Puerto Madryn is the gateway to the Punta Tombo National Reserve. Magellan Penguins! Who doesn’t love these frolicky creatures. O.K. I made up “frolicky” but the word seems right.
We spent relatively NO time at the port. Our ship docked at a pier where tour guides were waiting for the people who booked shore excursions through the cruise line.
However, there was a small tourist office for last-minute tourists to book a tour of the area, first-come-first-served. I chose not to risk an opening for a last minute tour, so I pre-booked a tour with Cultura Cercana.
The reserve is 1.5 hours away along an arid, mostly unpopulated road. The last several miles of which are gravel and quite dusty…
…with interesting road signs.
When I think of penguins, I think of ice and “Brrrrr, Cold”, but it was extremely warm. When penguins get too hot, they extend their flippers to catch a breeze.
They also shed feathers around their bill.
We were there in March, so all of the penguins who were successful mating had already migrated with their young. There were only a few hundred remaining for us to watch.
These will molt before they migrate. The ones that have already migrated will molt when they arrive in their winter home.
Over 400,000 penguins migrate to Punta Tombo in September each year. They march in in columns and start courting and mating. Females lay eggs in October and the young hatch in November.
The path through the reserve is clearly marked for tourists, and no straying is allowed; however, penguins may go wherever they wish. This sign cautions tourists to “Give Way to Penguins.”
Most of the nests are holes in the ground.
Holes everywhere!
Sometimes their nests resemble small caves.
Penguins return to their same nest year after year. The new chicks will also return to this reserve next year to mate and make their own nests.
Penguins weren’t the only animals there. We also saw a martineta, which is similar to a llama….
… and a rhea. This one was probably 4 feet tall.
I could have spent hours staring out at this coastline. Such deep blue water:
The tour was pricier than booking a shore excursion through the ship, but we enjoyed having a driver/guide all to ourselves in a comfortable car rather than share a guide with 40 other people, waiting for everyone when there is a restroom break, staying with the group, wearing an earbud, etc. Our guide was a biologist who gave us as much info as we wanted, answered our questions, and gave us space to enjoy nature in quiet.
Next time:
Someday I would like to return to Puerto Madryn in September to see the Magellans arrive.
Next Stop: Stanley, Falkland Islands