Ushuaia 

Fascinating scenery at the end of the world

A four-night getaway to the most southern city on the planet was in itself promising and, in fact, it turned out to be a genuine surprise.

To begin with, from the plane, it is worth marveling at the silhouette of Patagonia; the air route to Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego flies over the entire Atlantic coast. Then, the landing is amazing because the Beagle Channel is suddenly glimpsed in its immensity, surrounded by the last white peaks of the Andes Range.

We arrive mid-afternoon, so after checking in at the centrally located Cap Polonio hotel, we stroll through its main streets. The accommodation is recently renovated, the rooms are simple but very comfortable and neat.

Our expectations of shopping in the only tax-free province in the country were soon dashed, and we were only tempted to buy a French rosé and a real Spanish turrón, the only souvenir we would take back home. While shopping is always a delightful exercise, each day that passes, each trip added to the list confirms the learning that there is no better investment than an experience rather than an object. That is why those delicatessens, together with a can of king crab, were the only objects acquired: everything else we brought back with us were the memories of those unforgettable days.
The first dinner could not have been in any other restaurant than El Viejo Marino, a famous restaurant in front of the coast, where its most prestigious product is undoubtedly the King Crab. This dining room was recommended to us by Nancy, the kind employee of the Museum of the End of the World, who invited us to visit its very interesting rooms, which cover the history of the capital of the island, free of charge.

El Viejo Marino does not take reservations and at its door, at 7.40 p.m., there were already a dozen people lining up to eat.
We started with a prawn and king crab sauté with garlic and parsley, a powerful and juicy starter; then followed the king crab au gratin with parmesan and a sublime grilled black hake. It was that night that I tasted for the first time this delicacy from the depths of the southern sea, with a soft flavor and elegant texture, almost impossible to find in the rest of Argentina. Simply delicious.

On the way back, the wind blew a bit, although during those four days the weather was completely in our favor, so -in truth- I left without having experienced the island's blizzards. We closed that night at the Hard Rock Café in Ushuaia, one of the largest on the continent. In truth, its drinks menu does not live up to the brand, quite rudimentary and with options more typical of a tropical city than of its extreme location. We opted for a glass of wine and a proper Purple Haze gin before going to bed.

In the morning we woke up anxious as we had an appointment at HeliTours Ushuaia for a helicopter ride over the Andes. Luckily for us there was no wind and the conditions were unbeatable.
The images of Ushuaia and surroundings from the air, in the smoothness of a helicopter flight, were undoubtedly movie-like.

The sky was super clear, with some clouds adorning the scene, so the first view of the city -which has a Nordic air- at the foot of the mountain and with the channel at its feet was amazing. Then the skillful pilot found a canyon to enter the Fuegian valleys. The autumn colors covered the mountain slopes and the brown spots of the beaver forests stood out on the plain. At that moment, a clear turquoise appeared in the landscape, it was the Esmeralda Lagoon escorted by the white mountain range, all of an inexplicable beauty. We flew over Cerro Castor and its famous ski center.

The attention was then focused on landing on top of a peak of the Andes, to walk along its rocks covered with snow from last winter with a breathtaking panoramic view. It was there that the aeronaut opened a sparkling wine and urged us to toast on high!

On the way back, there were still several surprises in store for us: a low flight over the slope of the mountain range, another one by the Arakur hotel and a last spectacular view of the city.
A walk along the waterfront followed and a delicious snack at Juana y Ana, surprised by their infusions and their salty and sweet delicacies.

For a quick lunch we opted for Chiko, another classic Fuegian restaurant with Chilean influence, where we were delighted with a couple of seafood empanadas and a delicious king crab pie au gratin.

A vertiginous visit to the museum of the old Presidiario was the prelude to take the afternoon navigation proposed by Patagonia Explorer that, unlike the big catamarans, makes the nautical tour in a small and comfortable boat with no more than twenty-five people.

First we enjoy a great panoramic view of the city from the Canal. Then you can see Alicia and Berta islands where you can appreciate the local fauna: the erect imperial cormorants -a black and white bird-, the sea lions -in their different species such as one-haired or two-haired-, the black-necked rock cormorant and the red-headed jack.

By the time we visit the Faro Les Éclaireurs, the lighthouse, the sun was starting to set even more over the mountain range, generating a radiant image. We took the typical photo of this destination and headed back to end up disembarking at the Carello Pier, for a walk on Bridges Island at sunset. Among the solid bushes that tolerate the southern climate, a round reddish fruit stood out; when I asked Paula, the guide of the boat, told us that it was a fruit called chaura. Without hesitation I decided to try it: it has the texture of an apple, it is sweet and so small that it feels like a candy.

We had made a reservation that same morning, rather by chance, at Kalma Restó. It is a project of Jorge Monópoli a chef who glorifies the flavors of Tierra del Fuego.

To begin with, his signature cuisine is cozy, elegant and candid, highlighting undoubtedly the Cava 57 -where excellent bottles from all the wine regions of the country are stored- and a rusty metal fish hanging on the wall, a work of art that serves as an allusion and is an advertisement of the house, because everything there is about local flavors turned into art, especially those that come from the sea, evidencing the chef's love for fishing.

We started with a welcome treat, a soup of organic vegetables from Estancia Viamonte, whose open-air vegetable garden is a challenge to the island's harsh climate. We were also treated to an authentic and colorful aperitif, gin with black cassis.

