Turns out, the ‘end of the world’ is a great place to visit

This far-flung chilly city will warm your heart with crab feasts, colourful murals and some of the best baked goods around. Here are nine reasons to visit.

Welcome to the End of the World

Ushuaia, capital of the Argentinian province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands, isn’t nicknamed Fin del Mundo (End of the World) for nothing. The windswept four-seasons-in-a-day port city, dangling at the bottom of South America, is some 3000 kilometres by road from Buenos Aires – further than driving from Cairns to Melbourne.

Ushuaia is the southernmost city in Argentina.

Almost 90 per cent of tourists heading to Antarctica will pass through the city thanks to its proximity to the Antarctic Peninsula, which takes two days to reach by ship. If flying into the world’s southernmost city (a title that Chile’s tiny Puerto Williams also claims), grab a right-hand window seat to be wowed by its drama-filled, snow-capped setting on the Beagle Channel. See turismoushuaia.com

Hike the Land of Fire

Those surrounding peaks, and what’s within their furrows and folds, attract a stream of outdoor enthusiasts. Take your pick from easy to challenging hikes that show off glaciers, waterfalls, lagoons, peatbogs and even beaver dams (the animals are considered an invasive species here) or sign up for a 4WD outing or a fun-filled pack-rafting trip. The city is 11 kilometres from Tierra del Fuego National Park (the name means “Land of Fire”), which butts up against the border with Chile. Visit the park, famous for its gob-smacking scenery, sub-Antarctic forests and fascinating wildlife including woodpeckers, guanaco and foxes. See argentina.gob.ar

Go postal

Within the national park you’ll find a tin shack on a rickety dock. This is the End of the World Post Office where you can squeeze in with other visitors to buy postage stamps or a souvenir ink stamp (it’s not advisable to waste passport space on this). Inside, it’s a one-man show with a slow-moving queue. If you don’t have time to make a purchase, admire the views across Ensenada Zaratiegui Bay and, from nearby signs, learn about the indigenous Yagan people whose traditional nomadic lifestyle was forever changed by the arrival of Europeans towards the end of the 19th century.

Ride the train

El Tren del Fin del Mundo – the only functional steam train in Patagonia.Credit: Getty Images

Between the city and national park you’ll find El Tren del Fin del Mundo – a dinky heated tourist train pulled by a steam locomotive. This is a journey into history: Ushuaia prisoners would travel this line – in far less comfort – to collect firewood for the town they also helped build. Today, there’s no hard labour involved, with the seven-kilometre train trip sliding you through pretty beech forests. Over summer, it’s extremely popular so book early for the one hour, 50-minute round trip that has three daily year-round departures in three classes (tourist, premium, VIP). See trendelfindelmundo.com.ar

Hit up downtown

Not the most obvious place for a Hard Rock Cafe.Credit: Getty Images

Forgotten an essential item for your hiking trip or Antarctic cruise, or just need warmer clothing? Don’t panic. With 80,000-plus residents and a buzzy commercial district, Ushuaia will provide. Downtown streets are packed with adventure tour operators, equipment stores, gourmet chocolate shops, sophisticated cafes and bakeries such as Ana & Juana, souvenir shops, an Irish pub – and even a Hard Rock Cafe (where memorabilia includes an Elvis shirt, Madonna bustier and a purple, pink and chartreuse Prince jacket). You can also get a feel for the city on a 13-kilometre, one-hour “train” tour (a bus decorated to resemble the prisoners’ train) that has four daily departures. See ushuaiacitytrain.com

Do the time

Cell yourself … the ″⁣End of the World Prison”. Credit: Getty Images

Ushuaia’s prison, known as the Alcatraz of Argentina, operated from 1904-47. Since becoming a museum in the 1990s, it’s now called – as you might guess – the End of the World Prison. Its hub-and-spoke design, modelled on Philadelphia’s infamous Eastern State Penitentiary, created five long cell blocks radiating from a central axis. Outside, tucked between “spokes”, is a locomotive from the original “prisoners’ train” coupled to a coach used only for visitors and tourists during the prison’s final years. A dilapidated section of the prison’s stone and concrete exterior wall is preserved nearby to show how the original grey was painted yellow after the prison’s closure.

Cruise the Beagle Channel

Seal love in the Beagle Channel.Credit: Getty Images

A Beagle Channel cruise is an easy day trip. Browse the tour options offered by multiple operators stationed next to the commercial pier. Rug up before heading out to see the Magellanic and Imperial cormorants roosting on rocky islets, sea lions, waterfront estancias (ranches) and the candy-striped Les Eclaireurs lighthouse. Some itineraries include seeing a penguin colony.

Stroll the waterfront

In summer, Ushuaia’s commercial pier is busy with Antarctic cruise ships coming and going. You must be a passenger to access the pier, but you can peep the ships, ranging from workmanlike to ultra-luxurious, from afar. Stroll the waterfront to see the St Christopher shipwreck, lying askew just offshore, and perhaps a southern giant petrel or kelp gull. Take a snap of the Cartel Ushuaia (city sign) west of the pier. Around town, keen birders might spy southern lapwings, rufous-collared sparrows and black-chinned siskins going about their day.

Admire the street art

Wander the streets to see the clever use of corrugated iron in the city’s vernacular architecture – along with a stunning open-air art gallery. Ushuaia is home to more than 300 murals that depict, among other things, its indigenous people and Antarctic wildlife. In March this year, artists added 11 more works that highlight Fuegian culture, local legends, the region’s beauty and the country’s connection to Antarctica.

One more thing

Given the city’s maritime surrounds, seafood looms large on menus. Take a seat within the maximalist decor of the maritime-themed Restoran Volver that occupies Ushuaia’s oldest house or at La Cantina de Freddy to feast on king crabs, fish, octopus, scallops and more. PS Buck the Argentinian habit of dining late if you don’t want to hear the restaurant’s crab supply has run dry for the day.

The writer travelled to Ushuaia as a guest of HX. HXexpeditions.com