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Things to do in Puerto Madryn

Our most recommended things to do in Puerto Madryn

Puerto Madryn: 3-Hour Snorkeling Trip with Sea Lions

1. Puerto Madryn: 3-Hour Snorkeling Trip with Sea Lions

Explore a Spanish shipwreck on Parana beach and spot penguins, whales, dolphins, and more in the Punta Loma Natural Reserve before jumping in the water to interact with the sea lions in their natural habitat. These curious animals are not trained nor fed, yet are friendly and used to humans. With the help of an experienced guide, you will learn more about these playful animals in this unique and unforgettable experience.  Choose between hotel pickup and drop-off in Puerto Madryn or come directly to the meeting point where you will be fitted with a neoprene suit before heading down to the water to hop on the boat. After snorkeling and touring, the group will return to the dive center for hot drinks.

Puerto Madryn: Punta Tombo Penguin Reserve

2. Puerto Madryn: Punta Tombo Penguin Reserve

After pickup at your hotel in Puerto Madryn, drive along the Patagonian roads, until you arrive at Punta Tombo Provincial Reserve. See local animals like guanacos, choiques, liebres, and other wildlife that’ll make the experience much more enjoyable.  Punta Tombo is the place where Magellanic penguins choose to carry out another reproduction cycle every year. Once there, you will stay at the reserve for no less than three hours in order to walk along the paths and enjoy them up close and personal.  Observe them in their birth nest or while swimming in the sea. Visit the Punta Tombo Interpretative Centre or have lunch at the cafeteria restaurant (not included).

From Puerto Madryn: Penguin Tour & Península Valdés Day Trip

3. From Puerto Madryn: Penguin Tour & Península Valdés Day Trip

In the early morning, you will be driven from your hotel towards Peninsula Valdes Provincial Reserve. After an hour's drive you will arrive at Puerto Pirámides. Here, you can choose to go whale watching (not included - available until December), or watch sea lions and cormorants from January onwards. The next stop is Estancia San Lorenzo, a Patagonian ranch where you can enjoy a typical Patagonian lamb on the spit (lunch not included). After lunchtime, be prepared to visit an amazing penguin colony: the largest Magellanic penguin colony in the world. Finally you will meet these curious birds! Then visit the provincial reserve of Punta Norte where, according to the season, you can see elephant seals or fur seals and eventually killer whales. From there you will return and stop at the Interpretation Center located on the Carlos Ameghino Isthmus. At the end of the excursion, you will be transferred to your accommodation in Puerto Madryn.

Whale Watching from Peninsula Valdes Full-Day Nature Tour

4. Whale Watching from Peninsula Valdes Full-Day Nature Tour

See whales and seals on this day trip from Puerto Madryn. See the small village of Puerto Pirámides, marvel at beautiful nature, and enjoy a view of Caleta Valdés. Begin your tour early in the morning and head towards the Valdés Peninsula Protected Natural Area, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1999. After an hour of travel, arrive at the picturesque ecological village of Puerto Pirámides. From June to November, embark on a whale-watching tour. Between December and March, enjoy a South American Sea Lions and Cormorants tour. Next, enjoy lunch (not included) in Puerto Pirámides or Caleta Valdés. Take some time to tour the southern part of the peninsula, crossing wide landscapes of grasslands and undulations, passing through the Salinas Grande and Chica, and going around Punta Delgada. Stop in Punta Cantor to admire the Atlantic coast and the fascinating geological formation Caleta Valdés. Depending on the time of year, marvel at the southern elephant seals, the largest seals on the planet, relaxing on the beaches. Depending on the time of year, you may visit Las Salinas, and Caleta Valdes, followed by Punta Norte. From there, begin heading back to Puerto Madryn, stopping at the Carlos Ameghino Interpretation Center, a compendium of the natural wealth of the peninsula.

Valdes Peninsula Full-Day Tour

5. Valdes Peninsula Full-Day Tour

Discover the natural beauty of the Valdes Peninsula on this full-day tour from Puerto Madryn. The area is known for its unique animal species, as it provides the perfect environment for them to live and breed. On this excursion you'll be accompanied by bi-lingual guides and naturalists. The first stop is at the interpretive center at the Carlos Ameghino Isthmus, where you'll learn about the flora, fauna and geology of the peninsula. From the panoramic lookout, you’ll have views of Golfo Nuevo, San Jose and the Island of Birds. Next on the itinerary is a stop in the town of Puerto Piramides, where depending on the season, you can take an optional whale watching tour (additional fee applies). Depending on the season, weather and tides, you’ll visit some or all of the following sites: Caleta Valdes, Punta Norte and Punta Cantor, where you can see elephant seals, penguins and sea lions. As you head back, be on the lookout for some of the wild Argentinean land animals including guanacos, rheas, foxes, maras, armadillos and skunks. At sunset, you'll arrive back at Puerto Madryn, where the tour ends.

Puerto Madryn City Tour & Punta Loma HD Tour

6. Puerto Madryn City Tour & Punta Loma HD Tour

In this two-hour excursion we will make a tour around the city to visit the most outstanding places: the commercial center, the historic center, the mineral and cruise ship docks, and ending the visit at the panoramic viewpoint of Punta Cuevas where the monument to the Tehuelche Indian, a former inhabitant of the area, is located. From here we will leave towards Paraná beach to go to the Punta Loma sea lion reserve. Here we will find colonies of juvenile and adult sea lions, which we will observe from the cliffs prepared as balconies, and delighting us with the flights of black cormorants. After this two-hour tour, we will be returning to our selected hotels in Puerto Madryn.

Frequently asked questions about Puerto Madryn

What top attractions are a must-see in Puerto Madryn?

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What people are saying about Puerto Madryn

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 82 reviews

This was a really tour! I was picked up (almost) on time, only four people on the trip and the guide excellent. Very knowledgeable, friendly and competent. The wildlife at Punta Norte and the San Lorenzo penguin colony simply awesome!! The only thing that I didn't like was the price. This albeit fantastic tour cost as much as my rental car for a 4 day period. That doesn't make sense.

Unforgettable day...I highly recommend taking the boat option. We get very close to the animals. I recommend this tour also for the penguins/penguins much better than the penguins/penguins only day. Our guide Marcella was fantastic.

We arrived on a cruise ship, the office is a good 30 min walk, from the terminal, great staff all equipment was supplied, the guide made us feel safe in the water and the sea lions were amazing.

We very much enjoyed our trip. Our guide was excellent very good in English and very informative. The penguins fantastic loads and very comical.

The excursion to watch the Magellan penguins in their natural habitat is ineffable.