Ushuaia Cruise Port

Ushuaia, Argentina

The Argentine city of Ushuaia is one of the world’s most stunningly beautiful cruise ports that acts as a gateway to Antarctica, but that is also a popular port of call for ships sailing around South America.

Thanks to its location on the famous Beagle Channel, it can be reached by ships sailing along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the continent and that’s a great thing, as it’s a port that’s well worth visiting.

The towns motto is Fin del Mundo, or End of the World, and that is for good reason as Ushuaia is thought to be the most southernly city in the world.

The city sits in the heart of the Tierra del Fuego and even if you don’t fancy going onshore, you will still get to see snow-capped mountains and plenty of wildlife but you would miss out as well, as there is lots to enjoy both in the city itself and in the surrounding areas, making Ushuaia one of South Americas leading ports of call.

It also acts main turnaround port for expedition cruise lines that are heading down to Antarctica, so if you are heading down their to join your ship or if you are set to call into the city on a cruise, this is the guide for you as we bring you all you need to know about the port of Ushuaia based on our own experience of visiting there.

Cruises To Ushuaia

Our Visit

I was lucky enough to visit Ushuaia in December 2025 onboard the Sapphire Princess when I was sailing between Buenos Aires and Antarctica.

In what was an adventure full of incredible moments and seeing some of the most beautiful places on earth, Ushuaia certainly wasn’t out of place.

We arrive from Chile, so would sail through Glacier Alley before pulling up to the city and that allowed us to see the majesty of the Tierra del Fuego from the ship before we set off exploring the large national park on a shore excursion.

We also got plenty of time to explore the city itself, which from a visitor point of view, is made up of a long main high street, a seafront walkway and a tourist area around the port entrance.

Ushuaia Cruise Guide

If you are trying to decide whether a cruise itinerary visiting Ushuaia is one you should book, or if you have already booked a cruise calling into Ushuaia and want to make the most of your time on shore, this is the guide for you.

Type of Cruises Available

If you want to visit the port on a mainstream cruise ship, the port only acts as a port of call for ships sailing around South America.

Usual routes including round trips from either Santiago (Chile) or Buenos Aires (Argentina) or repositioning routes between the two.

A lot of those cruises will also head to Antarctica, as mine did, but if you are wanting to head to the southern continent on a smaller expedition style cruise ship, the port is the leading turnaround for those getaways.

Ushuaia Cruise Port Location

The port of Ushuaia is perfectly located in the heart of the city, just a short walk from the main high street and close to the cities airport for those starting or ending their itineraries in the city.

The port’s location makes for an incredible entrance where you not only get a great view of the city itself but of the mountains that surround it.

Ushuaia Cruise Facilities

The cruise port of Ushuaia is well equipped for mainstream ship to call in there as it can handle multiple ships at the same time and it can handle smaller expedition ships that are either homeporting, getting turnaround, interporting or simply calling in there as a port of call.

The port is made up of a large pier that stretches out from the city’s sea front boulevards and into the Beagle Channels, with ships lining up one behind another.

At the city end of the pier, there is a small arrival hall where those starting their adventures go through immigration and security, whilst those calling into the port simply need to walk through it.

Between their and the port gate, there are a few shops for those wanting last minute gifts, although these cost more than the gift shops in the city, and then after you walk through the port gate, you arrive at a well-kept square full of shore excursion providers, a few gift shops and behind it is a tourist information office.

Whilst there is no large terminal building and there is a bit of a walk between your ship and the port gate, especially if are at the end of the dock, it doesn’t matter too much as it is just a shot stroll between the city and port.

One thing to bear in mind, is there is little cover from the element at the port, so remember to take an umbrella onshore with you.

Ushuaia Attractions

For me the main attraction is something you just don’t get in many cities, as it’s the natural beauty of Ushuaia that stands out.

Surrounded by mountains on 3 sides, with the Beagle Channel in front of it and you have an incredible setting for what is a relatively large and bustling city, so whilst there are around 100,000 people there, it retains a small town charm and still feels quite remote- as you would expect from the southernmost city at the end of the world.

As well as the incredibly scenery you see walking along the sea front in Ushuaia, if you look out into the Beagle Channel, you have a chance to spot penguins, seals, sea birds and maybe even orcas.

From the end of the cruise pier, you can take boat rides to either have a tour of the Beagle Channel, head to Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse (home to lots of seals) or just head out wildlife watching.

There are a couple of boat wrecks that you can see from the city and there is a small naval base there were you can usually see some for the Argentine naval base.

The city is dominated by the Avenue San Martin, or its main high street, which is just one row back from the seafront, with the street offering a wide range of shops, bars, restaurants and cafes.

Ushuaia Shorex

There are quite a few different options for those wanting to spend part of the day, or even all of their time onshore outside of the city limits of Ushuaia including doing the excursion that I did where I took a coach tour of the Tierra del Fuego national park.

This included visiting Ensenada Bay, Roca Lake and ending in Lapataia Bay and of course you head to a gift shop at the park’s tourist office.

There are multiple pre-bookable boat tours that head out into the Beagle Channel and go to either Penguin colonies, take you to seal and sea lion colonies, simply cruise the channel to take in the sights or that offer a mixture of all of that.

The city actually developed out of been a penal colony and that history can be best explored by taking a ride on the Train at the End of the World, a narrow-gauge railway that heads from the Tierra del Fuego national park.

There is a double decker tour bus that can either be booked when you arrive or pre-booked through your line that takes you around the city and around its outskirts to take in the views.

For those who want to be a bit more energetic on land, there are a few guided hikes that can be taken and you can also head out on a husky sledge ride.

If you are only in the city for a short amount of time, a private tour of the region could be the way to go, or you can do a shared minibus tour to keep the cost down.

Best Time To Visit

The cruise season is only a short one in the deep south of the continent, with cruise ships only visiting the port during the Argentine summer months of October-April, with the bulk of ships been there between November-March.

Transport

There is a routemaster style double-decker bus that those with mobility issues can use to explore the city and there are also some taxis available from outside the port entrance if you are wanting to head somewhere specific but for the majority of those visiting, you won’t need any transport as the city is easily explore on foot from the cruise dock.

Ushuaia Cruises From UK

Whilst it is technically possible to visit Ushuaia on a cruise direct from the UK, it will be on a World Cruise, so not available to the majority of us.

Ushuaia Cruises From Southampton

If you are looking for a World Cruise heading to the port, it will likely be from either the port of Southampton or the port of Dover from where the cruise sets sail.