Puerto Madryn Itinerary – The Best Wildlife Experience in Argentine Patagonia

Most people associate Patagonia with its iconic peaks, such as Fitz Roy in the south of Argentina. However, there are many incredible places in north Patagonia too. One of them is Puerto Madryn, located right on the Atlantic coast of Argentina. A visit to Puerto Madryn won’t result in you seeing jaw dropping mountain peaks, but it will definitely give you some unforgettable wildlife encounters. Here, you’ll be able to observe southern right whales, orcas, elephant seals and sea lions up close, and even walk through a massive colony of Magellanic penguins. Trust us, a visit to Puerto Madryn is totally worth adding to your ultimate Patagonia itinerary.

In this guide, we’ll provide you with everything you need to know about planning a trip to Puerto Madryn. We’ve included details on how to get there, how to get around, when to visit, where to stay and where to experience wildlife in the area.

If you’d like to see our wildlife encounters, make sure to watch our Puerto Madryn video, which we shared on our YouTube channel Kitti and Jon. For more videos from the country, check out our Argentina playlist.

Where is Puerto Madryn in Argentina

Puerto Madryn is located in the Chubut province in north Patagonia, on the Atlantic coast of Argentina. The city is about 800km south of the country’s capital, Buenos Aires.

The town was first settled by Welsh immigrants in 1865. It’s named after Sir Love Jones-Parry’s estate in Wales that was also called ‘Madryn’. Today, there’s still Welsh communities around Puerto Madryn and it’s twinned with Nefyn on the Llŷn Peninsula in Wales. However, the city isn’t just popular because of its Welsh heritage.

Puerto Madryn is one of the best places in the world for wildlife lovers. Here, you can observe southern right whales, orcas, elephant seals, sea lions, Magellanic penguins and more.

How to Get to Puerto Madryn in Argentina

Most visitors would likely arrive to Puerto Madryn from Buenos Aires.

Flying to Puerto Madryn

With a flight time of around 2 hours, a domestic flight is going to be the fastest way to get to Puerto Madryn from Buenos Aires. You can also fly to Trelew, if the times work out better for you.

The main airlines offering flights are Aerolinas Argentinas and Flybondi. Flights usually depart from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP), the domestic airport located in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, or from Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), which is the capital’s main international airport. Read our article if you need guidance on how to get around Buenos Aires.

Long-Haul Bus to Puerto Madryn

Taking a long-haul bus from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn is also an option, if you have a little more time to spare on travel. Popular bus companies offering services between these two locations are Via TAC, Andesmar and Condor Estrella. We used many of these companies whilst travelling across Argentina by bus. Most buses depart from the Retiro Bus Terminal in Barrio Retiro.

The main downside of taking the bus is the journey duration, which is about 20 hours. This is actually an average long-haul bus travel time in Argentina, due to the size of the country. In terms of cost, if you want the most comfortable seats then you’ll need to spend a little bit more. In the end, a flight ticket is going to cost roughly the same as a bus ticket, but you’ll get to your destination much faster.

How to Get Around Puerto Madryn

Hire Car

Our suggestion is to rent a car for a few days in Puerto Madryn. This will give you the opportunity to visit as many places as you want around the city. We loved setting off early to beat the heat and the crowds, and spending as long as we wanted observing wildlife at each location.

Luckily, there are many places you can rent a car from in Puerto Madryn. Once you leave the city behind, driving will be easy because the roads here are quite straight. However, it’s important to note that you’ll be driving on gravel roads a lot with limited gas stations. Therefore, make sure to have full insurance that covers your tires and windshield, obey the speed limits and always depart with a full tank.

Organised Tour

If you don’t want to hire a car, then the only other way to see wildlife around Puerto Madryn is with organised tours. Since Puerto Madryn is a popular destination, there are many day trips departing from the city to places like Peninsula Valdes, Punta Tombo or Playa Doradillo.

How Long Do You Need to Stay in Puerto Madryn

Spending between two to three days will be a sufficient amount of time to see wildlife around Puerto Madryn.

You can easily spend a full day around Peninsula Valdes, although to make the absolute most of your time, you could even visit for 2 days, or stay in Puerto Piramides to be closer. This way you could go on a whale watching boat tour and drive to Playa Doradillo to spot more whales from the shore. Then, on your last full day, you can drive south of Madryn to see penguins at Punta Tombo.

