Qualla: Puerto Madryn

Puerto Madryn: Introduction

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Rodarte, CC BY-SA 3.0. On 28 July 1865, a clipper called the Mimosa dropped anchor in a vast blue gulf at the bottom of the world. Aboard were 153 Welsh emigrants who had crossed the Atlantic from Liverpool chasing a promise: land where they could speak their own language and worship as they pleased. They had been told it resembled lowland Wales. What they found was arid semi-desert and a sweeping bay. They named the natural harbor Porth Madryn anyway, and against the odds, a city grew. Today it is the easiest place on Earth to stand on a beach and watch a whale.

Read more: Puerto Madryn on Qualla

Image: Rodarte | CC BY-SA 3.0

Puerto Madryn: The Mimosa and the Baron's Estate

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Scanno, CC BY-SA 3.0. The name carries a quiet aristocratic echo. The settlers christened the port for Sir Love Jones-Parry, a Welshman who had helped fund and scout the expedition; Madryn was the name of his estate back in Wales. The Tehuelche, the indigenous people who had lived along this coast for...

Read more: Puerto Madryn on Qualla

Image: Scanno | CC BY-SA 3.0

Puerto Madryn: The Whales Come to the Beach

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Gastón Cuello, CC BY-SA 4.0. From June through October, the cold waters of Golfo Nuevo fill with southern right whales. They come to breed and to calve, and they come astonishingly close. From the town pier you can sometimes spot them blowing on the horizon, but the real magic happens north of the city. At P...

Read more: Puerto Madryn on Qualla

Image: Gastón Cuello | CC BY-SA 4.0

Puerto Madryn: Gateway to Peninsula Valdes

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Gonce, CC BY-SA 4.0. Puerto Madryn is the front door to one of South America's great wildlife sanctuaries. Peninsula Valdes, a hammerhead of land jutting into the Atlantic, teems with life through the seasons. Sea lions and elephant seals haul out on its beaches; in summer the elephant seals give bir...

Read more: Puerto Madryn on Qualla

Image: Gonce | CC BY-SA 4.0

Puerto Madryn: Wind, Water, and Wetsuits

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit CC BY-SA 2.5. The sea here is an invitation and a challenge in equal measure. The gulf's water runs clear and currentless, ideal for diving, but it is cold enough to demand a wetsuit even in summer. Snorkelers slip into the water near the port to play with curious sea lions, who approach the b...

Read more: Puerto Madryn on Qualla

Image: CC BY-SA 2.5