Tierra del Fuego

Banked against the Beagle Channel, the hushed, fragrant southern forests of Tierra del Fuego are a stunning setting to explore. West of Ushuaia some 12km along RN 3, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego was Argentina’s first coastal national park, extending 630 sq km from the Beagle Channel in the south to beyond Lago Fagnano in the north.

There's access to the southern edge of the park with scenic hikes along bays and rivers, or through dense native forests. For spectacular color, come in autumn, when hillsides of ñire glow red.

Birdlife is prolific, especially along the coastal zone. Keep an eye out for condors, albatross, cormorants, gulls, terns, oystercatchers, grebes, kelp geese and the comical, flightless, orange-billed steamer ducks. Common invasive species include the European rabbit and the North American beaver, both wreaking ecological havoc despite their cuteness. Gray and red foxes, enjoying the abundance of rabbits, may also be seen.

Offers competitively priced adventure tours and has its own mountain base. Snowshoe a beautiful alpine valley or dogsled across Tierra Mayor. For a memorable night, combine either with an evening bonfire (US$130 to US$145). Also on offer are guided snowcat rides and a 4WD day trip to Lago Fagnano with canoeing and a barbecue. It’s 19km from Ushuaia via RN 3.

Much of Tierra del Fuego held extensive sheep ranches known as estancias. Today, many have opened to small-scale tourism, offering a unique chance to learn about the region’s history and enjoy its magic. They can also be an exclusive destination for fly-fishing, as the region boasts some of the world’s largest brown sea trout, which grow to 16kg (35lb) in weight.

Convicts were transferred from Isla de los Estados to Ushuaia in 1906 to build this national prison, finished in 1920. The depressing cells, designed for 380 inmates, held up to 800 before the prison closed in 1947. Famous prisoners include author Ricardo Rojas and anarchist Simón Radowitzky. The depiction of penal life is intriguing, but information is only in Spanish. Maritime exhibits provide a unique glimpse of the region’s history.

Incredibly scenic, this large resort 26km from Ushuaia via RN 3 has 15 runs spanning 400 hectares, beautiful cabins and multiple restaurants. Rentals are available for skis and boards. Multiday and shoulder-season tickets are discounted. Clear windbreaks are added to lifts on cold days. August is the most reliable month for incredible snow conditions.

If you want a slice of home-baked Fuegian life, this is it. Most visitors come on a quick day trip from Punta Arenas tainted by seasickness. But spending a night in this village of metal-clad Victorian houses affords you an opportunity to explore the nearby bays and countryside and absorb a little of the local life; birdwatchers can admire the nearby king penguins, and lively populations of cormorants, geese and seabirds. Porvenir is known for its inaccessibility (there's no bus route here), but the completion of roads through the southern extension of Chilean Tierra del Fuego will open up a whole untouched wilderness to visitors.

Porvenir experienced waves of immigration, many from Croatia, when gold was discovered in 1879. Sheep estancias (grazing ranches) provided more reliable work, attracting Chileans from the island of Chiloé, who also came for fishing work. Today's population is a unique combination of the two.

This trekking circuit offers impossibly raw and windswept vistas under Navarino’s toothy spires. Beginning at the Virgin altar just outside of town, the five-day, 53.5km route winds through a spectacular wilderness of exposed rock and secluded lakes. Fit hikers can knock it out in four days in the (relatively) dry summer months. Markings are minimal: GPS, used in conjunction with marked maps, is a handy navigational tool.