Camila brought us a focaccia of red onion and salicornia, plus the basket with the bakery along with a superb homemade butter. Salicornia is a fleshy vegetable that grows just where the river meets the sea, with a pleasant saline taste.
That night we chose -at the chef's suggestion- an impressive Patagonian malbec from the Noemia winery, called A Lisa.

Next came our starter to share, a Pancho de Centolla with cachiyuyo, a seaweed characteristic of the Beagle Channel that Jorge transforms into a crunchy salty snack. Needless to say, it was an exquisite opening. We were in the middle of it when Jorge came to the table and confessed that he wanted us to try the wild salmon, since we were right in the fishing season. It came in the form of a tartar along with salmon roe.
As the chef pointed out when he personally served it to us, "there is a before and an after" in life after eating this red delight. The wild salmon, fresh, is different from farmed salmon not only because of the intense color of its flesh, but also because of its unctuous texture and indescribable flavor.
And there was still more to come. The mains were, on the one hand, the famous and by then my favorite black hake, accompanied by carrots and zuccini, with pumpkin and mint foam.

The driver & escort of @tripticity_, a repeater in Ushuaia, did not hesitate to describe the Patagonian Hake as the steak of the sea. 

And of course we turned again for a wild salmon, this time grilled with vegetables, simple and full of sophistication. 

It was then that Jorge approached our table offering us a glass of a wine he had just opened and which he assured us would pair very well with our dishes; so he served us a colossal Alto Cedro malbec from Finca Los Turcos, 2012 vintage, from La Consulta. Tremendous!

For dessert time, we were treated to one last surprise from Kalma. We instructed the chef to make the choice on his own. And Jorge came up with a perfect combination of cocoa crumbs, chocolate, salt, cream, almonds, fresh dried salicornias with a generous drizzle of olive oil from the Zucardi winery. A contrasting mix of flavors that accompanied and complemented each other, especially the olive oil, which is curious to taste embracing all the sweetness of the dish. We fell in love!

A few last clarifications: everything was served on a tableware that highlighted the colors of the food served. And throughout the evening Jorge maintained his good humor and cordiality despite the fact that, with total disregard for his work, nine diners had canceled their reservation without even giving him notice. No less than half of its capacity... and yet, with all kindness Jorge did not hesitate to show us his kitchen, where he introduced us to his assistants Emi, Raquel and Vanesa.

From that night on, Kalma Restó has swelled our list of essential restaurants of the national haute cuisine.

The following morning, very early, we were picked up by the driver we had met upon our arrival, a nice man from Salta who offered us a visit to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. He was Ermindo González, a fellow citizen of our province who had been living on the island for more than thirty years and a lover of the rigors of Tierra del Fuego. For four and a half hours, he took us to the most outstanding panoramic points of the park, in a route that was contrary to the most crowded tours, so he guaranteed that we could enjoy the visit in a certain solitude, besides telling us about his experience of life in the southernmost part of the continent.

The scenery from the Ensenada and La Pataia bays was really beautiful, as well as the short hike from Lake Roca to the Alakush Visitor Center. The panoramas of La Castorera and El Turbal were also amazing. The ochre, reddish and yellow tones of autumn contrasted with the crystal blue of the April sky.

Back in town, we tempted ourselves with an impromptu brunch at Tante Sara, a traditional Fuegian corner café, before heading up to Cerro Alarkén to check in at the Arakur Resort & Spa. 

This option is a win win for @tripticity_. The idea is to first stop at a centrally located hotel that honors the price/quality ratio, in order to fulfill the characteristic visits and tours of the destination with a good rest assured. And then, spend the last nights in a luxurious place to enjoy its facilities. In the case of Arakur, it was impeccable. It is a first class lodging on the top of a mountain, which gives it a charming perspective of the whole city. The window in our room facing the Beagle Channel was truly hypnotic. 

In addition, the hotel has a spa area with an outdoor swimming pool, which is connected to the indoor heated pool. Taking hot baths while enjoying the panoramic view is priceless, whether you see the Beagle Channel, the city itself or the Andes with its snow-capped peaks and its skirts dyed red by the lenga trees. The unusual thing is that the spa is open until midnight, so dinner should be booked in the first shift, very early, so as to avoid the crowds of the high season (Easter), and then once again enter the spa area and enjoy the lights of the city, while the body is immersed in the hot waters sheltered from the icy southern air. What a combination!

The dinners at La Cravia restaurant are also outstanding. They offer a super varied wine list and dishes with outstanding typical flavors.

The first night we first enjoyed a tiradito of black hake with passion fruit, avocado mousse and pickled radishes, followed by a crab casserole with crab parmesan and sea bass with french fries and guacamole, all accompanied by Manos Negras, a pinot noir from Río Negro.

On the second and last night we said goodbye with some spritz in the lobby bar, well tinged with crab empanadas. At the restaurant, we ordered black hake with potato emulsion and roasted cauliflower and sautéed bitter leaves in pinot noir reduction, plus a crispy octopus with smoked eggplants and citric creole sauce. This time the choice was a Cruzat Cuvée sparkling wine from Mendoza. To top it off, a molded bitter chocolate and calafate sauce, a delicious Patagonian red fruit.

Undoubtedly, it was a trip in which we were fascinated by the beauty of the landscape as well as by the kindness of its people and its flavors. Special thanks to Jorge, who immersed us in the world of local products, and to Ermindo, who -like everyone in Ushuaia- four thousand kilometers away made us feel at home.