Beneath the Martial range’s serrated spires, on the Beagle Channel’s north shore, the city of Ushuaia is both an end (virtually the terminus of the world’s southernmost highway) and a beginning (the gateway to Antarctica). The surrounding countryside is increasingly popular with activities-oriented visitors who enjoy hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and skiing.

After more than two decades of economic growth and physical sprawl, the provincial capital is both declining and improving. On the one hand, the duty-free manufacturing, fishing, and tourist boom that transformed a onetime penal colony and naval base into a bustling city has weakened. On the other, it’s begun to spruce up the waterfront and restore historic buildings that gave the town its personality, some of them becoming hotels or bed-and-breakfasts.

The streets are cleaner (though the main Avenida San Martín is tourist-trap ugly) and there are more parks, plazas, and green spaces. Still, Ushuaia has serious particulate pollution problems because high winds kick up dust in the unpaved streets of its newer neighborhoods.

Getting There

Ushuaia has good air connections to Buenos Aires and intermediate points, and improving overland transportation from mainland Argentina and from Chile. Maritime transportation is either tenuous or expensive.

By Air: Aerolíneas Argentinas (Roca 116, tel. 02901/421218), Chilean carrier LAN, and LADE (San Martín 564, Local 5, tel. 02901/421123) service Ushuaia by air. For Puerto Williams, across the Channel in Chile, it may be possible to arrange a private charter through the Aeroclub Ushuaia (tel. 02901/421717 or 02901/421892) for about US$100 per person.

By Bus: Ushuaia lacks a central bus terminal. Lider (Gobernador Paz 921, tel. 02901/436421), Transportes Montiel (Deloqui 110, tel. 02901/421366), and Tecni-Austral (Roca 157, tel. 02901/431408) are your best options for getting around by bus.

By Sea: The Chilean cruisers MV Mare Australis and Via Australis offer luxury sightseeing cruises to Puerto Williams, Cape Horn, and through the fjords of Chilean Tierra del Fuego to Punta Arenas; while not intended as simple transportation, they can serve the same purpose for those who can afford them. These cruises are usually booked far in advance, but on occasion— normally just before Christmas—it may be possible to make on-the-spot arrangements.

Ushuaia Boating (Godoy 190, tel. 02901/436193, www.ushuaiaboating.com.ar) occasionally shuttles passengers across the Channel to Puerto Williams (US$100 pp, two hours).