Tierra del Fuego

"In those faraway places," writes Lucas Bridges, a pioneer in Tierra del Fuego, "a patient is dead or has already recovered by the time the doctor arrives." That was in 1947. Progress has been fast today and this island, connected to the tail of Patagonia, is not so desperately isolated, however, it maintains its attractive "end-of-the-world" feature. It used to be virgin. Less than a century after its native people perished, oil has been discovered, resorts and fishing lodges have appeared and the east coast has been paved. But the immense Tierra del Fuego desert, with its slate gray, dark crimson swamps and forests used by the wind remaining as impressive and irritable as it had been in the days of Lucas Bridges. Divided in half between Chile and Argentina, the Chilean side is remote consisting of lonely sheep ranches, and a trackless area of forests, lakes and mountains with no name. Porvenir, an old gold mining site is the provincial capital. In contrast, the Argentine half is vibrant with tourism and industry. The Ushuaia adventure center is located within easy reach of the ski resorts and the massive Darwin Cordillera. The Beagle Channel that separates Tierra del Fuego Island and the Chilean island Navarino and groups of uninhabited islands of Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of the Americas. And if Tierra del Fuego is not remote enough for you, Antarctica is a place that is just a flight away.

How Much Do We Love This Place?

The Good

• Unique and isolated destination
• The end of the World
• Stunning Landscapes

The Bad

• There are no hotels or tour companies
• Difficult dirt roads
• You need a car or a bike to go there
• Bad climate conditions during winter season