Argentina (Ushuaia and Puerto Maderyn)
1. Ushuaia “The End of the World”
Ushuaia is in Tierra Del Fuego (The Land of Fire) Argentina. Ushuaia has a population of 78,290 as of April 2023 and is located below the 54th parallel south. It is bordered by the Beagle Channel and Martial Glacier mountains. It claims the title of the world’ssouthernmost city (the end of the world).
We saw a ship the "National Geographic Explorer" Was it back from the Antarctic exploring or just stocking up to go there?
Ushuaia is also where a lot of Argentina’s notorious prisoners were sent. It was a very effective prison because of its remote location. The city celebrates this fact as witnessed by the various displays you see as you make your way around the city. The prison these days is used as a museum.
Inside of the Prison (Presidio Nacional)
Presidio Nacional was completed in 1920 by the prisoners themselves.
This prison was the most feared prison to be sent to not only for its remoteness but for the harsh climate that took a toll on the prisoners. This picture of one of the inmates, Alberto N. Andino was taken when he was 35 years old. In it he looks more like 60.
Locomotive and a Coach
On the way to Paso Garibaldi, we saw the devastation caused by beavers, that were imported from Canada, as they had no natural predators.
We stopped to look at the mountains and were struck by how the mountain range looks almost exactly like Mt. Rundle in Banff Canada. Which is a one-hour drive from our home!
We dropped by a coffee shop.
One hour’s drive into the mountains we arrived at Paso Garibaldi to view Lago Escondido.
2. Puerto Maderyn
Our ship docked at Puerto Maderyn. It’s a city on the coast of northern Patagonia, Argentina . It’s the premier place for viewing marine wildlife. We boarded a bus for a two hour ride to the PuntaTombo Magellan’s penguin colony. The colony is protected from tourists wandering around their nests by limiting people to a walkway and prohibiting the feeding of the penguins and other animals that roam the area. The penguins seemed almost as interested in us as we were in them.
After walking a short distance on the walkway, you arrive at the shoreline. There, you can watch the penguins enter the ocean to feed and arrive back to share with their nesting partners.
There is even have a safe cove for the newborns to learn to swim in safety before venturing out into the ocean on their own.
On the way to the sea shore, we saw very colorful rocks shown below.
The penguins share their nesting area with Guanacos.
