Argentina Aviation Adventure 2006
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Aerolineas Argentinas to Ushuaia
The next day we were back at the Aeroparque bright and early for our 615 am departure to Ushuaia, the most southern inhabited city in the world, situated on the Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego. The vast majority of flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia are operated by MD80s from the Aeroparque, although there are occasional flights from Ezeiza (mostly narrow-bodies), with Aerolineas Argentinas 747-400s scheduled once or twice a week depending on the season. At present, Aerolineas Argentinas and LADE are the only two airlines offering scheduled service between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia.
As typical, we flew down to Ushuaia on Aerolineas Argentinas MD88 LV-VGC seated in pre-assigned seats 25 A and B just by the trailing edge of the wing. The couple in the row behind us were in front of the rear galley, and their seats were non-reclining. So we were lucky! Across the aisle from us were two female Japanese tourists, who by coincidence we saw on numerous occasions during our visit (on tours, walking about town etc). They were the only other tourists we saw who were also carrying tripods!
The flight was full, and soon after departure, a cold plate breakfast was served along with a drink service. As everyone was up at 4 am or earlier to catch this early flight, most passengers slept for most of the flight down, to be well-rested for the remainer of the day in Ushuaia. It was clear all the way down the coast, and as we flew abeam Cabo Virgenes at the southern tip of South America proper, it was easy to make out the shape of the coastline of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego as per the airline route map I had been studying during the flight.
We descended into a thick cloud base, which started about 60 miles North of Ushuaia, and the moisture and coolness of the climate (much like BC) was apparent in the cabin. We descended for what seemed a long time, before eventually breaking through the cloud base, at which point we were due south and abeam the airfield, flying due east paralleling the Beagle Channel at about five thousand feet. Over the channel, we turned base and finals all in one circular turn, and in no time we were lined up on short finals for runway 07, which is the predominant use runway. After a short taxi, we were at the gate and deplaning at the “Las Malvinas International Airport” at Ushuaia. Ushuaia is not actually part of the Malvinas Islands (which are also known as the Falkland Islands by the British) situated some two hundred miles North East of Ushuaia in the Atlantic ocean. However the airport is named for the Malvinas Islands, probably for political reasons. We were met upon arrival by a very smiley and friendly Silvi from
www.CondorViajes.com.ar who arranged for our transfer from the airport to the wonderful Lennox Hotel as well as all our local tours.
Ushuaia for tourists
Ushuaia is an Indian word, and it means “they to the west where the sun goes down” and is a place of remarkable beauty, and is highly recommended. Argentina has developed Ushuaia is a major tourist destination, whereas Chile has not done the same with their extreme southern cities of Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams. Ushuaia can be a very costly add-on to one’s Argentina holiday, but booking with an Argentine agent will result in considerable savings.
We booked our two night / three day air-hotel package with www.ByTArgentina.com and paid $500 US per person, which included accommodation at the highly recommended Lennox Hotel, which is a new, magnificent boutique hotel situated in the center of town on San Martin. The package also included airport transfers and breakfast each morning, served in the Lennox’s panoramic top floor lounge! Vancouver travel agents were quoting $700 just for the single person return airfares, so booking with www.ByTArgentina.com saved us hundreds of dollars, and we highly recommend their services.
There are two main eco-tours that no visitor to Ushuaia should miss. From the harbour, just a few steps down from San Martin, several companies offer boat trips navigating the Beagle Channel to Isla de los Lobos, a small island inhabited by sea lions, and on to Estancia Harberton, a remarkable penguin colony some two hours east of Ushuaia. The short tours only visit Isla de los Lobos taking about two and a half hours, while the longer tours to Estancia Harberton take five hours and is definitely recommended. We took Rumbo Sur’s excursion (between 1500 and 2000 in the summer months) and were extremely impressed, having never seen Penguins in their natural habitat, and so many sea lions! A word of caution. The Argentine Coast Guard closes the channel to the tour boats when the sea becomes too choppy, which is not an infrequent occurrence. We took the Beagle Channel tour the afternoon we arrived, which proved to be a wise decision as the following day there were no channel tours due to the high winds and choppy seas. Visitors who booked their flights out the following morning did not get to take the channel tour. Be sure to schedule at least three full days in Ushuaia to avoid such problems.
The other recommended tour (which also takes half a day) is the Tierra del Fuego National Park bus tour combined with the Tren del fin del Mundo (Train to the end of the world) tour. The train was originally delivered from South Africa in the 1890s, and has recently been restored on a short section of track taking tourists on a one-hour tour through the park, with a few stops along the way to take in the magnificent scenery. Both of our Ushuaia tours were booked through www.CondorViajes.com.ar and their superb service is highly recommended. Thank you Silvi!
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