The time of year that is best to visit Ushuaia is December – March
In short, you can go by land or air. We started off our Argentina travels as many others do in the capital, Buenos Aires. For us, Patagonia was somewhere we desperately wanted to experience and there is a relatively short time period where the weather is good enough to hike and see its natural beauty in full. The time of year that is best to visit Ushuaia is December – March. You shouldn’t expect sun every day or particularly warm weather but these months are your best bet!
Ushuaia for obvious reasons is often the start or the end of peoples travel in Patagonia. We decided to start in Ushuaia, arriving by plane and working our way up Patagonia by road. Ushuaia has an International Airport where there is at least one flight a day from Buenos Aires, there are also regular flights from El Calafate (somewhere else definitely worth visiting – link to article). I would recommend booking flights to Ushuaia as early as possible as the price rises and rises and doesn’t drop down the closer you get to departure. From Buenos Aires, the flight will take you about three and a half hours and from El Calafate will take no more than one and a half hours. You will fly into one of the most picturesque airports you ever will do, flying over snow-topped mountain peaks, slowly descending low over the sea just managing to see the lights of Ushuaia before landing.
If you are looking to get to Ushuaia by road then be ready for some long roads, a lack of exciting scenery and border crossings with Chile – these will add time to your journey. However, it’s not all bad there is the occasional moment where you can stop and enjoy pretty much the only wildlife along the close to dirt tracks you will be driving – Alpacas!
The road from Buenos Aires can be long, lonely and ultimately pretty monotonous. If you plan to go by car, make sure you have some company and if this is not an option ensure that you have a number of podcasts and music available to you. If you want to get a coach to Ushuaia the same recommendation remains but fingers crossed you will get some sleep. If you are travelling from Buenos Aires you will firstly need to get a coach to Rio Gallegos – this will take around a day of travelling. From there you will need to go to Ushuaia which will add on another eight or so hours to your journey. For both journeys, I would recommend getting a sleeper rather than a regular seat.
