Known by the locals as Madryn, this port city is in the north of the Chubut Province, in a protected location in the Golfo Nuevo (New Gulf), in between two peninsulas, Valdés and Ninfas. Puerto Madryn was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 for the richness of its marine wildlife.
The town was founded by Welsh immigrants in 1965, and grew gradually when Spanish, Italian, and more Welsh immigrants came to the region as workers for Central Chubut Railway. Puerto Madryn continued to be a quiet seaside town until the 1970s. The rail route was closed and an aluminum manufacturing plant opened, offering employment for thousands of works, but even then the population was only 6,500. In that same decade, tourism became a priority for the first time, and led to the development of a service infrastructure.
Today, Puerto Madryn has approximately 80,000 inhabitants, making it the most populous city on the southern Argentine coast. The population has grown due to internal migration from the northern, central, and southern regions; however, Bolivian immigrants comprise 12% of the present population. The city has a few universities which attract students and keep the median age fairly low.
In the winter months, Puerto Madryn is a popular destination for whale watching and for spotting dolphins, penguins, sea lions, and marine birds, including cormorants. On land, the area is home to guanacos (a small cameloid), choiques (rhea, a large flightless bird), and rabbits. Between June and December, Puerto Madryn is the breeding ground for the Southern Right Whale. The natural reserve on Peninsula Valdés is the best point from which to observe the marine wildlife.
In the summer months, the sheltered beaches provide ample opportunities for water sports, including kayaking, canoeing, wind and kitesurfing, and waterskiing. The calm, clear waters also make this a popular destination for diving with excellent visibility.
Puerto Madryn has two docks, which serve as stopping points for cruises along the Atlantic coast of Argentina, down into Antarctica, and into Chile as well. Bus travel, which is of very good quality in Argentina, is a popular method of moving between Argentine cities. The road system is also very good and connects Puerto Madryn to Buenos Aires, Ushuaia (the city “at the end of the world”), and other points.
The city hosts 2 excellent museums, the EcoCentro and the Oceanographic and Natural Sciences Museum
, which will add to travelers’ knowledge of Patagonia’s marine ecosystems and the natural history of the region.
