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Visiting the Antarctic
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Ushuaia lies 1000km to the north of Antarctica, but is still the closest port to the white continent - and most tourists pass through the town to make their journey across Drake's Passage, the wild stretch of ocean that separates the two continents. The grandeur of Anarctica's pack ice, rugged mountains, and phenomenal bird- and marine life will leave you breathless. Whales, elephant seals, albatrosses, and numerous species of penguins are just some of the rare wildlife you can hope to see, and you'll be shuttled to interesting sites by zodiac inflatables or even by helicopter.
Regular
cruise ships
depart from early November to late March and most cruises last between 8 and 22 days, some stopping at the
South Atlantic islands
(the Falklands, South Georgia, the South Orkneys, Elephant Island and the South Shetlands) en route. These trips are generally very expensive, but last-minute bargains can be snapped up in Ushuaia, with fares as low as $2500 for a nineteen-day trip to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Peninsula. Try contacting Zelfa Silva, the Argentinian agent for Quark Expeditions (tel 011/4806-6326, fax 4804-9474;
zelfa@interar.com.ar
), who runs luxury cruises on Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers; Rumbo Sur (tel 02901/422275, fax 430699;
rumbosur@satlink.com
), or Tolkeyen (tel 02901/427354, fax 430532;
pretour@tierradelfuego.ml.org
). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Argentina,
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