South America - part 11 Ushuaia

Friday 23 January - Ushuaia

The alarm woke us at 5.45am and breakfast arrived 20 mins later. On the bridgecam the dawn was bathing Ushuaia in golden sunlight so I rushed up to deck 6 for quick photos.

 

 

Beside us in the dock was the red-funnelled ship we had seen in Antarctica – Finally we now had a name for her - Ushuaia – an expedition ship.

 

 

My friend had to go off on her tour at 7am. I had chosen a ship’s tour sailing the Beagle Channel and then a tour through the National Park. We were assembling at 7.05am! Fortunately my tour was called almost as soon as I had my sticker as I hate hanging around waiting. We all trooped down to where the gangway was rigged - it was very steep - and then a walk along the dockside to the catamaran. I headed up to the open top deck first. It was a beautiful morning - the water like glass, the blue sky framing the jagged peaks of the Andes. Zaandam looked lovely in the morning light.

 

 

Heading out from Ushuaia harbour, and along the Beagle Channel, we first stopped at a lighthouse, the rocks below covered with cormorants. By now I had realised better views were from the walkway round the saloon deck, although you couldn’t hear the commentary from there.

 

 

Then to a cormorant nesting site. Here thousands of birds and chicks were covering every inch of space with nests almost touching each other.

 

Finally came an island of sea lions, many just lazing in the sun, some families and a huge bull male was asserting his dominance from the top of the rock.

 

 

 

Then we put on speed to sail through the Beagle Channel to drop us off at a wooden pier in the National Park.

 

Boarding a coach we set off through a landscape of scrub, beech trees, streams and along a dirt track road - the very end of the Pan-American highway! All this was against a backdrop of the magnificent snow-capped Andes. I saw families of upland geese and their chicks, and there were several camp sites beside the lakes and river.

 

 

Our last stop was at Ensenada which boasts the most southerly post office in the world - the end of the world in fact! I had left a postcard with my friend to post for me as I didn’t realise we were coming here. From there it was a 20 minute drive back to the ship through Ushuaia. After we were dropped off at the gangway I walked back to photograph Zaandam.

 

 

Then I grabbed a sandwich and beer on deck in the hot sun.  The weather was fabulous as we sailed down the Beagle Channel again and down the north arm to Glacier Alley. We spent the next couple of hours moving around on Deck 8 at the stern, watching glacier after glacier, glistening white on top, luminous turquoise lower down, both contrasting with the dark forest and black basalt rocks around them.

 

Finally we had to leave the spectacular scenery and change for dinner. We had a table in the stern with views to die for. How many times can you eat a fabulous meal with glaciers, mountains and blue sky seen through the floor to ceiling windows beside you?

 

Bed after half an hour of the show as have to be up early tomorrow for what will now be our only penguin tour.