Mas pingüinos!
We don’t think it is possible to see too many penguins! So, although we had just seen hundreds if not thousands of Magellanic penguins at Punta Tombo, we decided one early morning in late January to head to Pingüinerra Punta Entrada, located just outside of Monte Leon National Park in Argentina. Monte Leon National Park is itself a great place to see penguins, as well as sea lions. However, having just been to two popular tourist spots, we were looking for a quieter, more off the beaten track wildlife encounter. And Pingüinera Punta Entrada did not disappoint!
Getting to the penguin colony was a slightly unusual experience. Access is via the Argentinian Naval Base at Puerto de Punta Quilla. We parked next to the entrance to the naval base and registered our visit with a stern-looking guard, who was particularly concerned by the fact that Ed was wearing shorts! He kept repeating that it was ‘muy frio’ (very cold), and that he should be wearing trousers. For anyone concerned, it wasn’t particularly cold and Ed really was fine in his shorts.
After walking through the naval base (and feeling like we shouldn’t really be there!), the route to the penguin colony passed over a pretty pebble beach adjacent to some enormous sandstone cliffs. We walked along the beach for around 1 km, rounded the corner to the point, and there they were – at least 200 Magellanic penguins scattered along the shoreline!
Visiting Pinguinera Punta Entrada is an entirely different experience than Punta Tombo. Importantly, the penguins rarely see people and it was clear that they were quite wary of us. If you choose to visit, please keep a respectful distance! We let the penguins decide what that distance was. As soon as they showed any reaction to our presence (moving away/towards the water – which happened at around 20 m away), we stopped and took an extra step back. Before visiting, we had read some reviews online where people had walked through the colony, i.e. all along the beach and into the scrub where the penguins nest. In our opinion this isn’t right or necessary. We prefer to observe wildlife from a respectful distance where we are not interfering with their natural behaviours or causing them any stress. From around 20 m away we were still able to watch a group of approximately 200 penguins walking to and from the sea, preening, communicating with one another, sunbathing and swimming.
In stark contrast to our visit to Punta Tombo, the sea was extremely calm. Punta Entrada sits on the edge of a large, sheltered bay, and as such, the penguins there don’t just enter the sea to fish, but appear to enjoy just bobbing on the water! To us, with the sun out and little wind that day, it looked like a holiday resort for penguins!
We retraced our steps back to the van, not forgetting to sign back out with the port guard.
We really loved our visit to the penguin colony at Punta Entrada as we got to see penguins in their natural habitat. Also, we didn’t see a single other tourist and there wasn’t a gravel road in sight! If you are in the area we would therefore highly recommend a visit!
How to get there
You will need you’re own vehicle to reach Pingüinera Punta Entrada. Coming from Ruta 3, take Ruta 288 through Puerto Santa Cruz all the way to Puerto de Punta Quilla. The road is paved all the way, and there is a parking area next to the naval base, where you sign in with the port guard before entering.
A quick note here – it is important to take note of the tides before setting out, as it is impossible to reach or return from the penguin colony at high tide.
When to visit
The penguins arrive in August to reproduce, and stay until April1.
Sources
- Patagonia Argentina: https://www.patagonia-argentina.com/pinguinera-punta-entrada/