Our first proper penguin encounter!
Established in 1972, Punta Tombo is a protected natural natural area along Argentina’s central coastline, and is home to one of the largest colonies of Magellanic penguins in the world1. We had seen Punta Tombo described online as a ‘penguin city’, with at least 200,000 breeding pairs across the 210 hectare reserve. As such, our hopes were high as we slowly made our way down 23 kilometres of gravel road on Ruta 1 to reach the entrance. The fee to enter Punta Tombo was $18,000 pesos, around $18 USD, which is more than we are used to paying to enter reserves. However, the lure of seeing such a huge colony of penguins was just too strong!
Arriving at the entrance, there is a very informative visitors centre/small museum, as well as some fun animal sculptures – including one maté-drinking penguin of course! From the visitors centre, we had to hop back in our van to drive an extra kilometre or so to the start of the penguin trail. When we arrived at the start of the trail, a ranger came over to us and gave us a short briefing about the penguins living there and how to enjoy the wildlife without causing any disturbance (by keeping quiet and remaining at least 2 m from the penguins at all times), which is of course always our aim. The trail starts quite a way from the sea, but to our surprise we spotted a penguin as soon as we stepped onto the boardwalk! It was sitting at the edge of its burrow, only a few meters from the footpath. We got our binoculars and camera out to take a better look at it, and thought to ourselves that this individual is quite possibly the most photographed penguin at Punta Tombo!
It soon became clear how enormous this penguin colony is – more like a metropolis than a city! There were penguins next to the trail, on the trail, and even under the trail where the boardwalk was raised up. There were penguins and their burrows as far as the eye could see on the surrounding hills! It was an incredible place and absolutely matched what we had read online. It was such an immersive experience as we moved along the trail slowly and quietly, observing their natural behaviour. We watched as penguins made the long journey to and from the sea to go fishing, and as others lay in the shade, panting to keep cool. We also watched as parents fed their (very large) chicks, and watched the hungry chicks pester their parents for more food!
Our favourite thing to observe was their entrance and exit from the sea. They really were quite comical and cumbersome on land, especially where they had to cross over sharp, uneven and sometimes steep rocks to reach the sea. However, as soon as they reached the water they became agile hunters, moving through the water like torpedos! We chatted with one of the rangers, who told us that the public access trails pass through just a small proportion of the penguin colony. He said that there are penguins and burrows for several kilometres along the coastline, which is incredible to imagine.
We left after several very happy hours spent amongst these beautiful animals. Punta Tombo really is a unique and magical place!
How to get there
Punta Tombo is easy to access by car. Driving from Ruta 3, take Ruta 75 near Trelew heading southwest to meet Ruta 1. Then take Ruta 1 heading south all the way to Punta Tombo. Alternatively, take a tour from Puerto Madryn.
When to go
It is only really worth visiting Punta Tombo during the penguin breeding season, which is between September and March. In terms of visitor numbers, it is quieter during the months of September and October when the penguins are arriving and establishing their territories. Chicks usually hatch in December, so the period between December and February is typically the best time to visit – although it is also the busiest2. If you have your own vehicle and are visiting between December and February, we highly recommend arriving as early as possible – the reserve currently opens at 8am. We arrived at around 9am, and this was just early enough to avoid the large crowds of visitors that had arrived via tour buses, which started arriving at around 10am.
What else to see in the area
- Near to Punta Tombo are the Welsh settlements of Gaiman, Dolavon, Trelew and Trevelin. Of these, Gaiman is considered to be the town where the Welsh culture is best preserved. Gaiman is a very green town in an otherwise arid landscape, and there are a variety of interesting museums, historic homes and tea houses to visit.