Puerto Madryn, Argentina 1-9-24

 Puerto Madryn, Argentina


Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil

Patagonia. Puerto Madryn is the gateway to the Peninsula Valdés, a UNESCO site and nature reserve for penguins, sea lions, elephant and fur seals, orcas, dolphins, 181 species of birds, and more. The city itself is one of the fastest growing in the area, although that said, most of what there is to see is outside of our port.

Puerto Madryn itself is on the Golfo Nuevo, a smallish gulf that’s formed by the Peninsula Valdés and the Punta Ninfas. I was surprised to learn that it was founded in 1865 by 150 Welsh immigrants who migrated to enable them to maintain their traditional values, culture, and language, all of which they felt was being threatened in their native Wales. To entice them here the area was promoted as having a climate and geography similar to their homeland so when they arrived and found a harsh, desert area they had to learn how and what to hunt from the natives, as well as ways to irrigate crops they wanted to raise. The name “Madryn” has Welsh roots and there are still towns in the area that have schools that teach in both Spanish and Welsh to keep the latter language alive. You may even see road signs written in both languages. Puerto Madryn really began to develop and grow when the railway came in 1886 and now tourism has found a niche here as more and more people come to see the uniqueness of Patagonia and especially the Peninsula Valdés.

There are many opportunities to see penguins on this cruise and we chose Puerto Madryn for our one penguin watching.  It was extremely windy that day and a 2.5-hour drive to get to the preserve.  We were surprised to learn that they burrow into the ground for their nests, and only 1 in 4 of the babies survive.  It is also very much a desert setting which we were not expecting.  Looking for tumbleweeds on such a windy day! The penguins are joined by other wildlife, rabbits, birds, Guano's (related to camel and llama families), and cows and I think someone saw some goats.  Animals are used to the tourists and showed no fear of us.... The penguins walk to the beach every day to feed (the walk can be 2 - 3 miles depending on where they nest.  The mothers fish and bring back the food to their babies.  They are constantly grooming each other and many stay in packs.  We did see a few on the trail that just stood there showing us how pretty they are!!!!  I have tried to put together some pictures that I have gathered from our own cameras and from other cruisers on the ship.  There are some amazingly talented photographers on board and are kind enough to share their pictures with fellow cruisers.  I wish I could take credit, but I am just not that good yet!!!




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