Ushuaia

"This little town actually blew me away by how beautiful it is. It has cute houses, apartments, and shops buit into a low valley along the water, and is surrounded by some of the most impending and beautiful mountain peaks. We didn't get to do much exploring of the town itself because of covid, but I'd love to return to see it more. What we saw from our bus was beautiful. Ushuaia has an interesting story. Up until the late 1800's Ushuaia was barely inhabited, except by natives, and the occasional person who chose to live that far south. It started gaining popularity when expeditions to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands became more popular, especially due to whaling. In the early 1900's the Argentine government built a prison in the town as a way to populate it so as to maintain their sovereignty over the area. The prison was specifically for repeat offenders, and many of them worked logging the area. In the mid 1900's the Argentine government started giving tax incentives to Argentineans to move to Ushuaia so that they could continue to maintain sovereignty of the area, and because of the growing tourism boom in the area, it being "the end of the world", and also one of the main jumping off points to Antarctica. Now, Ushuaia has a population of about 57,000, the majority of which are under the age of 30."

" Ushuaia, often referred to as the "End of the World," is the southernmost city in Argentina, located in Tierra del Fuego. It is known for its breathtaking landscapes, including rugged mountains, glaciers, and waterways. Ushuaia serves as a starting point for expeditions to Antarctica and offers a range of outdoor activities, including trekking, skiing, and wildlife viewing."

"Ushuaia is a busy city in Argentina and is usually the gateway to Antartica, however for us - it was the gateway to see penguins (... without going all the way to Antartica). This city has hiking, nature, outdoors, wildlife, restaurants, and so much more!"