4 / 5 - 3 reviews
How to get there
4 hours by plane from Buenos Aires / 30 minutes by boat or 1 hour 30 minutes by foot from Ushuaia
When to go
From June to March / From June to March
Minimum stay
A few hours
Ushuaia (Argentina)
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Fanny Dumond
Practical information about Ushuaia
Reviews of Ushuaia
The red and white Les Eclaireurs lighthouse stands proudly at the exit from Ushuaia bay, on the legendary Beagle Channel.
My suggestion:
At these latitudes the sea air is glacial so you should be sure to cover up well before you go to sea.
Summary:
At the Atlantic end of the Beagle Channel stands Les Eclaireurs lighthouse. I really recommend you visit it during your trip to Argentina.
I was incredibly lucky and I met an inhabitant of this remote place who was originally Basque. He invited me to go sailing on his boat. So I navigated a boat for the first time in my life on the Beagle Channel! Difficult to imagine a better start. It was an unforgettable journey across the water, seeing the colonies of cormorants on the islands of Bridge and de los Pájaros, the sea lions of Isla de los Lobos and the legendary red and white Les Eclaireurs lighthouse on the island of the same name. When we turned back to port the view of Ushuaia with the Andes mountains in the background was stunning.
If you get sea sick then I suggest you take the right hand path off Route 3 when you leave the town. With a 3 hour round trip you can admire the lighthouse without ever leaving terra firma!
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David Debrincat
Far far away, at the tip of Patagonia, on the edge of the continent, at the world's end, d'Ushuaïa is the southermost town on the planet.
My suggestion:
Ushuaïa is legendary. There's so much to do and it's so far away that you really should spend several days in this town.
Summary:
Dear reader, let me take you to the ends of the Earth. Get ready to meet a legendary Argentinian tourist attraction.
Since it was founded in 1862, this town has boomed. Tourists from all over the globe arrive in droves to visit the world's most southern town. Unless you believe the Chileans, who claim that their Puerto Williams, on the other side of the Beagle Canal, is further south.
It takes so long to get here, that it's worth staying a while. In town you'll see signs that tell you you're 13,374 kilometres from the UK.
I recommend you take a walk along the Beagle Canal to see the 'Les Eclaireurs' lighthouse as well as the stunning view of UshuaÏa. Of all the town's museums, the maritime museum was my favourite. It's housed in the town's former sweatshop. The maritime exhibition has some superb models of famous boats, as well as a collection of old maritime postcards. The most moving part was the prison area. This section has not been renovated and you can see for yourself the conditions under which prisoners lived. Suffice to say that prison life was very harsh indeed. The cells were freezing and damp. There was just enough room on the wooden floor to fit a bed covered with a thin blanket.
Afterwards, you can explore the outskirts of town. You'll have the surreal sensation of believing you've reached the world's end.
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David Debrincat
Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse is located on the Beagle Channel at the planet's most southerly town: Ushuaia.
My suggestion:
Note: Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse is not to be confused with The Lighthouse at the End of the World, which served as the inspiration for Jules Verne's novel of the same name. The latter is to be found on Isla de los Estados, and looks more like a house than a tower.
Summary:
Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse – not to be confused with The Lighthouse at the End of the World – is located on the Beagle Channel, in the town at the end of the world: Ushuaia To reach it, you have to go to the town's harbour and board a boat for a 30-minute trip along the Beagle Channel. For those who suffer from sea sickness, Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse can be seen from the coast on the southern side of the bay. Allow about 90 minutes for the walk.
In order to get as close to this 11-metre high tower as possible, I opted for the trip out to sea. As well as Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, I also got the chance to see various marine mammals and birds, including sea lions, Magellan penguins and cormorants. This lovely trip out on the water turned out to be something of a safari!
If you've already seen the aforementioned animals during your trip to Argentina, this won't really be an essential place to visit. But imagine how proud you'll feel when you're able to say to yourself, "I've been there," when looking at a map of the world months later.
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Los viajes del Cangrejo
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