Ushuaia Beagle Channel Catamaran Cruise to the Lighthouse

The Beagle Channel from the port of Ushuaia

The Beagle Channel is a strait about 240 kilometres long that separates the main island of Tierra del Fuego from the smaller islands to the south, with Argentina on its northern shore and Chile on most of the southern side. It takes its name from the British survey ship that charted it in the 1830s. From the water the channel is a corridor of dark sea between forested shores and snow mountains, with Ushuaia spread along the northern bank and the Chilean peaks of Navarino Island opposite.

Our catamaran leaves from the tourist pier on the waterfront of Ushuaia, a short walk from the main street and most hotels. Within minutes of departure the town shrinks behind the boat and the full width of the channel opens ahead, with the guide pointing out the mountains, the glaciers and the islands you will pass. A Beagle Channel cruise from Ushuaia is the classic way to see the landscape that surrounds the city, and this three-hour route covers the best of the western channel.

Bird Island (Isla de los Pájaros)

Isla de los Pájaros is a low rocky islet in the Bridges archipelago, a group of small islands a few kilometres east of Ushuaia, named after the Anglican missionary family who settled the channel in the nineteenth century. The island is a breeding ground for imperial cormorants, the black-and-white birds that nest shoulder to shoulder on the rock, together with rock cormorants, kelp gulls, skuas and the occasional giant petrel passing overhead.

The catamaran slows and circles close to the shore so that passengers on deck can photograph the colonies without disturbing them; nobody lands here. In the breeding season from October to March the rocks are crowded with nests and chicks, while in winter the numbers are smaller but the birds remain. The guide explains how to tell the two cormorant species apart and how the birds fish in the cold, nutrient-rich water of the channel.

Sea Lion Island (Isla de los Lobos)

Isla de los Lobos lies a short distance from Bird Island and shelters a permanent colony of South American sea lions, the large brown animals with thick manes on the males, alongside smaller South American fur seals with their pointed faces and dense fur. They haul out on the rocks all year, barking, sparring and sliding into the water to fish, and the smell and noise of the colony reach the boat before you see it clearly.

The catamaran approaches to within a few metres of the rocks and holds position so everyone can take photos from the open decks. This is the stop most visitors remember from a Beagle Channel wildlife cruise: the animals are close, numerous and completely unbothered by the boat. The guide describes the differences between sea lions and fur seals and the breeding cycle of the colony before the boat continues toward the lighthouse.

Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse

Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse stands on the easternmost islet of the Les Eclaireurs group, about 8 kilometres east of Ushuaia. It was built in 1920 as a conical brick tower about 11 metres high, painted in red and white bands and topped with a black lantern, and it still operates automatically to guide shipping into the port. Although the true lighthouse at the end of the world lies far to the east on Isla de los Estados, this beacon has become the symbol of Ushuaia and the image on every postcard from the city.

The catamaran circles the islet slowly so that passengers can photograph the lighthouse against the mountains from every angle, with cormorants and sea lions often on the surrounding rocks. Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse tours cannot land on the islet, which is a protected site, but the close pass from the water is exactly what people come for. Morning light shows the colours best; the afternoon departure gives softer light over the mountains behind.

Karelo Island: a walk at the end of the world

Karelo Island is a small island in the Bridges archipelago where the catamaran ties up for the only landing of the cruise. A short guided walk of about 30 minutes follows a path across the island, through low Fuegian vegetation of calafate bushes, moss and wind-bent shrubs, with wide views back across the channel to Ushuaia, the Martial mountains and, on a clear day, the glaciers above the town.

Along the path the guide points out the shell middens, the mounds of mussel shells and bones left by the Yámana people who lived on the channel in canoes for thousands of years, and explains how they survived the climate with fires kept burning even in their boats. The walk is easy and on a marked path, with sturdy shoes recommended as the ground can be wet. Karelo Island is the stretch-your-legs moment of the cruise before the return to the port of Ushuaia.