the most popular museums in the city: Ex Presidio At the End of The World (which used to be a prison less that 100 years ago) and Galería Temática. The Ex-Presidio is located on Yaganes Street, just a block away from the beginning of San Martin Street. It offers visitors a complete overview of how the place functioned as a prison back in the 1920’s, closing in 1947. On the same location you’ll find the Museo Marítimo, Museo Antártico & Museo de Arte Marino. On the other hand, Galería Temática is a great opportunity to know more about Fuegian history, its native people and enjoy from great replicas of historical value.

Galería Temática: Open Tuesday-Sunday 12:00pm to 8:00pm

Museo Marítimo y del Presidio: Open all year round

March – December: 10:00am to 8:00pm
January & February: 9:00am to 8:00pm
Entrance until 7:30pm
Holidays (Consult +54 2901 437481)

Transitioning to Antarctica: What It’s Like to Sail the Drake

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Author Melissa Goldin on a zodiac excursion in the white continent.

It was the raviolis that broke me.

“If I have to throw up, where should I do that?” I asked Andy, one of the three crew members aboard our 19-day sailing expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula.

Nonplussed, he pointed outside. I nodded, but didn’t get up. It seemed unlikely that I’d be able to get my coat on, wriggle into my lifejacket, and attach myself to the deck before my lunch ended up all over Icebird, our six-passenger, high-latitude sailing yacht. Andy seemed to sense this in my hesitation.

“Do you have time?” he asked. I shook my head. “Go, just go,” he urged me, and I stumbled out the door, onto the deck of the pitching vessel.

As I emptied my stomach over the port side, Andy grabbed the back of my sweatshirt so I wouldn’t follow my upchuck into the waves. Once the nausea had subsided, I sat on the deck, staring vacantly at the horizon, my lifejacket finally on and hooked to the boat.

The Icebird on its way to Antarctica across the Drake.

This is life on the Drake Passage — 600 miles of tempestuous waters connecting Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America, to Antarctica — one of the roughest bodies of water in the world. It’s unavoidable for most tourists unless they fly round-trip to the great white desert. In a large cruise ship, a crossing typically takes two to three days. It took us six — six days of hardly anything but ocean, birds, and sky; six of the most tedious, most soul-sucking, most uncomfortable days of my life. But it was worth it.

In the midst of a solo, five-month journey through South America, I’d shown up in Ushuaia, Argentina on the off-chance I would be able to find a discounted, last-minute trip to the seventh continent. Luck was on my side: I scored a spot on Icebird, sight unseen, with just three other passengers.

I knew the Drake would be rough, especially on a small boat, but I saw it as a means to an end — a challenge on the way to our destination. Instead, it was a period of transition that set the tone for the entire trip. I was quickly removed from the modern world and transported to an alternate universe with no Internet, no distractions and no one but the strangers with whom I was traveling. My perception of reality slowed and I started to focus on minute details with unrelenting concentration — how the cape petrels would take a running start on the water before taking off and how the never-ending ocean made it feel like we were literally on top of the world (or perhaps the bottom). World War Three could have started and I wouldn’t have known.

After three days, we saw another sailboat. The mast was only a thin, black line on the horizon at first, but it was my top priority for half an hour as we watched it draw closer at an excruciatingly slow pace. I wondered who was on board and whether they were as excited to see us as we were to see them. It was my tether to the rest of the world, a much-appreciated break in the waves, until it disappeared to the north.

“That was the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me,” I said to no one in particular as it passed.

But the novelty of the Drake soon wore thin. I got so fed up with the nothingness that I started cursing out the bathroom every time a big wave threw me off the toilet and napping as much as I could so as to simply do something other than stare out the window in a stupor. We were tossed around so much I could barely read or write and my hair got greasier each day I had to go without a shower. The monotony was broken only by good meals and when idle chatter turned deep (or silly).

Arrival in Antarctica!

