My journey starts at Buenos Aires, a clean and modern city worth a stay to experience a huge meat asado, the colourful La Boca district or a night of tango.  From here the pampas plains stretch 3000km south to Tierra del Fuego where I headed via Puerto Madryn and the whale/seal reserve of Pennisular Valdez.

Due to complicated connections, Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego is best reached by air and landing on the runway jutting out into the Beagle Channel is one to be remembered.  Ushuaia has a ski resort feel although the typical style of building is an interesting blend of corrugated iron and wood.  Located on the northern bank of the Beagle Channel, Argentina boast that it is the southern most city, although Puerto Williams on the Chilean Isla Navarino, across the channel also boast the same - typical of the rivalry between the two nations.  To get to Puerto Williams a hitch on a yatch is needed from Ushuaia or catch the weekly ferry from Punta Arenas, Chile (Transbordadora Austral, Chile 56-61-218100).  Isla Navarino provides the southern most trekking in the world - the 5 day Dientes Circuit.

From the slopes of Ushuaia, every street provides spectacular views of the channel and the harbour where there are daily departures of antartic cruises on Russian/Scandinavian ice breakers, generally lasting 10 days.  The pan-american highway passes through Ushuaia and onto Tierra del Fuego national park where it officially ends, 18,497km from Alaska.  This in itself seems to attract a lot of local day trippers, however the park does have some good walks and camping.  I spent two nights here enjoying the 11:00pm sunsets and 4:00am sunrise in late January, with beautiful bays and sub-antartic vegetation it makes for good photography.

To really appreciate the remote landscape I did the three day Monte Martial trek around the back of the mountains at Ushuaia using the Trekking in Patagonia Handbook (Lonely Panet).  Here, peat bog valleys lay below the 600m forest line, watched over by some stunning rocky ridges and distant glaciers.  There are no trails and camping is wild which makes going very tough in places and of course rewarding.  It is possible to see condors, guanacos, deer, puma, seemingly wild horses and beavers together with the damage the beavers have caused to areas of forest.  This circuit is however now part of the PN Tierra del Fuego and permission is required; Sierra Valdivieso, a harder alternative trek is in the Handbook also.

La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Probably the most polished city in South America and the most expensive, although still a scratch on London prices.  La Boca is filled with colourful corrugated buildings and some nice bars/markets.  Worth spending some time wandering around the run down streets but watch out!

Pampas, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
The vast eastern flats of Argentina run from the fertile plains around the capital, 3000km south to the sandy wastes of Tierra del Fuego.  The Welsh settled at Trelew where they managed to find water and rear sheep.  The welsh tea houses are a popular stop for tourists.

Sand Dune, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
Puerto Madryn is rapidly becoming a popular beach resort for Argentinians.  A pleseant town geared up for tourists and offering beach sports.  Mountain biking through the sandy pampas coastline, this solitary dune attracts adventurous locals for something different.

Peninsular Valdez, Argentina
A protected nature reserve with beautiful coastline.  Many sealions and elephant seals soak up the sun on the beach, distant killer whales are known to try their luck as they lunge onto the beach for some sealion lunch.  Apr-Nov it is possible to see whales righting.

Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel, Argentina
11:00pm and a peaceful blue sky settles over this magnificent waterway watched over by rugged mountains.  The most southernly town in the world, it is filled with character and provides a good base for excursions.

Coastline,  PN Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
PN Tierra del Fuego is popular with tourists for the end of the pan-american highway, however it offers some great much overlooked walking. 

Bahia Lapataia, PN Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Getting up at 4:00am offers some rewarding sunrises.  It is also when the wildlife is most active, the trout take this opportunity to feed before the mandatory 9:00am fly fishing begins.  When camping watch out for tide changes.

PN Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
The varied vegetation inlcude one metre deep moss fields.

Bahia Lapataia, PN Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
One of the views from the bay at the end of the pan-american highway - 18,497km from Anchorage.

Arroyo de la Oveja, Monte Martial, Argentina
Wild trekking around the back of the Martial mountains north of Ushuaia is superb and demanding.  After the pass, there is no footpath and it is better to have a good map rather than following guanaco trials.  We had to contend with snow on day 2.  This route is now part of the PN Tierra del Fuego and permission is required.

Monte Martial, Argentina
Oustanding, remote and challenging trekking in the wilderness of Tierra del Fuego region.