Puerto Madryn: Patagonia’s Coastal Paradise

When people think of Patagonia, the first image that comes to mind is often the symbolic snow-capped mountains and crystal clear lakes of Bariloche or the strikingly contrasting glaciers in the South near El Calafate. Patagonia’s eastern coast, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, offers a variety of natural highlights that should be considered on any visit to the region.

Puerto Madryn is the gateway to Patagonia’s coastal treasures and is the best place to base yourself. It is considered to be Argentina’s ‘Beach Town’, although I wouldn’t choose it over a beach in Brazil if my holiday depended on it. That being said you will find plenty to do from scuba diving (wrecks and reefs), windsurfing and strolling along the city’s Coastal Boulevard.

Puerto Madryn is well known as the starting point for trips to the Valdes Peninsula, famous for being a stopping off point for Southern Whales (the ones with really long jaws whose two blowholes create a v-shaped spray when they exhale).  The peninsula, which is actually an isthmus North of Puerto Madryn, is rather large – 400km to get around the entire thing. The Southern Whales stop here to breed between May and December.

To the South of Puerto Madryn is Punta Tombo, home to largest colony of Megellanic Penguins in South America. The Punta Tombo Natural Protected Area is located on this small peninsula, where you can walk amongst the penguins (please don’t disturb them) and enjoy their wobbly habits. The penguins don’t quite have their biological clocks in sync with the whales – they arrive in September and stay through March. If you want to see their baby penguins then you are best to arrive after November.

Ande Wanderer, our editor in Argentina, did her own March of the Penguins in this short documentary from Puerto Madryn. Beneath that is Ande's whale watching expedition from the Valdes Peninsula. See below for details on traveling to the area.

Getting There: Puerto Madryn can be reached by bus (17 hours from Buenos Aires), car (1389km from Buenos Aires; 745km from Bariloche) or by air (fly into Trelew 67km from Puerto Madryn). Tours can be organized from Puerto Madryn to both the Valdes Peninsula and Punta Tombo or you can rent a car to see it on your own. Note that the final 100km of road from Puerto Madryn to Punta Tombo is gravel and must be taken slowly. Be sure to fill up on gas before you leave – there aren’t any options along the way.

Weather: During Argentina’s summer months (Dec – March) the temperatures are hot during the day – sometimes as high as 40°C – but cool at night, so bring a sweater. The winter months are much cooler, but don’t see any snow because of the ocean’s proximity.