CENTRAL

The central area is half mountain and half steppe geography. Its character is marked by scrub-type and wooded Flora in isolated patches of valleys and mountainsides. Adventure and rural tours are the substance of the activity options here.

Lake Escondido
It is sited 60 km north of Ushuaia, on National Route N 3. Before getting access to the lake, the tourist comes across the "Las Cotorras" and "Haruwen" mountain shelters. As from "Rancho Hambre" the road climbs steadily up to 450 masl at Garibaldi Pass, a high-altitude landscape vantage point where visitors can benefit from a panorama of Lake Escondido and Lake Fagnano. The charming beauty of this spot is only one of its kind.

Lake Fagnano
Another 40 km takes us to Lake Fagnano or Kami: an imposing international body of water shared between Chile and Argentina (most of its surface). It is 100 km in length by 6 km wide, and along its shore lodgings are available in the form of an inn, a campsite and a group of cabins, where horseriding, bicycle and 4 wheel motorcycle tours are available. It is ideal for ailing and bird-watching (the local petrel and the cauquen are of special interest).

Tolhuin and the Valdez River Hot Springs
At the foot of "Michi" peak, some km away from Lake Fagnano and after going through a cabin complex, one comes to the romantic village of Tolhuin, founded in 1972. Its name in the Selknam (Ona) native tongue means "heart", and it is the third most populated area in Tierra del Fuego after Ushuaia and Ro Grande. It offers tourists lodging at inns, campsites and cabins as well as excellent restaurants that offer the local products. The pictorial log buildings and the famous Valdez River Hot Springs are its main attractions.

Lakes Chepelmut y Yehuin
Continuing along National Route N 3, 35 km north of the Ro Valdez Hot Springs, and taking a left fork along the ''H'' or RP 18 side road, Lakes Chepelmut and Yehuin are to e found. These are both unequalled fly fishing spots, especially for trout; they also offer trekking, horseriding, mountain biking, boating excursions and tours to observe the local fauna. This area also boasts of the Shenolsh peak, the natural territory of the Patagonian Andean Condor, from which top an impressive view of the area is possible.

San Pablo Cape
At the mouth of the Ladrillero and San Pablo Rivers lies San Pablo Cape, a quaint locality which may be accessed by National Route N 3 and then taking RP 21, some 180 km from Ushuaia. The coast running from San Sebastin Bay up to San Pablo Cape is of world wide importance for the survival of some species of migratory coastal birds, some of which spend the non-reproductive stage of their lives there.

ANTARCTICA

The Antarctica or the White Continent is one of the world's main natural preserve. It is protected by the ecological norms agreed by the Antarctica Treaty member countries. One could even say that we are on a "sixth continent", a gigantic area at present wholly dedicated to scientific research activity.

This continent covers 14 million square km around the South Pole. It is eternally covered with ice, which overflows into the neighbouring sea. Scarcely 2 % of the total surface of the continent is ice-free. Its northern geophysical border is limited by the 60 parallel of southern latitude; it is also known as the Antarctica Convergence. The general exterior of the continent is that of a great plateau, 3,000 m high in some places.

Visiting the Antarctica is both mysterious and fascinating. There are several itineraries which take up between 9 and 15 days. Using inflatable dinghies, one may visit scenarios chosen either for the beauty of it landscapes or for the profusion of their wildlife. The vessels posses all the facilities required for this kind of trip. Between November and March, many cruise ships, either icebreakers or reinforced-hull vessels leave for this destination.

Its Fauna is formed of seals, sea lions and walruses, penguins, albatrosses, petrels, cormorants and whales; most Antarctica species live in the coastal area where krill, a small crustacean life form that many of them use as a staple food, is abundant