Culture & history in Tierra del Fuego

When Argentina and Chile settled their land border in Tierra del Fuego in 1884, Argentina designated its remotest province as a penal colony. Most prisoners sent here were from the army, with half of them serving time for murder.

Today's Ushuaia likes to lean into its convict roots, with street art and souvenirs. The prison has been converted into the excellent Museo Marítimo & Museo del Presidio, which tells the human story of Tierra del Fuego, with each cell converted into an exhibition space. In nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park, it's possible to ride the Fin del Mundo train, originally made by prisoners to take them to wilderness work camps. 

The Yaghan (sometimes also known as the Yamana) were the largest group of indigenous Fuegian living in Tierra del Fuego when the first Europeans arrived here, and are the only ones to have survived the colonial period into the present day.

Yaghan culture is still alive in Puerto Williams on Navarino island. The island is home to a small Yaghan community, some of whom work as guides. Many of them retain Yaghan as their second language, if not their mother tongue. The island's excellent museum gives smart insights into their history and culture, while many of Navarino's bays still contain clearly visible traces from their ancient hunter-gather campsites. 

The first European colonists came to Tierra del Fuego in the middle of the century, and there are plenty of traces of them in the landscape to be seen. 

The most famous of these is Estancia Harberton, a historic ranch-turned-museum. It was once home to Lucas Bridges, who created the first English Yaghan dictionary, and offers a fascinating insight into frontier life. Elsewhere, in places like Estancia Cabo San Pablo (which can be visited on an overnight stay), those ranching traditions carry on into the 21st century.

Adventure cruises to Cape Horn and the glaciers may also visit the stunning Wulaia Bay, site of the one first missions to Tierra del Fuego, on a spot where Charles Darwin once stood.

Few places on the map are more inclined to make a sailor shudder than Cape Horn. For centuries after the first European laid eyes on it in 1616, it was feared for its turbulent seas. ‘Rounding the Horn’ to cross the tip of South America from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans was a traumatic (and often fatal) experience in the days of sail.

Today, Cape Horn can be easily and safely visited on a small ship adventure cruise around the glacier-fringe coastline of Tierra del Fuego. There is the opportunity here to see the Cape Horn monument, the lighthouse at the end of the world – and look out into an ocean that stretches all the way to Antarctica. 

Ushuaia is one of Argentina’s best food destinations, and its location on the Beagle Channel is the reason why. The cold waters here are fantastically productive, and Ushuaia’s king crab is as celebrated as Alaska’s (and some might whisper it, even better). The wild salmon caught here is equally excellent, alongside local Black Hake and Chilean Sea Bass . Alongside the seafood, the Tierra del Fuego steppe is home to sheep ranching so there are plenty of opportunities for asado, Patagonia’s traditional barbecue.

While Ushuaia has some excellent restaurants, we love the hidden foodie experience at Alma Yaghan outside town which overlooks the Beagle Channel, where gastronomic alchemy is performed on the freshest ingredients harvested from the sea and the surrounding forest.