The ride into Ushuaia is fantastic, right over Garibaldi Pass. It’s a paved road with awesome, albeit dangerous curves to ride with old, frail guard rails and a huge cliff on one side. Once at the top you drop down the south slope and the riding is just as fun with big switch back curves and a ride right through the forest and ski area, literally passing under the ski lifts.
The location of Ushuaia makes it attractive because of the difficulty to get there. It’s far from any real big city of note, it takes a ferry ride to get onto the island, and it has a crazy climate with the weather always changing. However, while it’s far, the riding itself is not especially difficult; it’s entirely paved riding. The biggest thing to contend with is weather and wind. The border crossing from Chile to Argentina is easy, as it sees many bikers crossing back and forth.
The food in Ushuaia is great, with King Crab being one of the local specialties. It’s literally brought right from the boats to the local restaurants. Argentina in general is known for good food, but when the seafood is this fresh, it is especially worth it to seek out.
On the west side of Ushuaia there is the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego and on the east side of the city there is a little known road call the “J” road which takes you right down to the shores of the Beagle Channel and to some of the best seafood you can get. Down this road you have several small places to eat seafood run by local fishermen. These places are small and sometimes there is a wait, as there are only a few tables inside, but they have some of the best King Crab you can get, and the area is worth exploring.
Tierra del Fuego is also home to King Penguins, which you can visit at Parque Penguino Rey on the Chilean side of the Island about 115km south of Porvenir Chile. This sub Antarctic species of Penguin is the second largest species of Penguin. The park is privately owned and operated, and it is designed for you to view the penguins without disturbing them.
Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia should be on anyone’s list for places to go ride a motorcycle. Even if you don’t finish the entire PanAmericna Hwy ride, you can still take a tour with us and see the best of Patagonia and finish strong in Ushuaia catching all the great sights along the way.