Canal Beagle, Patagonia, Argentina

5ShifraToronto 5:00 PM Feb 10, 2020

Channel is Gorgeous, Catamaran Ride Squishy
The Beagle Channel is a strait in Tierra del Fuego Archipelago on the extreme southern tip of South America between Chile and Argentina. It was named after the ship HMS Beagle during its first hydrographic survey of the coasts of the southern part of South America, which lasted from 1826 to 1830. During that expedition, under the overall command of Commander Phillip Parker King, the Beagle's captain, Pringle Stokes, committed suicide and was replaced by captain Robert FitzRoy, who continued the survey on a second voyage. One can see the Beagle Channel from many viewpoints. A hike in Tierra del Fuego Park, along the channel, will give you some wonderful glimpses of the channel. One can visit the post office 'at the end of the world', buy a postcard and mail it there. The post office is on the Beagle Channel and the view is magnificent. I stayed at the Los Cauquenes Resort & Spa, which is right on the channel (see my review) and features wonderful views. Or, one can take a catamaran ride or cruise and see the channel by boat. The catamaran we took to Estancia Haberton, from which we tendered out to an island to walk with penguins, was very, very crowded. The seats are about six across on each side of a narrow table. In order to get in or out, if you are not in the aisle seat, everyone has to stand up and make room for you to leave. There is barely room to stash a backpack--it has to sit on your feet beneath the table. The ride is two to three hours so you are going to be a sardine for quite a while. Most of us got up when the cormorants came into view and stayed standing for the rest of the trip because it was too much trouble to sit down. You can stand inside the cabin, where it is relatively warm, or outside on the deck where it is horribly windy and freezing. So, if you are going to take a cruise on a catamaran, here is how to make the journey much easier...BE THE FIRST ONES THERE and grab the aisle seats. Take several winter layers, a hat, gloves and sunglasses. The scenery is quite magnificent. You will see the lighthouse at the end of the world, a colony of cormorants, a colony of sea lions and an island of penguins. The catamaran will pivot at each of these places, so everyone on deck will get to take a picture. You need a camera with quite a good zoom to get a recognizable shot, though. We got off the catamaran at the Estancia Haberton, which provides another view of the channel, took a tender to the penguin island to walk among the penguins, and then bussed back to our hotel.. It was a relief not to have to take the crowded boat back to Ushuaia. The boat did not depart until every seat had been filled.

5WorldTravelers34 5:00 PM Feb 4, 2020

Serves as a waterway for the world's southernmost city, Ushuaia
We cruised through the Beagle Channel on a recent NCL cruise. One of the port stops was Ushuaia where we spent the day exploring the city. The narrow Beagle Channel, separating Argentina's island chain of Tierra del Fuego to the north from remote Chilean islands to the south, serves as a waterway for the world's southernmost city, Ushuaia. It’s also one of the most important bodies of water in South America. It is one of three navigable routes linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the southern tip of the South American continent. The main center of population is Ushuaia which is the capital city of Tierra del Fuego. It is generally considered to be the most southerly city on Earth and is commonly referred to as The End of the World a point often disputed by the people of Puerto Williams which lies even further south.