Those who want to go even to the ends of the world are unlikely to realize that they mean Tierra del Fuego. The archipelago is located in the very south of South America and has about 40 thousand islands of different sizes and shapes. The navigator gave such a strange name to the territory. When in 1520 he sailed to the islands, he saw numerous Indian fires, which he mistook for volcanic vents.

Today, Tierra del Fuego is divided between two countries: Argentina and Chile. The first got the southern part, and the second the rest of the territory. The northern part of the archipelago is in many ways similar to Patagonia, and further south the nature becomes poorer, mountain landscapes covered with glaciers appear. The climate here is quite cool throughout the year, so it is very difficult to call this archipelago a resort. Tierra del Fuego, despite this, every year attracts more and more people who want to be alone with nature, away from civilization.

No one will be bored here, because you can go fishing, go for a walk or go on a cruise. The guides have developed numerous routes along which you can go to the mountains to admire the surrounding landscapes. It is suggested to walk or ride horses or motorcycles. There are also ski slopes here, so fans of this sport will certainly enjoy Tierra del Fuego.

You can get acquainted with local architecture, historical and cultural monuments, and admire the flora and fauna of these places. When planning to go on vacation, many tourists confuse the Earth’s belt of fire with the southernmost archipelago due to similar names. The edge of the world differs in many ways from other places on the planet, so it’s really worth visiting here at least once.

You should definitely visit the regional museum Fin del Mundo and the museum located in the city prison, both are located in the southernmost city on the planet - Ushuaia. It is also recommended to take a boat trip along the Beagle Channel, named after Charles Darwin's ship. Tierra del Fuego gave the scientist the opportunity to conduct important research that became the basis of evolutionary theory. You should definitely go on a cruise to the islands inhabited by Arctic birds, Magellanic penguins. You can get a lot of impressions from a walk through the National Park, which has no analogues in the whole world.

Having visited the archipelago, it is worth going around Cape Horn, in the coastal waters of which the whole rests. This should be done from November to March, then the weather is not too stormy. It will be interesting to repeat the route of Charles Darwin; for this you need to hire a guide with a boat, having previously insured them and yourself at the same time. In restaurants you need to try the centolya dish, you won’t find anything like it anywhere else.

To confidently tell everyone that you have been to the very edge of the world, you need to go to Puerto Toro, a fishing village where about 50 old-timers live. Tierra del Fuego hides a lot of interesting things. To lift the veil of secrets, you just need to come here and get to know the local

The great Spanish navigator Ferdinand Magellan, on his first voyage around the world in 1520, was not only able to discover the strait that later was named after him, which connects the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean, but also gave the name to the archipelago, which is located south of the South American mainland. He mistook the Indian fires that constantly burned on the islands for volcanic vents, and named this archipelago “Terra del Fuego.” At the end of the 16th century, the pirate Francis Drake went to Tierra del Fuego and realized that it was not one with the Southern continent.

Since then, Tierra del Fuego has been designated as an island on world maps. After the British, the Spaniards settled here, who built the first settlement in the Strait of Magellan and called it the city of Ushuaia.

In the Indian language, the name translates as “city in the depths of the bay.” Modern Ushuaia remains today one of the largest settlements in the archipelago. In the late 70s of the 20th century, a conflict occurred between Argentina and Chile over the Beagle Channel, which separates the main island of the archipelago from the rest of the southern islands, along with Cape Horn, and is also the border between both states.

But Vatican mediation made it possible to avoid war. Tierra del Fuego is not just an island. The entire archipelago bears the name, and it includes many small islands that are located off the coast of Patagonia, which are located on the southern edge of America.

Tierra del Fuego is separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, one of the most important, but also the most dangerous sea routes in the world. It connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean, and allows sailors to avoid dangerous voyages around Cape Horn. The territory of Tierra del Fuego is divided into two states.

Argentina includes the southern part of the main island, with the Tierra del Fuego National Park located on its territory, and the rest is the property of Chile.

Tierra del Fuego National Park

This beautiful park stretches north of the Canal Beagle, crossing Lake Fagnano. It was formed in order to protect 689 square meters. km of beech forests, where lenga and coihue trees rise.

Mountains, lakes, glacial valleys and pristine sea coasts - the area is protected for about 100 species of mammals and birds.

You can get to the national park by taking the “End of the World” train (Tren del Fin del Mundo). The train runs on the old "Convict Train" line - a narrow gauge railway that transported prisoners into the forests for hard work.

Tierra del Fuego National Park (opinion and impressions of an unbiased tourist)

Writes Skitalets (skitalets)
2009-10-29 20:28:00

Tierra del Fuego National Park on the island of the same name in Argentina is absolutely a must-see. Because there is beautiful nature, interesting landscapes and (as, indeed, everywhere in Argentina) a lot of all kinds of living creatures underfoot.

