Puerto Almanza: The Spider Crab Route

PUERTO ALMANZA: A complete guide to the Spider Crab Route

If you already know Ushuaia and you are looking for a new place to visit in Tierra del Fuego, read on and we will tell you all about the Ruta de la Centolla.

A tour through a village of artisanal fishermen located on the mountainside, covered by a lush forest of lenga and cherry trees that touch the cold waters of the Beagle Channel.

Location

Puerto Almanza is a small town located 75 kilometres away from Ushuaia. To get there you have to take Route N3 towards the north. After travelling through the Tierra Mayor Valley and crossing the winter resorts, after about 40 km we enter Provincial Route J. This stretch is a gravel road that runs alongside the Lasifashaj River.

The route reaches the coast of the Beagle Channel and forks: to the east it continues towards Estancia Harberton, known for being the first estancia founded on the Argentinean side of Tierra del Fuego, and to the west it reaches Puerto Almanza a few kilometres away.

The town lies on the northern shore of the Beagle Channel east of Ushuaia and is made up of a handful of houses, the school called “44 Héroes del Submarino ARA San Juan”, a detachment of the Prefectura Naval, the Navy and the provincial police. In addition, there is a small fishing and tourism boat harbour. However, it does not have a fire station, a primary health care centre or a petrol station.

Opposite, on the south coast, is Puerto Williams, a Chilean town on Navarino Island. Despite its proximity, it is not possible to cross into the neighbouring country from there. Migration is only possible in Ushuaia. From the coast of Almanza we can also see Gable Island in the centre of the Channel, its name in English refers to the gabled roofs, as the shape of the cliffs resembles houses side by side.

Birth of the village

The name Puerto Almanza comes from a sawmill that operated in the 40s and 50s. In the following decades the Prefecture and the Navy station was installed and the route to Puerto Almanza was improved in the context of the conflict of ‘78. In fact, the cannons can still be seen pointing southwards on the coast of Brown Bay.

It was not until the 1990s that the first civilian settlements were registered and about 10 years later the artisanal fishermen settled permanently.

Nowadays the main economic activity is artisanal fishing for spider crabs, spider crabs, molluscs, mussels and sea urchins. Also 8 km away, in Punta Paraná, there is a rainbow trout hatchery. The area also stands out for the production of strawberries, raspberries, corintos and rhubarb.

Small boats also leave from the landing site to observe the local marine fauna such as sea lions and penguins on Martillo Island.

Route of the Spider Crab

Visitors are attracted to this gastronomic corridor because crab is highly sought after in the finest restaurants in Europe and here you can taste it fresh from the Channel.

As soon as you arrive at Puerto Almanza you will see the typical orange wooden boat that warns you that you have arrived at the village. In Brown Bay you will see small yellow boats resting after a day of fishing. The gardens of the houses and restaurants are decorated with crab traps, nets, lines and buoys.

Along the coastal road you will find small restaurants or shops where you can try the spider crab on a plate, in empanadas or even on pizza.

This crustacean are caught in traps baited at the bottom of the Beagle Channel. When the “cages” are lifted, the females and juveniles are thrown back into the water so as not to prey on the resource. Only the shoulders and legs are eaten from this animal. It is boiled for a few minutes and when it is time to process it, the calcium skeleton must be removed without breaking the meat, which is the gastronomic treasure. Other options are seafood dishes, spider crab, sea urchin, sea bass, trout or salmon.

If you like to experience it in more depth, you can fish from a boat and have the experience of catching the crab that in a few minutes you will have on your table.

Thanks to the scenic route and its varied gastronomic offer, the Ruta de la Centolla has become the new tourist attraction of choice for tourists and locals alike. The best time to visit the Ruta de la Centolla is between October and March. Please note that there is no regular transport to Puerto Almanza. The only way to get there is by private vehicle or regular excursions.

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