Tierra Del Fuego (Chile)

At the southern extreme of the Americas, the immense Fuegian wilderness, with its slate-gray seascapes, crimson bogs and wind-worn forests, endures, awesome and irritable. Shared by Chile and Argentina, this area is also lovely and wild. The remote Chilean side consists of hardscrabble outposts, lonely sheep ranches, and a roadless expanse of woods, lakes of undisturbed trout and nameless mountains.

In contrast, the Argentine side lives abuzz. Antarctica-bound cruisers arriving in Ushuaia find a lively dining scene and dozens of outfitters poised at the ready. Take a dogsled ride, boat the Beagle Channel or carve turns at the world's southernmost resort. When you tire of the hubbub, cross the Beagle Channel to solitary Isla Navarino.

Uninhabited groups of islands peter out at Cabo de Hornos (Cape Horn). And if Tierra del Fuego is not remote enough, Antarctica remains just a boat ride away.

Chilean Tierra del Fuego

Foggy, windy and wet, Chile's slice of Tierra del Fuego includes half of the main island of Isla Grande, the far-flung Isla Navarino and a group of smaller islands, many uninhabited. Home to only 8500 Chileans, this is Chile's least-populated region. Modest Porvenir is considered the main city. These isles exude a rough and rugged charm; those willing to venture this far can relish its end-of-the-world emptiness. Increasingly, anglers are lured to the little-known inland lakes, birders are visiting the king penguin colony and adventurers are exploring Karukinka Natural Park and the wild backcountry of Parque Nacional Yendegaia.

Chile's long-standing plans to develop the region are finally underway. Tourism will eventually ramp up as the road from Estancia Vicuña to PN Yendegaia nears completion (slated for 2021) and a public airport is added. In future years, a direct crossing to Isla Navarino from nearby Chilean Tierra del Fuego is expected.