Field Trips

Participants considering the post-conference field trip will need special instructions, including logistical details and deadlines. Please indicate your interest by completing this survey so you will receive the additional information.

Mid-Conference (January 15):

The conference includes options for two mid-conference field trips (included with registration), and an optional post-conference field trip.  Registration for the Post-Conference Field Trip is now closed. The field trips are described below.

Option 1:  Visit to Tierra del Fuego National Park

Tierra del Fuego National Park

http://turismoushuaia.com/zonas/parque-nacional/?lang=en_US

Landscape evolution and observation of glacial and coastal landforms.

Departing time:  8:00 a.m.; return time:  4:00 p.m. (approximate).

Meeting point:  Sala Niní Marshall (Calle Malvinas Argentinas 265, 9410 Ushuaia) at 7:45 a.m.

Transportation by bus.

We will begin looking toward the front of the Fuegian Andes from the Ushuaia airport balconies. We will observe erosional mountain landforms, moraines, and the Holocene beaches of the Beagle Channel. We will enjoy a wide view of this marine environment to the west and reconstruct the paleo-Beagle glacier from this point. After that, we will drive to the west along glacial and fluvial valleys recognizing glacial and glaciofluvial landforms. Once we pass the entrance to the National Park, we will drive to Lago Roca-Bahía Lapatia, a Holocene paleo-fjord.

At this point, there will be a stop for lunch (box lunch provided).

Later, we will have the chance to reach the end of the southernmost road in South America, at the bay of Lapataia, which is also part of the paleo-fjord.

If time allows, we will drive up to Cañadón del Toro valley and visit its peat bog to discuss postglacial vegetation reconstruction.

Option 2:  Boat trip along the Ushuaia bay and Beagle Channel

Landscape evolution and observation of glacial and coastal landforms. Observation of marine birds and mammals.

Departing time:  7:00 a.m.; return time:  4:00 p.m.

Meeting point:  Port of Ushuaia (passenger control located at Avenida Prefectura Naval Argentina 470, V9410 Ushuaia) at 6:30 a.m.

Transportation by catamaran.

The Beagle Channel, named after the famous HMS Beagle that had Charles Darwin as a passenger during its hydrographic survey of South America, is a strait that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, separating the larger main island of Tierra del Fuego from various smaller islands. The port of the city of Ushuaia is located within the Beagle Channel.

We will depart from the Ushuaia tourist port to the east. We will take in rocky subglacial landforms where marine fauna settles for nesting and breeding. Several marginal glacial landforms will be seen along the north coast of the channel. We will sail around a drumlin field, looking toward the Gable Island front where the sedimentary composition of drumlins can be observed. Continuing to the east we will recognize Martillo Island, where the most remarkable penguin colony of the region is located during summertime. If time allows, we will sail into Harberton inlet (no disembarking), an inter-drumlin depression flooded by marine waters when the Beagle Channel formed during postglacial times. Here we will see the Harberton ranch buildings, which are a historical monument as they were the first permanent settlement in the region.

Conference attendees have the option of attending one mid-week field trip. However, if you are arriving early or staying after the conclusion of the conference, you may want to take the other mid-week trip on your own. These official links may be helpful:

The following webpage (http://turismoushuaia.com/contenidos/que-hacer/?lang=en_US) from the Ushuaia Tourism Office contains a link at the top called “What to do today?” that opens a pdf that is updated every two to three weeks. The webpage contains prices and information on activities to do in Ushuaia, including visits to the Tierra del Fuego National Park (our Option 1) and Beagle Channel boat tours (our Option 2), and other diverse activities.

Post-Conference (January 18–22):

Registration for the Post-Conference field trip is now closed. This excursion will be limited to a maximum of 40 participants and is not included as part of the conference fee. The necessary air travel to and from the field trip locations is not included (see recommended flight itinerary below). If fewer than 20 participants register, the price quoted here will incur a slight increase.

Please indicate interest on this link to receive timely, and critical information about the field trip.