And then everything stopped. There was no more rocking, no more splashing, no more nausea. Gentoo penguins squawked no more than 30 feet away, the bright reds and blues of two small buildings contrasted with the pure white of the snow and a cruise ship lingered in the distance, obscured by fog. It had never taken me so long to get anywhere and I thought about the early Antarctic explorers who’d really had it rough what with scurvy, starvation, and countless other hardships. Compared to them, with our GPS, motor and fresh vegetables, we’d gone for a pleasant jaunt around the lake, but it still felt as though we’d earned our anchorage.

As our plane back to civilization landed in Punta Arenas, Chile two weeks later I marveled at the miracle that is modern air travel. It took us six days to get to Antarctica and only two hours to get back. I had no desire to return to the Drake and was grateful a hot shower was finally within reach, but our arrival felt like a non-event — merely a blip on the way to my hostel. We were getting convenience over self-reflection. The nausea, however, was not missed.

Melissa Goldin is a writer and editor from Brooklyn, N.Y. who just returned home from a five-month trip through South America and Antarctica. You can contact her at goldin.melissa@gmail.com or learn more about her at melissagoldin.com.

24 Hours in Punta Arenas

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Punta Arenas, Chile, a port city in the Magallanes region of Chilean Patagonia, is the second most important access point to Antarctica in South America. Antarctica voyages depart here to the South Shetland Islands via charter flight. A colorful town along the coast, Punta Arenas is the perfect place to enjoy a day or two before embarking on a trip to Cape Horn or a fly-trip Antarctica. Here are some things to do before you embark!

WALK THE TOWN

Take a stroll around the city center to see the historic Plaza de Armas. Make a wish and kiss the foot of the famous “Indio Desconocido,” an enigmatic indigenous man fabled to have miraculous powers. Enter the Palacio Sara Braun museum for $2,000 Chilean pesos to learn more about the city’s early history. Stroll up the Avenida Cristobal Colón, and find a full view of the city at the top. Punta Arenas is also full of street art, so keep an eye out for the many murals you’re sure to find!

Don’t forget to apply sunscreen before your walk – there’s a hole in the ozone layer above Punta Arenas, and the sun hits strong!

EXPLORE THE CEMETERY

If you’re a fan of ornate Latin American cemeteries, you’ll love the municipal cemetery of Punta Arenas. Lose yourself among the tall, oblong cypress trees that line mausoleums dotted with flowers and pinwheels. Visit the resting sites of the region’s most influential pioneers and immigrants, as well as monuments to fallen soldiers and the “Indio Desconocido.” Note that this is not just a historical cemetery, so be respectful to visiting families!

WALK AMONG PENGUINS

For many visitors, the 4-5 hour excursion to the penguin colony of Magdalena Island is a highlight of their stay in Punta Arenas. A ferry cruise will bring you past sea lions to a colony of over 150,000 Magellanic penguins – a species found only in this part of the world and in the Falklands. For penguin fanatics, this is a great opportunity to see this unique species. But if you’re on a budget, skip the tour and get excited for the great variety of penguins you’ll see in Antarctica! Cape Horn travelers: you’ll stop at Magdalena Island on your journey.

GO SHOPPING

Punta Arenas has a large tax-free commercial district, ideal for purchasing last-minute Antarctica gear or stocking up for camping trips after your journey. It’s quite a bit cheaper than shopping in Argentina and also offers a wider variety of imported products. For longtime backpackers, this is a great place to find food products (read: peanut butter) otherwise scarce in Latin America. Visit the Líder supermarket (Chilean Walmart) for all kinds of cheap buys, and then head down to the Zona Franca shopping complex for a variety of goods, including camping supplies, electronics, imported chocolates, and just about anything else you might need.

ENJOY A MEAL

Treat yourself to a dinner at the lively La Marmita – with a colorful interior, plenty of vegetarian options, and delicious cocktails, this is a great spot to enjoy an evening. Don’t forget to bring cash!

For a cheap meal, head over to the home-y Sabores de Mamá, where you can get an appetizer, entree, dessert, and beverage for $5,000 chilean pesos. Their cozy atmosphere and warm service make for a delightful experience.

Take a break in a café for a couple hours: Imago Libro Arte Café, right on the shore, offers gorgeous views and a shelves full of books to peruse, or take advantage of the free Wifi and yummy pastries at Café Tostado.