Where to Stay in Puerto Madryn

Puerto Madryn is a great place to base yourself as it has everything you’ll need. There are a variety of hotels, hostels and apartments for all budgets. You’ll also find plenty of cafes, bars, restaurants and other amenities. In addition, there are also plenty of car hire companies along the waterfront (Avenida Julio A. Roca) and plenty of day tours depart from Puerto Madryn.

However, if you’d like to stay on Peninsula Valdes, then consider booking your accommodation in Puerto Piramides. This way you’ll be much closer to the wildlife, although you’ll also be further away from other places such as Punta Tombo. Puerto Piramides won’t have as many options in terms of both accommodation and other amenities. Plus, you’ll definitely need a hire car to access the town and surrounding area. For this reason, we suggest booking one night in Puerto Piramides and another in Puerto Madryn, to maximise your location to the wildlife and helping you to reduce your driving time.

Here are a few accommodation options in Puerto Piramides:

• Rayentray Las Restingas Hotel De Mar. This hotel is located right next to the beach, which means many of their rooms offer sea views. Imagine waking up and seeing whales in the distance! They have a restaurant and offer breakfast and free parking.
• Oceano Patagonia is another great option because many of their rooms have sea views. Breakfast is included, as well as free parking for guests.
• Hosteria Puerto Palos is also super close to the beach. They offer free parking and tea/coffee facilities in the rooms.
• Hostel Bahía Ballenas is a great hostel option if you’re on a tighter budget or travelling with friends.
• La Elvira Natural Lodge is located close to Caleta Valdes and offers a comfortable stay with traditional Argentine meals.

Best Time to See Wildlife in Puerto Madryn

The best time to visit Puerto Madryn depends on what wildlife you want to see, and where else in Argentina you’re planning to travel to. Overall, the second half of November / first week of December is generally a good time to be in Puerto Madryn for a few reasons. At this time, you would still be able to see southern right whales, orcas, seals, penguins and more. You can download this wildlife calendar to help with your travel plans.

Visiting at the end of spring / start of summer also means that you would’ve got to experience the blooming Jacaranda trees in Buenos Aires. In addition, December is also the start of the hiking season in southern Patagonia or a nice time to be in the Argentine Lake District.

Puerto Madryn Itinerary for Wildlife Lovers

Day Trip to Peninsula Valdes

For the ultimate wildlife experience around Puerto Madryn, you need to visit Peninsula Valdes. It is located just north of the city, and is considered one of the best places to see marine mammals in the world. Recognising the peninsula’s “global significance for the conservation of marine mammals”, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1999.

Entry fee to Peninsula Valdes is $45,000 ARS per person for foreign visitors. If you’re visiting with a hire car, then you’ll also have to pay an additional $2,500 ARS per vehicle. You can pay with both cash and card at the entrance located here. Visit the official website for up-to-date entry information.

Best Things to Do on Peninsula Valdes:

• Visit Carlos Ameghino Isthmus Visitor Centre to get important information on the viewpoints, driving distances, park rules and road closures. You can also learn about the wildlife you may be able to see that day from the staff. They also have a small museum area with information about the local wildlife and the area’s history.
• Watch sea lions from Punta Piramides (Mirador Loberia Piramides). This viewpoint has dedicated walkways near the edge of the cliffs. From here, you can enjoy panoramic views of the landscape and also spot some sea lion colonies in the distance.
• Stop at Puerto Piramides if you want to spot wildlife from the shores of the beach or from Mirador Atardecer. You can also find some eateries and accommodation options in town.
• Caleta Valdes is a great viewpoint for observing elephant seals and sea lions. When they have their pups with them, you can also see orcas hunting from here. There’s a short hiking trail along the coast where you can get more views and seals sightings.
• The penguin viewpoint (Mirador De Pingüinos) is a must stop if you want to see some Magellanic penguins up close.
• Punta Norte viewpoint is another prime location for observing a large colony of sea lions and elephant seals. From here, you can also witness the unique hunting technique of the orcas. 

Book a Whale Watching Boat Tour in Puerto Piramides

Puerto Piramides is the only town on Peninsula Valdes. You’ll most likely stop here if you want to use any of their amenities such as eateries, toilets, or the gas station. Whale watching boat tours also set off from here. So, if you’re visiting Puerto Piramides between June and December, we highly recommend booking one. However, if you’re here in the peak whale season you can easily see whales right from the shore too.

