20221113_091305Península Valdés (November 2022)

Puerto Madryn was my introduction to Patagonia: situated in the northern part of Patagonia, this city is especially known for its beaches and its access to wildlife, which draws tons of tourists– Argentines and internationals– every year. As the gateway to the rest of Patagonia, Puerto Madryn offers a taste of the vast, diverse landscapes that encompasses the southern half of Argentina. I would be starting my Patagonian adventure here, to experience the natural wonders of this truly unique place on Earth.

Getting from the capital Buenos Aires required a flight. Even though the country might seem small in comparison to the United States, it’s actually quite large and long in shape, and the distance between Buenos Aires and Puerto Madryn is a whopping 1301 km (808 miles). Either you could take a two-hour flight over, or spend 15 hours driving. Given I didn’t have all the time in the world, I obviously chose the former.

As soon as I’d landed in Buenos Aires just two nights prior, I packed up once more to head to the airport for my early-afternoon flight. The plane was a small, domestic one with Aerolineas Argentinas, and it would be one of six domestic flights I would take throughout my entire time in the country. Very exhausting, but time-effective!

Instead of flying into Puerto Madryn’s airport (which is smaller and more-limited), I would actually be flying into Trelew (“treh-LAY-oh”), a neighboring town about 52 km (32 miles) away. While I heard there isn’t much to do in the town itself, its airport was larger and busier with more flights throughout the day. I arrived into Trelew around 16h00, where my ride picked me up and drove me over to Puerto Madryn. It was about an hour’s drive, and absolutely pouring rain upon arrival– definitely a huge difference from sunny and warm Buenos Aires!

Despite the downpour, I could see that the landscape was a huge change from the sprawling metropolis of the Argentine capital: flat and sweeping fields of grassland as far as the eye could see. Puerto Madryn is located in the Chubut province of Argentina, which has a cold desert climate. It was interesting, then, to experience rain that first day, as it otherwise gets less than eight inches (20 cm) of rain per year. All the same, I found the views vaguely reminiscent of Iceland, at least in the springtime.

We made it to my accommodation, which was a B&B about two kilometers out from the city center. It was a lot more humble than the glamorous hotel I’d stayed at in Buenos Aires, but it would do for my three night’s stay. There were a few quirks with my room, which included a finicky lock that made it hard to open the door and shut it tight– not secured at all! But what got me was that I’d been upgraded to a “Superior Room,” which was literally a king-sized bed AND a twin-sized bed put together to accommodate three people! I was a solo traveler and I had the room all to myself, and I found it amusing that this was what was considered an “upgrade” in a small town. Can’t complain, though!

Compared to my opulent stay in Buenos Aires, I found my stay in Puerto Madryn a hit-or-miss: the B&B was a bit old and creaky, despite obvious attempts at superficial renovations. And I found reception was either super friendly and helpful, or completely standoffish: while I understood that less people spoke English here (compared to the bigger cities), I still got hot-and-cold responses, despite my attempt at (terrible) Spanish. I will say, though, I really appreciated the daytime receptionist who not only helped me exchanged some US dollars for Argentine pesos, but also let me borrow a charger during my stay, as Argentina has a specific outlet (type I) and I did not have a charger of that particular type. Super grateful for her, muchos gracias!

I spent my first night in the B&B, since the rain was not letting up to go out for dinner. I ate at the B&B’s restaurant, which was pricey, but tasty: I ordered paella, which is actually a dish common to Argentina with its Spanish influences. The portion was huge, and I was very full in the end.

It was an early rise the next day, as my tour picked me up at 7h30. After picking up other passengers, we headed out for a full-day excursion in the Península Valdés, a unique peninsula with a UNESCO World Heritage Site natural reserve that we would spend the day exploring. The peninsula juts out dramatically from the mainland, with a narrow isthmus corridor that’s 35 km (21 miles) in length and only 10 km (6 miles) wide. It’s on Península Valdés where one can see plenty of wildlife on land and sea, from sea lions to guanaco (similar to llamas) to the famous Southern right whale.

We were a tour group of 12 people, with a mix of Argentine visitors, Europeans (especially from Spain and Italy), and Americans: our tour was conducted in Spanish and English, and we first stopped for views of Península Valdés along the dramatic cliffs that had sea lions laying around on the rocky shores. Weather was still a bit overcast from rain the previous day, which added to an atmospheric setting.

