Saturday, January 28, 2023
The guide told us we had 1.5 hours to walk the trail, go to the bathroom (there would not be another stop on the way back), and be back on the bus. The trail could take you all the way to the shoreline. It was a hot day and the trail looked long. Most of the trail was rock and loose gravel so you had to be careful not to turn an ankle. Some of the trail was boardwalk but even it had slats that were uneven, and I saw people stumble over them. If you didn’t want to walk the trail or couldn’t manage it, there were plenty of benches around and lots of penguins to watch even at the beginning of the trail.
I set my watch alarm for one hour just to be sure we were on the way back when it sounded.
Again, the surrounding area was desert-like with scraggly shrubs. You could find Magellanic penguins in the shade of the shrubbery. Many had made their burrows under the shrubbery. Some would be standing out in the heat. Just like the other places we visited, the penguins would cross the designated path to get to and from the water and we had to wait and give them space to do so. In some places, the boardwalk was raised so the penguins could cross under it or stand under it in the shade.
Once we arrived at the end of the trail, I enjoyed watching the penguins swimming and bobbing in the water. It was so hot that I’m surprised they weren’t all in the water.
There were also a number of Guanacos wandering around in the area. The guide said that the penguins are not bothered by them.
My alarm went off and we started back, it seemed to take much longer than the walk down. I guess because it was so hot.
Really enjoyed the time there even though it was crowded with tourists and hot. (Have I mentioned it was hot?)
Before we boarded the bus, we looked around the little museum that seemed to be devoted to sheep farming. Some people were purchasing water and soft drinks at the small café.
Once we got back on the bus, we were given a box lunch of an apple, granola bar, a bottle of cold water, and a sandwich. I wish I had taken a picture of the sandwich. The bread was thick and dry like it was stone-ground. There were slim slices of meat and cheese. The sandwich was so long that I broke the bread in half, folded the meat and cheese over to put it between the bread half slices. It was still a big sandwich.
We followed the same route back to the port and the tour guide didn’t have more information to give us until we reached the city, so I was glad that I had my book to read. The air conditioning seemed to be working better also. Some people used the time to nap.
When we got back to the port, there was a group of people doing traditional dances. I was not able to get any videos or photos as they were finishing up as our bus arrived.
We enjoyed the sunshine on the Sea View deck and then decided to get cleaned up for the evening’s activities.
This was our last stop to see penguins. Each stop was unique, and I am so glad to have been able to see them. If you take this cruise and really want to see penguins on a HAL tour, I recommend that you pay for the tours on the website prior to the cruise instead of waiting until you board. These tours sell out fast.
Also, I’ve read where people said the smell of the penguin poo was horrible and overwhelming. There was a lot of penguin poo, especially in the Falklands site, and there was an ammonia smell, but it wasn’t terrible. Maybe the wind was blowing so much that it minimized the smell. I just know it didn’t seem as bad as I had expected.
Travel Trivia
Puerto Madryn, Argentina
The town was founded on 28 July 1865, when 150 Welsh immigrants arriving aboard the clipper Mimosa, named the natural port Porth Madryn in honor of Sir Love Jones-Parry, whose estate in Wales was called “Madryn”.
Puerto Madryn was the port to which Argentine prisoners of war captured in the Falklands Islands during the 1982 war were repatriated on the vessel SS Canberra.
Argentina’s largest aluminum plant was constructed here in the 1970s, helping further develop an already solid economy. Then, when the Peso was devalued in the 90s, Madryn experienced another economic boom as international tourism developed around diving, fishing, and marine wildlife viewing.
Fondest Travel Memories 