Starting point
Ushuaia

This spectacularly situated Argentinean town lies at the bottom of the South America continent where the rugged spine of the Andes mountains meets the sea at the southern tips of Chile and Argentina.

Ushuaia (pop. 50,000) is a flourishing duty free port, with a fishing industry particularly famous for its crab as well as new industries, notably electronics.

Glacier Martial
In the mountains above Ushuaia

With a few hours to kill before the ship leaves, a popular destination is the Glacier Martial in the mountains behind Ushuaia. It is only a 10 minute taxi ride to the bottom of ski lift which can take you up through a rugged forest to the tundra regions at the base of the glacier.

You will probably want to do this BEFORE going to Antarctica, because the glacier is nothing in comparison to what you will see in Antarctica...

Forest
In the mountains above Ushuaia

If you choose not to catch the chair lift, you can walk along a wide trail through a beautiful wooded forest, rich in pine trees and flowers.

Last calm before Antarctica
Beagle Channel

The ship usually leaves Ushuaia about 6pm and sails for about 6 hours along the Beagle Channel. Steep mountains of the Argentinean Andes lie to the north and gentle rolling hills of Chile lie to the south, providing protection from winds. This is the last calm water usually seen for a couple of days! The great waves of the Drake Passage begin to make an impact about 5-6 hours after leaving Ushuaia, but the rolling motion that will typify your next couple of days usually settles in about 6-7 hours after leaving Ushuaia.