Ushuaia Transport

Getting there & away

Contents

Land

Bus

Ushuaia has no bus terminal. Book outgoing bus tickets with as much anticipation as possible; many travelers have complained about getting stuck here in high season. Depending on your luck, long waits at border crossings can be expected.

Tecni-Austral (431408/12; Roca 157) buses for Río Grande (AR$25, four hours) leave from the travel agency Tolkar at 5:30am daily except Sunday, stopping in Tolhuin. There’s an onward connecting service on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to Punta Arenas (AR$125, 11 hours), and on weekdays to Río Gallegos (AR$125, 12 hours).

Lider (436421; Gobernador Paz 921) and Montiel (421366; Deloquí 110) run door-to-door minivans to Tolhuin (AR$20, 2½ hours) and Río Grande (AR$40, four hours) six to eight times daily, with less frequent departures on Sunday.

Transportes Pasarela (433712; cnr Maipú & Juana Fadul) runs round-trip shuttles to Lago Esmeralda (AR$25), Lago Escondido (AR$80) and Lago Fagnano (AR$80), leaving around 10am and returning at 2pm and 6:30pm. If you’re planning to stay overnight, ask to pay just one way (more likely if there are many people traveling) and arrange for pickup. Transportes Eben-Ezer offers a similar service and leaves from nearby.

Boat

Charter boats anchored in Ushuaia’s harbor may take passengers to Puerto Williams (AR$377) the next time they are heading out.

A number of private yachts charter trips to Cape Horn, Antarctica and, less often, South Georgia Island. These trips must be organized well in advance. The most popular weeklong charter, rounding Cape Horn, costs upwards of AR$5400 per person. A recommended option is Mago del Sur (02901-15-5148-6463, charter per person per day AR$750), captained by Alejandro Damilano, whose lifetime of sailing ensures skill and safety at the helm. Individuals can join scheduled trips (check online) to Las Islas Malvinas, Antarctica, Cape Horn, Puerto Natales and beyond.

From September through May, Cruceros Australis (02-442-3110 in Santiago; www.australis.com) runs luxurious four-day (starting from AR$3109/3925 per person in low/high season) and five-day sightseeing cruises to Punta Arenas and back, catering mostly to mature travelers. Saturday departures from Ushuaia include the possibility of disembarking at Cape Horn. Low season is considered to be September–October and mid-March–April. The cruise visits many otherwise inaccessible glaciers, but time alone and hiking opportunities are limited; the focus is more on nature talks and group excursions. Turismo Comapa (430727; www.comapa.com; San Martín 245) handles local bookings.

Air

Aerolíneas Argentinas (421218; Roca 116) jets several times daily to Buenos Aires (AR$703, 3½ hours), sometimes stopping in Río Gallegos (AR$266, one hour) or El Calafate (AR$506, 70 minutes). LADE (421123; San Martín 542) flies to Buenos Aires (AR$363), Comodoro Rivadavia (AR$280), El Calafate (AR$280) and Río Gallegos (AR$163). The airport departure tax is AR$213.

Chilean airline Aerovías DAP (www.dap.cl) offers charter-only flights to destinations in Patagonia, as well as overflights of Cape Horn and trips to Chile’s Frei base in Antarctica.

Aeroclub Ushuaia (421717, 421892; www.aeroclubushuaia.org.ar) offers scenic flightseeing tours (AR$150 to AR$300 per person).