Capturing the Moment

From top to bottom Argentina is a bird lovers paradise. Recently Heidi and I traveled across Argentina searching for beautiful views, hikes, and of course wildlife. We knew that incredible hikes to glaciers, mountain vistas, lakes, and waterfalls existed across the country but we were surprised at the amazing birdwatching opportunities. Austral Parakeet near Ushuaia      The same places you travel for amazing views; Ushuaia , El Calafate, El Chalten, and Iguazu are the same places that birders 'in the know' travel for big time bird watching. The different environments change from cold ocean in Ushuai, to desert and freshwater lakes in Patagonia, to tropical jungle in Iguazu. Because of this the opportunities to see very different bird species change as well, from penguins down south to toucans up north. Tern hovering over the water Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego National Park: We will start down south in Ushuaia , the southernmost city in the world. Here a ...

Follow the Yellow Mud Road Wildflower filled base of the valley     While in Ushuaia, the Southernmost City in the World, down near the Southern tip of Argentina, I met quite a few people who were looking for the best hike in the area. Most people knew about the hiking potential in Tierra del Fuego National Park, so bus loads of walkers headed there daily. There were a couple of easier, half day hikes nearby the city like Martial Glacier and Laguna Esmerelda which drew crowds of hikers who didn't want to travel all the way to the National Park. But for a select few hikers in the know, the much less traveled hike to Laguna de los Tempanos and Vinciguerro Glacier was top of the list. Hiking with new friends   If you have your own car it is an easy twelve minute drive out of town to the north and east. If you don't have wheels then gather a couple friends and share a taxi for around 200 pesos.  You have to wrap around the mountains bordering the ...

  To do all the best adventures in Ushuaia you will need a little time, 3-5 full days, and some good hiking shoes. Rental cars are pretty expensive down here but luckily cabs are easy to use to get around. Hotels and hostels are a bit on the expensive side as well but you can find a bed for $25 a night if you don't mind sharing. hostels can be a great place to find other adventure seekers with whom to share cabs as well.   The big adventures that are accessible from the town of Ushuaia are boat cruising on the Beagle Canal, hiking to Martial Glacier, exploring Tierra del Fuego National Park, and Lagunas de los Tempanos. Here are my thoughts on each.   Beagle Canal Cruise: You have three choices here for cruising; a short cruise that goes to the 'end of the world' lighthouse, sea lion and cormorant rock, and a short walk on an island, or a medium length cruise that does all of that plus visits the penguin colony rock, or the long cruise which actually lets you get...