Puerto Madryn

Sprawling along the beautiful sweep of the Golfo Nuevo, Argentina’s self-styled diving capital, PUERTO MADRYN, is the gateway to the ecological treasure trove of Península Valdés; indeed, the superb Ecocentro, just east of town, makes a great introduction to the area’s abundant marine life. Though Puerto Madryn was where the Welsh first landed in Patagonia in 1865, little development took place until the arrival of the railway from Trelew two decades later, when it began to act as the port for the communities in the Lower Chubut Valley. With the explosion of tourism in recent years, Madryn has undergone rapid growth, and the town’s small permanent population swells exponentially during the summer months.