The Beagle Channel, like Ushuaia, has been a dream of mine to see. The history, the conflicts, the carnage and remoteness were only things I read about. I never imagined I would actually be here and now actually navigating through its waters. I say this over and over but PINCH ME!
There are many companies that will take you out on the channel. The pier is loaded with companies soliciting tourists and offering deals, hot chocolate coupons, etc. We chose Patagonia Adventure Explorer for $150 pesos ($37 USD). Their boat is small and Lizzie had a great experience with them so off we went. In the winter, boats go out at 11am and 3pm and the cruise is approximately 3-3.5 hours. We took the 3pm so we could see the sunset.
A bit of background.
The Beagle Channel is a strait at the southern tip of South America in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, it is named after the H.M.S. Beagle, a ship commanded by Captain Robert Fitzroy (1805–65), a British naval officer who, together with Charles Darwin, explored the area in 1833–4.
The strait separates islands of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago. It separates Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego from the islands Nueva, Picton, Navarino, Hoste, Londonderry, Stewart Islands and other smaller to the south. Its eastern portion is part of the border between Chile and Argentina, but the western part is completely within Chile.
The channel is about 150 miles long and is about 3 miles wide at its narrowest point. To the west the Darwin Sound connects it to the Pacific Ocean. The biggest settlement on the channel is Ushuaia followed by Puerto Williams in Chile, two of the southernmost settlements of the world.
Perfect day for a cruise through the channel
Plenty of options
My housemates Thais & Marco
Me and my housemate Diógenes from Brazil
Chilean mountains
A very very cold day!
Plane landing at Ushuaia airport
The first stop was one of the Bridges Islands. Our guide took us on a small trek to see a "concheros" circle and site of the Yamana (or Yaghan) people. area where they would have a hut with a small fire and shell deposits from creatures caught and eaten from the sea.
