Argentina: 2 Days in Ushuaia
Here are the top “must do” experiences if you have only two days in Ushuaia, Argentina.
Ushuaia is very much a tourist town, which means it has fantastic hotels, restaurants, museums, and a wide variety of tours. It’s also so small that there’s only one main strip, with just about everything you need in one place. Tour agencies are helpfully grouped in small cabins near the waterfront, which is also where cruise ships arrive and right next to the tourism office.
Where to stay?
I stayed in six different places during my three weeks in Ushuaia and my favorites were Arakur and Los Ñires. Both are on the edge of town and have shuttle services that take guests to the center throughout the day. Both also focus on sustainability and use environmentally friendly products throughout the hotel.
Perched high above town, Arakur has luxurious rooms, even more luxurious outdoor heated pools and hot tubs, hiking trails and a gourmet restaurant.
Right on the coast, Los Ñires has a fabulous view of the Beagle Channel and the snow-capped Darwin Range. The rooms are deluxe, the food is great and the hotel has a private forest with stairs and trails down to the water.
Where to eat?
If you love seafood, Ushuaia will be paradise! If you don’t, there are lots of other great options. I highly recommend trying the king crab, which is locally caught and the pride of the best restaurants in town. My two favorite seafood restaurants were Volver and María Lola. My favorite place with good food and lots of character was Ramos Generales. My favorite local chain that focused on local products included El Mercado, Tante Sara, Jeremy Button and Augusto.
If you truly only have two days, have dinner at Volver the first night and Maria Lola the second night. Have lunch at El Mercado the first day and Ramos Generales the second. If you don’t have breakfast included at your hotel, try Tante Sara and Augusto.
First dinner: Volver
Volver has more than seafood, though that is definitely their focus. I tried the Ceviche de Puta Madre (that really is what’s on the menu) which was fantastic. The owner let me in the kitchen to photograph the king crab bake and dishes with local mussels.
Second dinner: María Lola
Another fantastic seafood restaurant that has plenty of other options on the menu for those who prefer something else.
First lunch: El Mercado
Everything on the menu is fantastic, but I really liked this ratatouille quiche and the empanadas. Each flavor of empanada is presented a bit differently and some are open like tiny savory tarts.
Second lunch: Ramos Generales
Ramos Generales has breakfast, lunch and dinner options and the food is so good you could probably eat all three meals here. It’s also got a lot of character and is decorated like an antique shop.
What to do?
The first day, you should take a helicopter ride in the morning to see everything from the air, then spend the afternoon going to see the penguins. The second day, go to Tierra del Fuego National Park in the morning (or all day) and spend the afternoon or evening at the Maritime Museum, which is open until 8pm.
Day 1: HeliUshuaia
The best way to see everything in a short amount of time is with a helicopter ride! In under an hour you can see the harbor, city, mountains, valleys, lakes and coastline. Weather permitting, HeliUshuaia lands by a high mountain lake so you can get out of the helicopter for a few minutes to take photos. I was served champagne by the lake, which was a fabulous cherry on top for the whole experience!
Day 1: Isla Martillo AKA La Pinguinera
There is an island relatively close to Ushuaia where you can see three species of penguins: Magellanic, Gentoo and Emperor. I went with Piratour, which is the only tour agency allowed to land on the island. You can tell from my photos that I was walking around with the penguins, though other companies kept their people on the boats. Piratour drives you to Estancia Harberton, where you have a short boat ride to the island. Afterwards you get to visit the museum that has hundreds of skeletons of whales and all other marine animals from the area.
Day 2: Tierra del Fuego National Park
The national park is right next to town, and you could easily spend four to five full days camping, boating and hiking around the park. If you have only one day, sign up for a tour that takes you both boating and hiking. There are several trails through the park but the best ones go along the coast. I saw lots of wildlife: caracara, woodpeckers, kingfishers, vapor ducks, dolphins and more. The Spanish description of the boating tour is “canoa” and it’s translated as canoeing but you’re really on inflatable rafts on a flat water river going from the biggest lake in the park out to the Beagle Channel.
Day 2: Maritime & Presidio Museum
Ushuaia was a prison colony in the 1800s and the prison has been converted into several museums. There is a maritime museum, as well as an art museum. The best of the museums is the Presidio and it’s open till 8pm.
Travel tip: Skip the salmon
The fishing industry teamed up with the tourism industry in Ushuaia to ban salmon farming from the Beagle Channel. Read more about why you shouldn’t order salmon in Ushuaia and more travel tips on my Argentina Travel Tips Blog.
