Argentina English

A new national park and one by Brand, fishing villages and oil, spectacular marine life, all linked by 500 km of road between Chubut and Santa Cruz

The Atlantic coast of this region of the country is a treasure fortunately more and more protected. After the creation last year, the National Marine Park in southern Patagonia Shrimps southern Chubut, another about to be officially established in Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz, Penguin Island National Park. And since late last year, 500 kilometers mostly along Route 3 that separate them are promoted as the Blue Route.




No doubt the origin of the name: it is enough to have seen the Atlantic from the coast of Patagonia to always remember the intense color of its waters. As part of the route, Route 3 is the closest to the sea route its entire length, which borders the huge Gulf San Jorge. The road is in good condition and has gas stations, for example in Comodoro Rivadavia and the Guarayalde place (though should not miss any opportunity to load gasoline)

Aimed at a great future of tourism, the Blue Route is like a bottomless box of gifts from the constantly emerging options and alternative views: sighting of penguins and other wildlife, 4x4 trips, trekking, diving, boat rides, tours motorcycle, Natural, carrovelismo and historical sites, archeological and paleontological. And even beaches!

Strategically located between both parks, Comodoro Rivadavia is the logical head of the corridor, because of connections throughout the country and more services.

Black gold ecotourism

The vast southern oil city is like an island of light, movement and sound echo in the vastness of the Patagonian plateau desert. Throughout the day, the Commodore mall brimming with activity. Oil money vibrates at a rate similar to that of a capital. This vertigo, however, ends too soon, barely out of the center. Commodore is a strange city that was formed in neighborhoods built up around oil wells. Therefore, it is so extensive, and exit and re-enter it several times before leaving it entirely.

Tourism is something new for the city. The agencies are in general logistics service companies and oil industry, which complement their offer with trips and excursions for tourists. Eduardo Gallegos is one of these guides, which works with oil of the year and share with tourists. Knows best the region and says,
"To accompany the survey teams, we search the plateau as comprehensively as possible. It is a region rich not only in coastal but also inland, with beautiful landscapes and many paleontological sites , archaeological and, of course, petrified forests. Do not fear them at the distances. For us it is common to load the gas tank on trucks and get to where we give to and, in one or two days. "

To start a city tour with the climb up the hill Chenque, a shifting mass of sediment and oysters petrified in the form of a rocky hill, and finish at 212 meters to the sea, in the most central part of the city. It's like an Eiffel Tower Commodore: all pictures contained in dominating the center of the city, its white towers and port. Since it is composed of rock, and sometimes moving landslides cut its route 3 goes to his feet. It is the most pioneering and southern side of Commodore, where nature has the last word.

From up here we see a beautiful view of the city and the intense blue of the Argentine Sea, also can see a few historical buildings which may use this qualifier after only a century of existence, including the cathedral of Saint John Bosco and the former station .

Shrimp, main course

For a couple of seasons, left his immutable Shrimp routine delivered increasingly open to tourism and the world. In this remote village, the sea is omnipresent, from his own name. All life and to teaching in the school are geared toward the ocean.

Route 3 is the end of more than 60 miles of a route that crosses the plateau of Montemayor. Comodoro Rivadavia and Trelew are promises remote from urban life that seems very exotic to the few blocks of this town, port. However, it was there that the Spanish attempted for the first time in history lift a settlement in the territory of what is now Argentina. It was in 1535, but was unsuccessful. Shrimp remains for a turret and a plaza reminiscent not so well known that part of colonial history. Shrimp Centuries later had another encounter with history thanks to Juan Domingo Peron, who spent his childhood in the town, as it recalls a very modern museum in the center of town.

Today, as a century earlier, when the young Juan Domingo was a neighbor wool port, shrimp is just one corner of the world, away from its bustle. Is that why it is so far to meet her? It is remarkable the amount of French, for example, they found there a place in the world. In addition to a family living on a boat moored in Caleta Sara, a natural harbor near Stéphane Sorroche are also a vintner who dropped everything to embark with his family to the breeding of mussels, and Florent Pagny, a megastar of the song that goes bought a farm where much of the year. French tourists are constantly astonished when they cross it, as it happened in the preparation of this note, a walk on the beach in Cabo, for inspiration for their upcoming issues. And despite his celebrity, shows always friendly and does not miss the opportunity to join the talks and discussions on the new park.

It sounds incredible, but shrimp is a magnet that fascinates with the lifestyle it can offer, its superb scenery and rich in natural wonders. At its expense, the new national park covers a portion of northern San Jorge Gulf, over a hundred miles. Most of the surface water area is protected, but also covers a land strip along the coast and more than forty islands and islets. The park covers almost the entire coast of Cape Two Bays, this earth as hair blown by a strong wind, and arrives at South Bay Bustamante.

While marine mammals are the main attraction for tourists, the park has a vocation much broader protection: its waters are key for spawning and rearing of fish and 38 species of Patagonian shrimp. In the Bay seabed Bustamante and other microalgae are meadows of great ecological and economic importance. It is a paradise for bird watching: In the White Islands, north of Camarones and outside the park, in the islets of the bay Bustamante or on the shores of two bays out live colonies of gulls, shags, Antarctic pigeons, albatross, herons, ducks, steam and many others.

Not forgetting the Magellanic penguins. In fact, outside of shrimps in the provincial park, which complements the national park and protects out much of the two bays, is the second penguin colony of Chubut, after the Punta Tombo. This nature reserve is located about 30 kilometers from the RP Shrimp 1 (the same that comes from Punta Tombo, which follows the coast of Chubut, while the RN 3 steps forward and goes in a straight line across the plateau).

Divers welcome

A walk in the venture allows to see the penguin colony closely, walking on catwalks above the roads from the nests of the birds at the beach. Some even nest under the boards, and when brooding is not troubled if tourists are bypassing.

You can also dive Shrimp. Hector Juanto is the pioneer in the activity and for a couple of years one of the adventurers who bet on the proposed tourism Shrimp and embarked trips, fishing trips, whale and sports diving. "The takeoff is slow, but every year more families are reaching more people, attracted by nature, or simply to make a stop en route on a trip to Patagonia," he says. Shrimp is also known as the Salmon Capital and has a national holiday in February that gathers thousands of fans. "It's an important part of our activity, but the creation of the park is going to bring a different tourism, hopes the diver, this summer working with the underwater photographer Sergio Massaro to raise awareness of the incredible marine life in the San Jorge Gulf .

Another place to take advantage of the park is bay Bustamante, seaweed village converted to tourism. Besides accommodation, we offer boat rides, kayak outings, bird watching and observing dolphins, more sunny afternoons in natural pools of warm water to the sea. All a delight enhanced by the uniqueness of the place, which is both a complex of ecotourism as an industrial town of seaweed harvesting.

Florent Pagny, who can be crossed in shrimps between the two scenarios tour of France, go to the park ambivalence in much of the cost of their stay and sums up the dilemma that arises for shrimps and their region to When finally opened to tourism. "I wish more control so that the park does not bring mass tourism because this place should be preserved at all costs. I turned out several video clips in the Two Bays, and in France no one can believe that such a place exists."