Tierra del Fuego

The archipelago of Tierra del Fuego is found off the southernmost tip of South America. The main island, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, is separated from the continent by the Strait of Magellan and divided between Chile and Argentina. The rugged natural beauty of Isla Grande encapsulates the different Patagonian ecosystems in a single island – South Atlantic coast, bush steppe, Andes mountains surrounded by glaciers and deep southern beech forests. Along the legendary Beagle Channel, explored by Charles Darwin in the 1830s, varied wildlife can be seen including sea lions and extensive colonies of penguins and cormorants. Ushuaia, the region’s largest city, lays claim to the title of “southernmost city in the world” though this claim is disputed by the Chilean town of Puerto Williams. Ushuaia is also the gateway to Antarctica, with many different companies offering cruises to the White Continent between November and March.