Estancia Harberton is the oldest ranch in Tierra del Fuego, 85 kilometres east of Ushuaia along the coast of the Beagle Channel. Founded in 1886 by the Anglican missionary Thomas Bridges, it has been in continuous operation by the same family ever since and is now run by his great-great-grandchildren.
The estancia offers guided tours of its historic buildings — the original corrugated-iron farmhouse, the cemetery, the carpenter's workshop, and the Museo Acatushún, an extraordinary collection of South American marine mammal and bird skeletons assembled over decades of scientific research. The museum contains some of the rarest specimens in the world, including complete skeletons of beaked whales that have never been found elsewhere.
The journey out is half the appeal. Boats from Ushuaia follow the channel past rocky headlands and kelp beds; the overland road passes through forest and open moorland with channel views. Many visitors combine a boat trip out with a walk to the Magellanic penguin colony at Isla Martillo — the colony is accessible only with Harberton, which holds the sole concession for visits.