Somewhere Between Wales and Antarctica

 Sitting along the calm blue waters of Golfo Nuevo in Patagonia, Puerto Madryn somehow manages to be both rugged and strangely peaceful at the same time.

One of the most fascinating parts of Puerto Madryn’s story is that it was founded by Welsh settlers — not Spaniards, Italians, or Germans like many other Argentine communities.

In 1865, around 150 Welsh immigrants arrived aboard a ship called the Mimosa hoping to preserve their language and culture far away from English influence back home. They landed on this dry, windswept coast and apparently looked around thinking something close to:

“Right… whose brilliant idea was this?”

 There was almost no fresh water, very little vegetation, and brutal Patagonian winds. Many nearly starved before moving inland toward the Chubut River valley. Yet somehow they survived and built communities that still preserve Welsh traditions today.

 The original Welsh name for the city was Porth Madryn. The “Madryn” came from the estate of Sir Love Jones-Parry, one of the colony’s organizers.

Puerto Madryn has a reputation for relentless wind. Not “messy hair” wind. More like “why is my jacket suddenly in Uruguay?” wind.

Locals barely notice it anymore. 

The climate is dry and harsh, but that light and atmosphere are exactly what make the area so photogenic:

• pale desert colors
• dramatic skies
• icy blue water
• endless horizons
• stark shadows
• very little visual clutter

Puerto Madryn is one of the best places on earth to see Southern Right Whales.

Between roughly June and December, whales enter Golfo Nuevo to mate and give birth. Sometimes they come absurdly close to shore.

But of course we didn't see any whales, instead we saw these .......

Puerto Madryn is considered Argentina’s diving capital. The water is cold enough to make you question your life decisions immediately, but visibility can be excellent. Divers come for sea lions, underwater caves, shipwrecks, and kelp forest.

Puerto Madryn is not enormous, it has a population of roughly 100,000 residents. It is well known for whale watching, penguins waddling around; especially around the months of  September thru April and its blustering winds.

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