20221113_091806Along the Península Valdés

Next was to Puerto Pirámides, where we went whale watching (the highlight of the day). We took a 45-minute boat ride out to sea before we stopped, turned off the engine, and waited for whales to appear… and appeared they did! There were so many whales around us and so close to the boat, literally a few feet away from us! They did a little performance for us, flipping their tails and blowing water from their spouts– there were some adorable calves alongside their mothers, too. On our way back to shore, we also got extremely lucky and witnessed a whole pod of dusky dolphins (aka “FitzRoy dolphins”) jumping through the water, seemingly chasing our boat. Truly a treat for the day!

20221113_105055Glimpse of a whale!

20221113_114515Dolphin!

Just before lunch, our tour guide took us to an unexpected stop to see… Magellanic penguins! We saw a small colony of them at a reserve, and even though I would be taking a tour to see them the following day, I was over the moon to get a sneak preview of them. Some were chilling out, some were waddling, and all of them looked absolutely adorable. Penguins are my favorite animal, and I was glad I got to see them in the wild!

20221113_134938Magellanic penguins

We did a 90-minute break for lunch at a rest stop, where I ordered a sandwich milanesa, a MASSIVE baguette sandwich with beef schnitzel. The rest stop was also situated adjacent to a hiking trail and is part of the reserve, so I wandered around for views of the terrain and sea. My tour guide had recommended us to look out for orcas in the distance, as they could be seen in the area. I didn’t see any orcas, but I stumbled upon an armadillo! Also native to South America, the armadillo was so tiny and so cute! I’d never encountered one before, so it was a joy to see one in person.

20221113_142003Sandwich milanesa

20221113_151513Armadillo!

Our break wrapped up at 15h00. We had one more stop at the peninsula’s Interpretative Center before we concluded the tour and headed back to Puerto Madryn. Unfortunately, one of the passenger got really sick and we had to pull to the side of the road three times to let the poor guy vomit on the side of the road. He must’ve eaten something bad at the pit stop for lunch (I admit, I noticed a hair in my sandwich when eating it, and stopped immediately– thankfully, I didn’t get sick). Our tour guide was patient and let him throw up until he felt better.

20221113_174220Sunshine after the rain

We returned to Puerto Madryn around 17h00, and I got dropped off at my B&B. Although it was still early and not raining anymore, I was too tired to go out for dinner. I decided to eat at my B&B’s restaurant again, this time enjoying a delicious white fish paired with white wine– absolutely delicious!

That concluded my first full day in Puerto Madryn, as well as in northern Patagonia. I would continue my visit the following day with a visit to one of the largest penguin colonies in the area, so stay tuned for that post! Thanks for reading. 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

45 thoughts on “Destination: Puerto Madryn, Argentina (Gateway to Patagonia, Whale Watching, and Food Poisoning– PART 1)”

  7. Phew, from your title I was worried you were the one to get food poisoning… perhaps more than once since this was part I. Glad to know it wasn’t you (but that’s not fun for that poor guy at all). I’m so excited to see your photos from Patagonia, as it’s a place that’s very high on my bucket list. This sounds like a great introduction. A surprise armadillo, whales and dolphins, and of course penguins (they’re one of my favorites too)!

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    1. Honestly, the rest stop where we had lunch was questionable in cleanliness, as I found a hair in my sandwich (and immediately stopped eating it). Who knows what that man had eaten to make him violently ill– very unfortunate…but the wildlife was spectacular, and I’ll be sharing more wildlife in the next post (on my favorite animal, the penguin)! 🐧

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  8. Wow, what a fantastic trip and memorable adventure, especially as you had a chance to see whales, dolphins, Magellanic penguins and even an Amarillo in their natural habitats. Patagonia is an incredible region in South America, a dream destination for every traveler, including me therefore I cannot wait to read about your travels around it. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. I’m glad you enjoyed the first post of many of my time in Patagonia, Aiva. Besides wildlife, the region also contains some of the most-stunning natural wonders on this planet. More posts on Patagonia to come!

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  9. When I read your heading I assumed it was you who got sick, so I was relieved to find that it wasn’t (although sorry for the guy that did, of course). This sounds like an excellent tour – I love whale watching, especially when you get sightings as good as this, and like you I adore penguins! I have a theory that no one could watch a penguin for any length of time without smiling 😀

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    1. Thankfully, I didn’t get sick (although the rest stop where we had lunch wasn’t very clean; I found a hair in my sandwich!). I actually saw the man again the next day on another tour, and fortunately, he looked a lot better. Penguins certainly brighten up my day, too, and you’re in for a treat in my next post! 🐧

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