We flew from Tierra del Fuego in the evening the next day after sailing along the Beagle Channel, so we decided not to waste time and go to where the legendary Trans-Argentine Highway No. 3 ends, namely to the national park. There is some kind of tourist attraction about Train to the End of the World, but we didn’t fall for it and just went for a walk in the park, fortunately we were really lucky with the weather.

And the very first view that opened after getting off the bus did not disappoint

In the photo above is Lapataia Bay, and below is a view in the other direction, to the local Ararat, the real name of which for some reason no one could tell me

In the park you need to move along marked tracks, which are not at all difficult, but nice. And you’re immediately surprised at how many dry dead trees there are around.

But soon everything becomes clear when you see the beaver dam. Truly “kill the beaver, save the tree.”

These beavers, in addition to being a local symbol, are actively used for the production of leather goods - in every souvenir shop you will be offered something made from their skin.

But no matter how hard I tried to see at least one of them, it didn’t work. Only new dams around

It was a wonderful day, and perhaps this was the only time I systematically used the polarizer. Although even without him the sky was blue-blue

The atmosphere there is calm and peaceful. But the polar nature is still beautiful.

I walked and thought why I went several thousand kilometers for something that I can see in abundance somewhere in Siberia

Or in the Yamalo-Nenets tundra

Except that Magellanic (aka Patagonian) geese added local flavor. The male is gray, the female is brown.

And you won’t see such birds here

Sometimes the paths go through the forest, which amazes with its unusualness and silence

In this forest, a pair of Patagonian rabbits were spotted, who did not want to understand how lucky they were to get on the pages of my LiveJournal

It was possible to photograph properly only as a result of a brilliantly carried out special operation to corral them from both sides

I met the same rabbit in the evening near the airport, but this time I only managed to record its retreating loin.

Found in the park and campsites, in strictly designated places

What I didn’t like - the paths systematically go out onto the road

Ideally, no one should drive along it, but in fact, tourist minibuses are constantly rushing around, raising clouds of dust behind them

But, even despite these small shortcomings, the place is still airy and worth spending at least a few hours there

I even wanted to go to our Russian Subpolar region. I'm sure it's just as good there.

TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK (LAND OF TIER) Opinion of a travel agent.

Tierra del Fuego National Park is part of the archipelago of the same name in the extreme south of South America, which includes about 40 thousand islands. Tierra del Fuego is separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, and from Antarctica by the Drake Passage. The largest island, Isla Grande, and Oste and Navarino, which lie to the south, are separated by the Beagle Channel. From these islands it is only 900 km to the endless ice deserts of Antarctica.

There are a lot of impressions for travelers on Tierra del Fuego. The climate is wonderful: spring, summer and early autumn are especially good for walks in the national park. In summer, the sun shines almost around the clock, but it does not heat much, and this attracts tourists who do not like heat. At the height of summer the temperature is only +15 degrees Celsius. And what ocean cruises... And fishing... And how many beautiful picturesque views... The archipelago as a whole and the island of Isla Grande are divided into two parts: Argentine and Chilean. Although the Argentinean territory of Isla Grande makes up only 30 percent, there are more attractions here than in the Chilean part of the island. In the east there is a steppe plain, the west is a land of mountains, glaciers, lakes and forests, mainly of the southern beech Notophagus antarcticus.

The most interesting area is between the city of Ushuaia and Mount Darwin - the Tierra del Fuego nature reserve, which in Spanish means “land of fire”. This is the only national park in Argentina with a sea coast. It is located in the vicinity of the city of Ushuaia. You can stay either in the town itself or in the national park. Within its borders there is a developed network of campsites: on Lake Roca, Lapataia Bay, Pipo River and Ensenada Bay.

Ushuaia is the southernmost city on Earth. It is located on the shores of the Beagle Channel. Now more than 50 thousand people live in the city, although 15 years ago there were not even 20 thousand here. And it’s all because of the amazing geographical location of Ushuaia. It's just a stone's throw from Antarctica. From Ushuaia you can take excursions to the Martial Glacier, to the already described Tierra del Fuego National Park, and sail on a catamaran along the strait to the southern islands. Ships and yachts moor at the local port before “throwing” to Antarctica. The statue of the Virgin Mary with the Child Christ looks silently from a nearby mountain at hundreds of these large and small vessels. The Ushuaia Maritime Museum is located in the building where, until 1947, there was an Argentine prison designed for 800 prisoners. Here you can see magnificent models of the Beagle ships and the Norwegian polar ship Fram. The city itself is small - only six streets stretching along the slope along the Beagle Channel. On the main street, San Martin, there are a dozen comfortable hotels, numerous shops filled with imported goods, restaurants, branches of banks and companies. There is even a Russian restaurant "Troika" in the city.

