Magellania
Active

Crab, strawberries and fishing village

Duration
Full day
Transport
Car + boat
Group
per person
Season
October–February
Price
from $190

Crab, strawberries and a 1886 estancia — all in one long day. Morning on Ruta 3 east, then onto a dirt road. Ruca Kellen chacra with Andrés (strawberries in the southernmost greenhouse in the world — and yes, it's legal), the fishing village of Almanza with lunch of centolla straight from those who caught it. Finale — Estancia Harberton, the first ranch on Tierra del Fuego, founded by the Bridges family in 1886.

Program

  1. Departure from Ushuaia on Ruta Nacional 3 east

  2. Turn onto Ruta Provincial J — dirt road along the Lasifashaj river

  3. Ruca Kellen chacra — Andrés Loisa shows us the greenhouses: strawberries, raspberries, calafate, rhubarb. Tea at the casa de té with homemade jam

  4. Almanza, Puerto Pirata restaurant on stilts. Centolla straight from the tank, sea urchins, Tehuelche mussels

  5. Estancia Harberton, 1886. Acatushun museum — 2,800 marine mammal specimens, 2,300 birds. Old sheep-shearing barn, the Bridges family house, Thomas Bridges's grave

  6. Optional: boat to Yekapasela (Martillo Island) for the penguins [season Nov–Mar]

  7. Return to Ushuaia

Included

  • ✓Round-trip hotel transfer
  • ✓Russian-speaking guide for the full day
  • ✓Boat + tackle for centolla fishing
  • ✓Seafood lunch at Puerto Pirata
  • ✓Tasting at Ruca Kellen farm
  • ✓Entry to Harberton estancia and the Acatushún museum

Extra cost

  • +Alcohol
  • +Souvenirs

Photos

Whole centolla — Tierra del Fuego king crab with lemon on a plate at an Ushuaia restaurant
Cooked Patagonian centolla on salad — signature dish at Puerto Almanza
Beagle Channel at the fishing village of Puerto Almanza with a pebble beach, Tierra del Fuego
Historic whaling boat Amalia 8 in the Bridges family shed, Estancia Harberton, 1886
Interior of the old shearing shed at Harberton estancia, since 1886
Estancia Harberton boat shed with a green door and a dog on the Beagle shore
Old red tractor and a military Willys jeep in the shed of Harberton estancia
Mounted Andean condor in the historic boat shed of Estancia Harberton
Antique wooden Ericsson telephone in the Harberton estancia museum, Tierra del Fuego
Summer lupines in bloom at Estancia Harberton — the oldest farm in Tierra del Fuego
Souvenir shops at the Ushuaia port against the snowy Martial mountains
Ushuaia port with a Prefectura cutter and tourist boats on the Beagle Channel
Fishing boats with crab traps and ropes on the rocky shore of Tierra del Fuego
Price
from $190

per person

Book this → Ask a question
Meeting point
Your Ushuaia hotel — we pick you up at 09:00

Related reading

Beagle Channel: what I show guests from the water
The most popular boat trip in Ushuaia — and not without reason. Les Éclaireurs lighthouse from 1920, sea lion colonies, cormorants and skuas overhead. Half a day on the catamaran. All the questions people ask me beforehand — answered here.
Puerto Pirata: king crab at the end of the world
A village of 30 houses on a dirt road, a restaurant on stilts, centolla king crab straight from the tank. This is the Almanza where I bring guests. What to order, how to get there, when it's open.
Estancia Harberton: the first ranch of Tierra del Fuego
1886, missionary Thomas Bridges gets 20,000 hectares from Argentina. Today — a working ranch, the Acatushun museum with 5,000 specimens, the Bridges family house and cemetery. What to see, how to get there, what to book ahead.
Almanza: a fishing village on the Beagle Channel
30 houses, three restaurants on stilts, centolla traps right by the dock. People come here for crab and quiet. Map of Almanza, what to try, how to get there without a car.
Where to eat centolla: Beagle Channel restaurants
Centolla in Ushuaia can be eaten in a tourist restaurant for $200 — or in Almanza from those who caught it for $100. I explain the difference, and where locals actually eat.
Frequently asked

Questions and answers

What is centolla? +

Centolla (Lithodes santolla) — the Patagonian king crab. Lives in the cold waters of the Beagle Channel and the Strait of Magellan. Up to 1.2 kg, a leg makes a full portion. Sweet meat, no "fishy" smell. Catch season Jul–Oct, but it's available year-round in restaurants from tanks.

Can we catch them ourselves? +

Locals can — on our tour you can pull a trap (trampa) near Almanza, but without a license you can't keep the catch. We eat what was bought from those with a license. It's part of the story.

How much does it cost in a restaurant? +

At Puerto Pirata in Almanza — $100-130 USD for a whole centolla for two. In Ushuaia in touristy places — $150-200 USD. Lunch is included in our tour.

What else to do at Harberton besides penguins? +

Acatushun museum — 2,800 marine mammals + 2,300 birds, collected by American biologist Rae Natalie Prosser (wife of a Bridges grandson). The 1886 family house, the sheep-shearing barn, the family cemetery, the trail to Thomas Bridges's grave.

If there's a storm and no boat to Martillo? +

We do an alternative: longer Harberton, longer Almanza, add a stop at Ruca Kellen chacra. The day gets even more packed.

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