A few things to do around Puerto Piramides:

• Mirador Puerto Piramides. As you drive into town, there will be a small viewpoint with the iconic welcome sign. From here, we could enjoy an overview of the entire town, as well as the blue waters beyond.
• Playa de Puerto Pirámides. You can enjoy a little stroll down to the beach. During high-tides, there’s a chance to see whales from here.
• Mirador Atardecer. To appreciate the landscape, climb up to this viewpoint on the cliffs next to the beach. It offers panoramic views of the town, the ocean and the coastline. You may even spot whales spouting and breaching in the distance from there.

Go Shore-Based Whale Watching at Playa Doradillo

What’s unique about a visit to Puerto Madryn is that you don’t need to be on a boat to see whales. Driving to places such as Playa Doradillo, you can easily stay on land and enjoy seeing whales pretty close to the shore. Playa Doradillo is only about 15 km north of Puerto Madryn, and because of the deep waters near the shore, whales swim very close to it. It’s also a sheltered bay, which means that mothers and calves are often in here between July and September.

You can watch whales right from the Playa Las Canteras beach, or from Punta Flecha Viewpoint, which offers a higher vantage point.

See Magellanic Penguins at Punta Tombo

If you want to see even more Magellanic penguins after your trip to Peninsula Valdes, then you have to visit Punta Tombo. This small rocky peninsula is about 190 km south of Puerto Madryn, but it’s home to the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in South America. Punta Tombo has been a protected area since 1979.

They have a 3 km out-and-back walkway, which gets you incredibly close to the penguins, and gives you the chance to observe their daily routines. We spent a long time watching these penguins waddling around, feeding their chicks, tending to their homes, micro-napping, or just giving us some good old side eye.

Entry fee to Punta Tombo is $25,000 ARS per person for foreign visitors. Visit the website for up-to-date entry information.

Watch Sea Lions at Punta Loma Reserve (Lobería de Punta Loma)

If you want to observe more sea lions then head out to Punta Loma, located about 17 km south of Puerto Madryn. It’s a protected natural area and the shores are home to a large sea lion colony all year round.

They have a nice viewing platform over the beach that offers a great vantage point for seeing them up close. In addition, you can also enjoy the beautiful coastal views or do some birdwatching.

Entry fee to the reserve is $12,000 ARS for foreign visitors.

Have Welsh Afternoon Tea in Gaiman

Although it’s not a wildlife encounter, we think visiting some of the Welsh towns around Puerto Madryn is a great thing to do to learn more about the area’s history. You can find Welsh communities in many of the surrounding towns such as Trelew, Rawson and Gaiman. Possibly the best preserved Welsh heritage is in Gaiman, which is very popular with visitors.

As you walk around, you’ll immediately see Welsh flags as well as information boards in Welsh, English and Spanish. You can visit the Regional History Museum housed in a former train station, although it wasn’t open during our visit.

Eisteddfod, which is an annual festival celebrating Welsh arts, language and culture, is also held in Gaiman. The town is popular thanks to its many Welsh tea houses, offering afternoon tea experiences. Since we hadn’t been home to the UK for nearly a year, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for afternoon tea. The most famous tea house is Ty Te Caerdydd because it hosted Lady Diana during her visit to Argentina in 1995. In the end, we went to Ty Gwyn and they gave us a delicious selection of food and cakes.

Final Thoughts on Puerto Madryn Itinerary for Wildlife Lovers

Puerto Madryn was our very first destination in Patagonia and we’re so happy that we decided to visit. Although arriving in mid-December meant that we didn’t spot any whales or orcas. We definitely saw one whale fluke as we were arriving into Puerto Madryn from our overnight bus ride, and there was an orca sighting at Caleta Valdes a few days before our visit according to the information board. Fortunately, we were compensated plentifully for missing out here on our expedition cruise to Antarctica.

However, we still managed to see lots of other wildlife, including seals and Magellanic penguins. Observing penguins in Punta Tombo was hands down one of our favourite wildlife experiences. Plus, having a lovely afternoon tea after being away from home for so long was also really nice.

Have you ever been to Puerto Madryn before? If so, what time of the year did you go and what wildlife did you see? If not, would you add Puerto Madryn to your future Argentina itinerary? Let us know in the comments below.