Destination: Puerto Madryn, Argentina (Part 2)

(for Part 1 of my visit to Puerto Madryn, click here)

The next morning, I woke up and was out the door by 7h15 for another long day of sightseeing in the Chubut province of Argentina. This time, it’d be to Punta Tombo, a natural reserve that’s known for its large colony of Magellanic penguins. I was especially excited for this excursion, as penguins are my favorite animal– it’d also be the first time I would see penguins in person, and so with that I hopped on the coach to check them out.

Among the dozen or so passengers, I was actually the only non-Spanish speaker. My guide did a great job of presenting in Spanish before doing so in English just to me. It was kind of a surreal experience, as from past trips, it would usually be mostly English speakers on the tour! Perhaps not in Puerto Madryn, as it seems to be mostly a domestic destination for Argentines.

We made a quick stop at the large dinosaur statue in Trelew for photo opportunities: it’s the site where dinosaur bones were unearthed, the largest in the world, in 2013. It was only a 10-15 minute stop before we piled back into the coach for the two-hour drive right over to Punta Tombo.

We reached Punta Tombo in the late morning, and we were given about 90 minutes to two hours to walk the natural reserve, which is home to a whopping one million Magellanic penguins. We were there in early November, and we were only a week off with the chicks hatching– and unfortunately, due to the pouring rain two days prior, it flooded the reserve, which caused many adult penguins to flee and abandon their eggs. Seemed like there wouldn’t be as many chicks hatching this season, but that’s nature to you…

The boardwalk at Punta Tombo

Despite the rain from several days ago, we still saw plenty of penguins waddling all over– some were even swimming in the clear, blue waters! They were absolutely adorable, and we were able to get close to them (of course, no touching!). It was a dream come true, and you could bet that I took many photos (and selfies) of them!

Penguins!

Close up

Our time concluded at the natural reserve and we went to the Interpretative Center nearby where we had lunch and then it was the two-and-a-half hour drive back (a bit longer due to traffic in Puerto Madryn). Although the day was spent driving more than exploring, it was worth it to see the wonderful Magellanic penguins strutting their stuff in the wild. I may not be exaggerating when I say that my life’s been complete! 😉

I ate at my accommodation’s restaurant for dinner again that last night in, this time getting lamb ravioli and also a deconstructed torta negra galesa, a Welsh cake based on the surprisingly notable Welsh community settled in this part of Argentina. Very hearty and tasty, and a good end to my stay in Puerto Madryn.

I had a half-day the next day to visit Puerto Madryn properly before I was to catch my ride to the airport for my next destination in Argentina. That said, I headed out to the city center, along the promenade to check out the beach and got a small lunch of empanadas at one of the cafés. I also got a few penguin-themed souvenirs before I returned to my accommodation, where I got picked up and shuttled back to the Trelew airport for my next flight in Argentina.

Overall, it was a tranquil, three-night stay in Puerto Madryn. Essentially, it was a lot of sightseeing wildlife at natural reserves– while it usually isn’t my preferred travel style, I’m glad I got to see some unique wildlife, especially my Magellanic penguins! And although my accommodation was kind of a hit-or-miss, it did the trick and was comfortable enough for my time in the Chubut province of Argentina.

Thanks for reading, and more adventures in Argentina are coming soon!

— The Finicky Cynic

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