Discovering Legendary Estancia Harberton

The tour seemed perfect: the possibility of sailing across the Beagle Channel up to Gable Island, admiring one of the most important colonies of Magellanic penguins in the region and having lunch at a refuge built in 1900 were part of the most promising attractions during this adventure.

Estancia Harberton is the base camp to start discovering the most hidden nooks close to the City of Ushuaia during a venture ideal for visitors of all ages.

In our case, the guides from one of the companies that offer these excursions picked us up at our hotel very early in the morning. We set out following National Route 3 and after 40 kilometers we left the paved road behind in order to turn into a path that leads to estancia Haberton.

After having covered 45 kilometers along this gravel road, we entered the venue of the famous Patagonian estancia, on a blustery peninsula well-known for the effect of the wind on the trees called “flag trees”. At first sight, visitors are dazzled by how these singular lenga trees, cherry trees and ñires are modeled by the strong gusts day after day.

We stopped at the banks of the Larsiparsahk River to start paddling. The guides prepared the rafts and distributed the equipment, made up by boots and pants for all the members of the expedition.

In a matter of minutes, we were sailing down the river and into the Beagle Channel. We could appreciate the Chilean territory, where we spotted Navarino Island and Picton and Lennox a little farther away.

Our eyes observed some sea lions resting on a solitary islet along with several families of rock shags, a typical species in the area.

Before we could even notice, we reached the shore and we landed. We started to walk up to the shell of estancia Harberton, famous for being the first in Tierra del Fuego. It was built by Thomas Bridges, an Anglican missionary, back in 1886.

Moored at the estancia berth was the boat that takes visitors down to Isla Martillo (Hammer Island), the only site in the channel dwelled by a colony of Magellanic penguins.

The table was ready at the refuge and all the attendants were feeling hungry. Good wine and anecdotes started to flow in a place that treasures countless stories.

After lunch, we resolved to set out on a hike to see the most outstanding corners of this famous location.

After two hours, we reached the berth again and took the boat that would take us back to the continent. Sceneries, history and adventure are the characteristics of this region and they were all part of our ride.