Punta Tombo

Punta Tombo is a narrow point of land on the Atlantic coast of Chubut where hundreds of thousands of Magellanic penguins come every year to nest. Between September and April, the ground is covered with their burrows, and a system of walkways lets visitors walk among them, often with penguins crossing the path. Guanacos and rheas are common on the steppe on the way in.

It takes a full day from Puerto Madryn, about two and a half hours each way, and combines well with a stop at Gaiman for tea on the way back. On a journey down the coast, it is the first stop south of Trelew on the road to Camarones and Bahía Bustamante.

The colony is occupied from September to April. The chicks hatch in November and December, and by January the beaches are full of young birds.