Land of Fire
My first full day in Ushuaia, with the plan to just enjoy nature, something I did not know that I missed from Canada but a long hike reminded me of it. One of many to come on the trip but a beautiful introductory one, the hike was going to be in Tierra del Fuego National Park, which translates into Land of Fire National Park.
I started the morning rather early, due to the early sunrise. Being someone who gets up with the sun, did not really have a choice, but luckily, did not feel too tired. I grabbed the hostel breakfast, which consisted of 2 Medialunas and grabbed some tickets for the shuttle to the national park.
The shuttle was departing right away, so I did not have the chance to grab any snacks from a nearby supermarket as I had intended. The ride to the park was less than 30 minutes, and it looked like I was going to be lucky with the weather. It was a partly cloudy day and not too cold (around 10 degrees), which meant that it wouldn’t be the worst day for a hike, especially in Ushuaia where the weather is as unpredictable as it gets.
Arriving into the national park, I quickly lost cell service, and would not have it until I would leave at the end of the day, which made it better as I could fully disconnect from everything going on in my life. We stopped at the entrance to pay the admission fee for the park, about 10 USD, and then disembarked at the Correo for Fin del Mundo - the post office at the end of the world. Unfortunately, the post office was closed, which meant that I could neither get my passport stamped (possibly for the better, as it takes a full page), nor could I send a letter from the end of the world to anyone. I snapped a few pictures and then it was time to do the first trail, the Senda Costera, which is about 8 km trail that goes along the coast of the Beagle Channel.
The trail took just under 3 hours, and was filled with amazing views of the coast, the mountains along and across the peninsula, and some walks through the forest. I would definitely recommend it for anyone with average fitness, the main reason being the repeated uphills and downhills, not too steep but not too few either. Before you go, make sure to dress appropriately with lots of layers so you can alternate when you get too cold or too warm, or if the wind picks up or it begins to rain (or snow, cause that’s a thing here even in the summer - the following day, I heard about people hiking in a blizzard). Although I started the trail alone, I soon met a group of solo travellers who had met in different places, consisting of Dutch Gwen, German Sabrina, and Swedish Felix.
One of my favourite things about solo travelling is the amount of people I get to meet, each with their own trip and story to go along with it. Some could just be beginning their trip, and others have been travelling on and off for ~ 10 years. It is also nice to meet people as you don’t necessarily feel alone, plus you get the opportunity to have some very funny conversations, exchange thoughts, and have someone take photos of you (very important in my case).
Along the route, we came across a few horses and ponies, which looked to well groomed to be wild, a whole collection of birds which seemed like a cross between a duck and a goose, and my absolute favourite, a fox. I hadn’t seen foxes in the wild before (wouldn’t consider the streets of Berlin wild), so it was cool to see a fox just walking around. I have to say that being my first time seeing a fox like that, I did keep an eye behind me for a few minutes to ensure it wasn’t following me or anything.
Soon enough, we reached the end of the trail, which took an hour less than the advertised 4 hours, although I have to disclose that we all had very reasonable fitness levels. We took a break at the coffee shop where we warmed up with some coffees, and I had some empanadas to calm down my hunger. I wouldn’t say that the empanadas were special or anything, and they were definitely much more expensive than in the city. My tip to you would be to bring your own food and snacks if you are going to hike, along with water.
A bit later, we started on the Hit XXIV trail, which goes from the visitor centre, along the Lago Roca, to the Argentinean-Chilean Border. This was a shorter trail, and took me about 2.5 hours more or less. It was much easier and I would definitely recommend it for those looking for a more family friendly trail. I had to split up from the group, as they had a taxi for 3 pm while my return shuttle wasn’t until 5 pm, so we bid farewell and i kept going along the path on my own. Hiking alone is beautiful, especially as you really get to clear your head and at the same time, pay attention to all the sounds of nature. I caught some more interesting birds along the way as well as another fox which was really cool once again. Soon enough, I found myself at the border, or at least, a sign saying that I was in a border zone and shouldn’t be trespassing. I took a quick cross-reference with my maps, which actually said the border was still a few meters away, but I did not want to venture and find out what was awaiting me. I took a few pictures and made my way back to the visitor centre.
Back at the visitor centre, I found one Silvia, one of the girls I had met from my hostel, who was an Italian living in Spain. We exchanged information about our days and were joined by a few other guys that she had met during her travels. We all made our way back to the city, where back in the hostel, I showered and got ready for dinner. I had made plans with Silvia, Claudia (a friend of hers), and two other Italian guys who’s names escape me at this point, that they had also met during their respective trips.
We went out to a well known seafood restaurant, where the food was absolutely delicious. I had a seafood empanada to start, which was a very interesting flavour, and then had a locally caught trout which was grilled in a rosé sauce and stuffed with some shrimp. The restaurant was called La Casa de Los Mariscos - definitely worth a visit if in Ushuaia but make sure to go early as we had to wait around 20 minutes to get a seat.
After dinner, we called it a night and each person headed to bed to get ready for the next day and whatever adventures it would bring.
All in all, it was a great first day in Ushuaia and the hiking was definitely worth the trip all the way here. It opened my eyes to an aspect of life that I had in Canada which unfortunately is not present in the UAE as we do have a lack of greenery and trails. What were your thoughts on the views? What type of interesting wildlife have you seen while hiking? Let me know in the comments below but till then, stay positive!