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It is a relatively small archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean and divided into two unequal parts between and. It is located at the southern tip of the South American continent and is separated from it by the waters of the Strait of Magellan. This picturesque piece of land, located by nature between South America and Antarctica, enjoys increased tourist attention and attracts those who prefer harsh climatic conditions and majestic snow-white glaciers to well-maintained sandy beaches.

Features and general information. The area of ​​the entire island is almost 48 square meters. km, while most of it, about 60% of the surface, belongs to Chile, while only 38% belongs to Argentina. The highest mountain in Tierra del Fuego, named after Sir Charles Darwin, is also on the Chilean side. The main tourist centers are concentrated on Argentine territory. In total, the archipelago includes 40 thousand islands of different shapes and sizes, the largest of which is Isla Grande. There are few cities and towns here, so the population density is very low. Local residents are mainly engaged in livestock farming and tourism, and travelers' interest in Tierra del Fuego is associated with fabulous landscapes and proximity to Antarctica, where special tours are regularly organized.

A brief excursion into history. According to researchers, human settlements began to appear on the island more than 10 thousand years ago, and the indigenous inhabitants of the archipelago were representatives of the Yaghan people, in small numbers, now living in Chile. For the rest of the world, in 1520, Tierra del Fuego was discovered by the famous navigator Ferdinand Magellan, and it received its name after the great explorer saw smoke emanating from the surface of the earth from a ship. In fact, these were simply fires of local residents, but Magellan mistook them for volcanic eruptions. After the division of the island between the two above-mentioned South American countries in 1881, it began to be actively developed, gaining worldwide fame by the end of the last century, and thanks to the development of tourism infrastructure, it soon reached the peak of popularity.

Main cities and resorts. The main tourist center of Tierra del Fuego today is the city of Ushuaia, and the status of the economic capital of the region belongs to the Rio Grande. The first of them has several very interesting museums, a modern ski resort and is the main departure point for surrounding routes, including exciting sea cruises to Antarctica and boat trips along the waters of the Beagle Channel. On the Chilean side, the city of Porvenir attracts attention, where almost half of the population are soldiers of the local garrison.

Climate. Weather conditions at the end of the world, as Tierra del Fuego is often called, are far from ideal. Summer, which lasts here from December to March, is characterized by truly northern coolness, and the thermometer, as a rule, fluctuates between +13 - +18 degrees. In addition, these places are characterized by high humidity. Winter is usually not frosty, but light drizzle, cold winds and temperatures below zero are its indispensable attributes. The bulk of tourists visit the region in the summer months, although they, too, are far from a guarantee of clear sunny weather.

How to get there. Transport. The main air gateway to Tierra del Fuego is the city airport. The flight time to it from the capital is about 3 hours. Already on site, it is recommended to rent a car so that, regardless of the bus schedule, you can move around the picturesque areas of the region.

Excursions and attractions. In the central city of the region, you should definitely visit the World's End Museum, the Yaghan Indian Museum, the Presidio Museum, in a former prison building, and the Maritime Museum. Any of them can help form an idea of ​​these amazing lands and understand the history of their development. An excellent opportunity to once again admire the beauty of Tierra del Fuego is a boat trip along the Beagle Channel. On the nearby islands, passengers will see a rich world of flora and fauna, including sea lions, rare Arctic birds and Magellanic penguins. The national parks Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn, with its famous lighthouse, also deserve a mandatory visit. According to the stories of local old-timers, many ships found their last harbor in the coastal waters of this inhospitable cape.

You can admire the King Penguins inhabiting the icy rocks of Snow Hill Island on an excursion to the Arctic Peninsula. An hour's flight from the city is located, next to which is the Glacier National Park. A route to a unique lake with black water, which has such a unique color due to its peat bottom, is widespread among tourists. Experienced adventurers are recommended to take a jeep trip to lakes Escondido and Fagnano, at the same time taking with them the necessary attributes for preparing barbecue. It is also worth sailing on a rented yacht in the direction of Los Lobos Island. An important milestone in the life history of every self-respecting traveler can be the southernmost settlement on the planet, the role of which is played by the fishing village of Puerto Toro. Experienced fishermen live there, who have gone through the most serious trials and have repeatedly felt the hot breath of the harsh winds of Tierra del Fuego, being among the raging waves of the water element, in close proximity to huge stone boulders.

Cuisine and shopping. In restaurants, cafes and eateries in the region, dishes made from Kamchatka crab Centolya are especially popular, as well as aromatic meat dishes made from lamb, an excellent addition to which is Chilean vodka Pisco. Local shops and stalls offer a wide variety of goods and souvenirs at very affordable prices.

Tierra del Fuego is of great interest to true travel lovers and gives a lot of vivid impressions to those who have thought for even a second about what the edge of the world looks like. The beauty of untouched nature, the harsh climate and a completely new image of South America, changing the idea of ​​this continent, serve as the main motives for travelers coming to this amazing region.