Ushuaia, Argentina (Feb 15)
Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America, sits in the Tierra Del Fuego archipelago at one end of the Beagle Channel and is the primary jumping off port for Antarctic cruises. Nicknamed “the End of the World”, it was settled by English missionaries in 1870 and grew rapidly when an Argentine military base was established there in the 1880s. Permanent inhabitants number some 80,000.
Tourism to Antarctica in 2020 was roughly 15,000, and has exploded tenfold to 150,000 this year. As evidence of that, there were 8 cruise ships in port, ranging from modest expedition ships to massive 4,000 floating cities. The evidence of the growth is everywhere, from multiple kiosks at the port entrance hawking tours to multiple souvenir shops, and, sadly, even a Hard Rock Cafe in the “downtown” area.
Beautiful scenery on the Beagle Channel
Cruise ship gridlock
Tourist impacts
You are at the end of the world! Don't fall off! Great photos! Bon Mardi Gras from here
ReplyDeleteI almost missed this posting. I did not see it until I found the arrow in the upper corner. Glad I did.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! Miss you!
ReplyDeleteFroom: eric. Fun! Keep ‘em coming
ReplyDeleteWow, those precipitous mountains, and snow capped in mid summer. Good choice of season to visit there. (FB)
ReplyDeleteSo great to be able to share this trip. Thanks for having us along.
ReplyDeleteWe were two of the 15,000 in 2020. Of course, things went off the rails that year. Crazy number of cruise ships. (David Lucas)
ReplyDeleteFun seeing these pictures as just there less than 3 months ago. Thankfully we only saw one other cruise ship (Viking Polaris) beside ours (Ponant Le Boreal). It really does feel like the ends of the earth.
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