The estuary
The Ría Deseado Provincial Reserve protects an ancient river valley flooded by the sea some 40 km inland. According to SiFAP, around 15 species of seabirds and shorebirds nest here, including four cormorant species, and the area holds about 40% of Argentina's red-legged cormorant population. Commerson's dolphins also breed here.
Penguin Island
Isla Pingüino Interjurisdictional Marine Park (Law 26,818 of 2012, about 159,000 ha) can only be visited by boat. National Parks states that its rockhopper penguin colony is the only one on the mainland open to tourists, and that trips run from mid-October to April.
Other highlights
- Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve (sea lions).
- Darwin's lookouts.
- Monte Loayza Provincial Park.
- Museums on shipwrecks and local history.
- Grotto of Lourdes.
Getting there
Via National Route 3 and then Provincial Route 27. The reference airport is Comodoro Rivadavia. Tourism office: San Martín 1137.