If you are attending the post-conference field trip, your trip will need to include the leg from Ushuaia to El Calafate. Be sure to book your flights with as much time in advance as possible.

Your full trip will be Buenos Aires–Ushuaia–El Calafate–Buenos Aires. There is no need to fly back to Ushuaia after the end of the field trip, as this will add cost.

When booking your flight, you must consider the following dates:

• January 12 (or earlier, at your discretion):  Flight Buenos Aires–Ushuaia (USH). There are flights leaving from both the international (EZE - Ezeiza) and domestic (AEP - Aeroparque) airports in Buenos Aires. Arrival and accommodation in Ushuaia. Conference until January 17. 
• January 18:  Flight Ushuaia (USH)–El Calafate (FTE). Arrival in El Calafate, beginning of post-conference trip, which goes on until January 22.
• January 22: Return to El Calafate. ETA will be whatever time is necessary for the person with the earliest flight out to Buenos Aires on that day to be able to make their flight. There are eight flights from El Calafate to Buenos Aires (EZE and/or AEP), the earliest one leaving around 9:30 a.m. If anyone is on that flight, the field trip bus would depart El Chaltén at 5:00 a.m. and drop those participants off directly at the airport. All other participants can be dropped off either at the airport or in the town center, depending on their preference. This will be the end of the field trip. When purchasing flights, remember to allow yourself enough time in Buenos Aires to catch your international flight back to your country, which will leave from EZE. If your flight from El Calafate to Buenos Aires leaves after January 22, you will need to book accommodation for the number of nights that you plan to stay there after the field trip itinerary is over, as these will not be included in the field trip logistics. Please be sure to do so with enough time in advance.

This post-conference field trip will showcase the geomorphology related to the various Pliocene and Quaternary glaciations in Patagonia in the southern region of province of Santa Cruz.

The itinerary is as follows:
Day 1:  January 18, 2020
Flight from Ushuaia to El Calafate
Night in El Calafate

Day 2:  January 19, 2020
Visit to Perito Moreno Glacier. Views from the park walkways. Short trek on the glacier.
Night in El Calafate

Day 3:  January 20, 2020
Bus from El Calafate to El Chaltén with multiple stops along the way to learn about the glacial geomorphology. Optional short hike close to El Chaltén.
Night in El Chaltén

Day 4:  January 21, 2020
Long day hike along recent glacial environments in Los Glaciares NP and surroundings.
Night in El Chaltén

Day 5:  January 22, 2020
Bus back from El Chaltén to El Calafate

El Calafate is a town of 25,000 people. It is the largest town near Los Glaciares National Park, where the imposing Perito Moreno Glacier is located. The itinerary will allow participants to observe glacial landforms on the way to the glacier, up to the glacier front itself. A network of walking trails and balconies are set up to admire the 40-70 meter–tall ice front and witness calving of huge ice blocks that turn into icebergs.

The next two days will take us north to the small mountain town of El Chaltén on the foot of the Patagonian Andes and the famous Monte Fitz Roy or Cerro Chaltén. The name of this imposing peak was given by the native Tehuelche and means “smoky mountain” because of the clouds that sometimes form over its summit. For Argentinians, it is the national capital of mountaineering and trekking. The town of El Chaltén has fewer than 1,500 inhabitants and can be easily traversed on foot.

On the way from El Calafate to El Chaltén (220 km), we will stop at different spots to appreciate the geomorphology of an ancient glacial landscape, modified by the Great Patagonian Glaciation and subsequent glaciations. Depending on the time of arrival, we will enjoy a short hike that afternoon (no longer than two hours).

The next day will be devoted to a longer (~8–10 km one way), more physically demanding trek on a trail along which several alpine glaciers receded not long ago. We will approach the front of these glaciers, which shaped this landscape.

On February 22, we will drive 220 km back to El Calafate where participants will either be taken to the airport or into the city (depending on their plans to stay longer at El Calafate on their own).