The penguin colony
Among the nests.
CamiPetenatti — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Horacio_Fernandez — CC BY 3.0 · CamiPetenatti — CC BY-SA 4.0 · CamiPetenatti — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Julio Viard — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cabo Vírgenes is the southeastern tip of mainland Argentina at the entrance to the Strait of Magellan, about 134 kilometres from the city of Río Gallegos. Magellan reached it on 21 October 1520 and from here found the strait that bears his name, and a short-lived Spanish settlement was founded here in 1584. It is also «kilometre zero» of National Route 40, Argentina's longest road, running more than five thousand kilometres north to Bolivia. The main draw is a provincial reserve with one of the region's most important Magellanic penguin colonies, more than 120,000 pairs arriving each spring to nest, which you walk among on trails and a new viewpoint. On the cliff above stands a lighthouse in service since 1904. The penguins arrive in September and stay until about April, and the road from Río Gallegos is mostly gravel. Keep to the marked trails: nests and burrows underground may not be visible.
Among the nests.
On the cliff.
Where Magellan came.
About 134 km southeast of Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz
From September to about April, when they come to nest and raise their chicks.