Just a few hours south of the Valdes Peninsula of the Atlantic Patagonia in Punta Tombo is the largest colony of Magellanic Penguins.
The best way to get around the Atlantic Patagonia region to visit different wildlife independently is by renting a car.
About Magellanic Penguins
The Mangellanic penguins are an incredibly social species of penguins. They live in large colonies and hunt in flocks. Uniquely, they mate for life and can distinguish their partner from others by their mating call (similar to the Pixar film, Happy Feet!). When another male penguin tries to court a taken female penguin, this can start fights, something that you have the opportunity to see when you visit the colony of penguins at Punta Tombo.
The female penguins lay two eggs every year and share responsibility equally with their male counterpart during the incubation period between taking care of the eggs and hunting for food. While one penguin goes hunting for 2-3 days, the other lays on the eggs and makes sure that they are kept safe from predators. The first penguin then returns to the nest to relieve their partner from incubating the eggs and allow them to go hunt for their own food.
Magellanic Penguins at Punta Tombo
Here, at Punta Tombo, the colony consists of 400,000 penguins in a protected area that allows them to breed and raise their young. The area is protected from humans but the penguins still have to watch out for other predators that may want their eggs. Because of their protection from human intervention, the penguins feel comfortable living around the protected paths that go through Punta Tombo.
In the hill-sides, the penguins have built burrows into the ground. Each burrow is owned and maintained by one pair of penguins for their whole life. They even get into fights if another penguin has tried to encroach on their space, slapping each other until the misbehaving penguin gets the message. It can be quite brutal!
The Overall Experience at Punta Tombo When Visiting Independently
Arriving at the Reserve
The reserve opens at 8 am, and because it is a 3 hour drive from Puerto Madryn, you will want to leave at 5 am to try to be the first ones in the park. Until 9:30, you will have the grounds to yourself, being able to observe the penguins alone. After that, tour groups typically start to arrive and filling up the area. (We know that this is early, but having the park to yourself may make the experience even more special).
The reason to stay in Puerto Madryn is to have the opportunity to visit the Valdes Peninsula to go whale watching during the right whale breeding season. We recommend including Punta Tombo at the end of your time in the Atlantic Patagonia region and departing from the Trelew Airport at the end of the day, given that this airport is only 2 hours away from Punta Tombo. If you want to limit your driving overall to visit Punta Tombo, consider staying in Trelew the night before your Punta Tombo experience.
You will first arrive at the ticket office to purchase your tickets. At the ticket office, you will see a small museum that gives information regarding the area and the penguins. Then, you will return to your car and drive down to the entrance of the reserve itself.
Walking Through the Park
As you walk through the reserve, you will see how the penguins have free reign of the entire area. They will walk on paths with you, fight each other in front of you, and performed their mating calls while waiting for their partner. The park asks people to stay 2 meters (6 feet) away from penguins. The walk itself is 1.5 kilometers long in each directions (a total of 3 kilometers or 1.9 miles). It takes about 2 hours to walk around the whole reserve, stopping to take photos of penguins, landscapes, and other animals. (If you are here during busier time periods, it may take you longer as more people will be stopping along the pathways.) The walk is on gravel and elevated boardwalks, allowing you to meander through the landscape without disturbing the habitats.
Because of the sheer number of penguins in this colony, there are penguins everywhere you look. Many are laying in their burrows covering their eggs. Some of these burrows are located right next to the designated pathway, allowing you to peer into their little home. It all culminates on a viewpoint of penguins entering and exiting the ocean to go hunting in small groups.
Wrapping up Your visit
You will then returned back on the same path you came down. If you arrived early in the morning, you may start to see even more penguins moving around. There are restrooms at the entrance to the reserve and places to grab food and drinks at the parking lots of both the visitor center and the start of the reserve.
It’s not often that you have the occasion to see penguins in the wild, let alone walk along side them. Having the chance to see the sheer quantity of penguins and the conservation efforts of the Punta Tombo region makes the long drive worth it.
After visiting the reserve, consider making your way to Gaiman, a former Welsh settlement with the unique tradition of providing high tea. You can read more about this experience in this overall Atlantic Patagonia itinerary.
How to Visit Punta Tombo with a Tour Group
From Puerto Madryn, you can also look into using a tour to visit Punta Tombo. This eliminates the need to rent a car and do the long drive to the reserve. You can find a tour here or reserve a tour from an agency directly in Puerto Madryn. (Avoid tours that are targeting cruise ship passengers unless you are visiting via cruise ship.)