So far on this trip, I've done a lot of complaining about things not going the way I planned, whether its due to misguided expectations, or unfortunate weather conditions.
But, I am happy to say, the penguins of Punto Tombo were as AWESOME as I hoped they would be.
This was a huge relief because the penguins were a major reason we came to Puerto Madryn, so there was a lot of pressure on those penguins to perform.
The view of Puerto Madryn from the edge of town. Not super appealing without draws like penguins.
The day Dan and I went to Punto Tumbo, we rented a car to make the 2.5 hour drive. We wanted to get an early start, but of course, we were unable to pick up the car till 11am. (Apparently that's just how car rentals work around here.)
Interestingly enough, when we said we wanted to go to Punto Tumbo, the owner of our hostel, an Irish/Spanish guy named Gaston, acted very "meh" about the activity, as if he thought we were taking an unnecessarily long drive just to see some birds. I would have been concerned that we were making another misinformed detour, but I had read in the Fodor's guide that Puerto Madryn locals like bash the nearby areas, and their advice should be taken with a grain of salt. Not sure why this is the case, but I'll back Fodor up that it's true.
In any case, I'm glad we ignored his advice, because Punto Tombo was awesome!
What is Punto Tumbo?
You'll know you've arrived when you see the sign.
Punto Tumbo is one of the few places in the world you can go to see thousands and thousands of penguins, walking free, preening, and being completely awesome.
Map of all the places you can find penguins in the world.
Between September and April, Punto Tumbo is taken over by thousands of Magellanic penguins that come to this site to lay/hatch eggs, teach babies to hunt and swim, and prep for migration. Puerto Tumbo is the largest penguin colony in South America, and it's really incredible to see so many of these adorable birds in their natural environment.
You can't go up and pet them, or go down to the shore where the bulk of them hang out, but there is about a 3km walk way that winds you through the dunes and coast where the penguins build their nests, so you get up close and personal with plenty of mothers, fathers, and babies.
You even see some other animals along the way, like guanacos, rheas, and if you're lucky, pumas.
A couple of guanacos strolling down the street.
One of my favorite things I learned about penguins, is that they are incredibly loving parents! They find a partner, mate for life, and split feeding/caring for the babies right down the middle. Each parent takes turns going out to the ocean, getting food, and coming back to feed.
Another cool thing about penguins is that, while they are absolutely hilarious on land, they are impressively awesome in the water. They're almost like little ducks in tuxedos, but even faster, better swimmers underwater.
Wobbly on land, but a totally different animal in the water.
I could have spent all day at Punto Tumbo, if it had not been 95+ outside, but it was definitely a good 3 hour side trip (plus 2 hours each way on the road.) Long drive through the desert, but totally worth it.