Penguins!

Ever since arriving in Argentina I have wanted to see the penguins. More than visiting the waterfalls of Iguazu or the vines of Mendoza, or learning to dance the tango, seeing the penguins has been on the top of my list.

And so, when over-crowed buses of El Chalten forced a change of plans we were excited to head to the east coast of Argentina to see the penguins at Cabo de Virgenes.


Once back on the east coast, the penguins were a mere three hour drive south from the coastal city of Rio Gallegos. The fact that it was three hours on a dusty, rocky, dirt road in a tiny, little rental car was a mere detail.


The penguin habitat was amazing and well worth the trip. It's a natural reserve where more than 120,000 pairs of Magellanic penguins migrate each year and perhaps because of its relative isolation, it doesn't seem to be on the radar of many tourists. So happily, we had the place to ourselves.


When we first arrived I was a little skeptical that we'd even get to see many penguins since the area is filled with dense brush where the penguins make their nests.


But as we walked further along the gravel path the sound of burrowing penguins grew and soon we saw them everywhere!


We saw lots of little groups here and there throughout the calafate bushes.





We saw fuzzy gray baby penguins that had yet to shed their fur.


We saw lines of penguins marching around and those headed to and from the nearby ocean.


And of course, the beach was covered in penguins.


I wanted to get closer to this penguin but something told me that was far enough. I read later that when penguins make funny motions with their heads - the way this one is doing - that it means they are very agitated!

After a day at Cabo Virgines, Trevor told me I started to walk rather oddly. I'm not sure what he means.