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Going underwater in Patagonia

Latin America For Less — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 16:02:55 +0000

Scuba diving guppies can get their feet – or flippers – wet at Puerto Madryn, the capital of diving in Argentina’s Patagonia. This wildlife-rich paradise was established as a diving center in 1956 and is home to one of the world’s oldest diving institutes.

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Scuba diving in Argentina’s hotspot
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Scuba diving in Argentina’s hotspot

Local and international divers launch daily into the sub-aquatic park to explore the several shipwrecks, reefs, and rocky bars where thousands of species of sea flora and fauna flourish.

During this full immersion experience, expect to feast your eyes on sea lions, chitons, spider crabs and tractor bank mussels, sea cucumbers and anemones.

Sea Cucumber.
Photo by Anders Poulsen, Deep Blue/ Creative Commons

But you don’t have to be a diving expert to take to the waters. In fact, you don’t even need to know how to swim. Scuba-diving guppies can take a “baptism” – an hour-long class that gives an introduction to diving gear, diving practices, the layout of the marine park and a safety briefing, before letting beginners take the plunge.

For beginners, the best place to start exploring is the Punta Cuevas bar, a rocky formation 200m offshore that houses an incredible amount of marine life. The gentle, protected waters allow for terrific visibility. Accompanied by experts, divers go to around 10m deep. From this depth, you can play with the sea lions, reach out to the shy sea anemones, and examine the various types of cocheros mussel, turcos, and crabs.

Once you get more confident – although don’t expect to become an expert on your first day – you can aim for the Parque Viejo, which was built around famous Antarctic pioneer Ernest Shackleton’s ships from his Antarctica expedition at the turn of the century. Or there’s the Madryn Chest, a treasure trove of messages left by the Puerto Madryn community that isn’t to be opened until 2100, plus a plastic guestbook for visiting divers to sign.

If you’re still not convinced that scuba diving is for you, Puerto Madryn itself is worth the trip. You can do plenty of whale watching from the beach, especially from Playa El Doradillo, in the summer months. You can take a mountain bike trek around the chalky cliffs, tour the Peninsula Valdes wildlife sanctuary, or go windsurfing along the crystal shores of Golfo Nuevo. The city also boasts all the things you would expect such as great restaurants, chic hotels and local attractions.

Vista of Puerto Madryn.
Photo by Banfield/ Creative Commons

Interestingly, the city also has a rich Welsh heritage, a legacy of waves of immigration that left Europe in the 19^th century which has left the Welsh language and traditional cream teas common occurrences on the streets of this Patagonian city.

The town is easily accessible from Buenos Aires and other Patagonia destinations such as Bariloche. Puerto Madryn is known as the gateway to the Valdez Peninsula, an area rich in aquatic wildlife and natural beauty. You can take boat tours from Madryn or go by bus up the peninsula.

Diving Fact File

Difficulty: low-high
Previous experience: not necessary
Suggested gear: Wetsuit, normally provided by your tour agency
Suitability: for all ages
Season: all year; best between November-March
Hours: 9am-6pm; average tour length is half a day
Tips: Bring drinking water and snacks; and warm clothing for afterwards!

Top Dive Sites

Parque Artificial Submarino (artificial underwater park)
Parque Nuevo (New Park)
Piedras and Piedras Grandes (natural reefs)
Piedra Buena Pier
Punta Cuevas, Punta Este.

Plan your trip to Argentina

Argentina For Less offers a Puerto Madryn Tour to Marine Wildlife (3 days/ 2 nights). Or contact one of our expert travel advisors to customize your own Argentina adventure!

Latin America For Less

Latin America for Less is a group of travel experts who live, work, eat, and breathe all things South America. Their inspiration stems from a deep appreciation for the beauty and diversity that make this continent so special.

www.latinamericaforless.com

Tech Geek’s Guide to Traveling in Argentina

Latin America For Less — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 20:59:49 +0000

Preparing for a trip to Argentina can be overwhelming, particularly if it’s your first time in South America. From how to use your cell phone while you’re away, to plugging in those essential appliances, find all the information you’ll need to be prepared for your stay in Argentina.

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Experience the diversity of Argentina

Cell phones

You can set up a roaming tariff with your network provider before jetting off, which will allow you to make calls back home as well as within Argentina. It can be cheaper however to buy a local network sim card when you arrive in Argentina. You will be able to pick one up cheaply anywhere in Argentina – even at the airport as soon as you arrive.

The main cell phone companies to look out for are:

Claro (www.claro.com.ar)
Movistar (www.movistar.com.ar)

If you’d rather leave your cell at home, there’s the option to make calls from phone booths or phone centers, called locutorios or telecentros, which you’ll spot in cities and main centers. You can pick up a prepaid card (tarjeta prepaga) at newsstands (kioscos) and supermarkets, which make calls more economical than using cash.

Internet

Ah, that wonderful WiFi – what would we do without it nowadays? Do not fear – Argentina is online. You’ll find the best connection in Buenos Aires and other big cities, but connection in remote areas further south can be a bit spotty. In Patagonia it can be unreliable, so make sure you’ve sent all those emails and made all your Skype calls before heading south and then enjoy switching off from the world and making the most of the beautiful landscape!

WiFi is widely available in main tourist hubs, in hostels, cafes and restaurants. Most hotels provide internet and many have a PC you can use.

Plugging in

Electricity in Argentina is provided at 220V (50Hz). This is the same as Europe, but different to the United States (110V). If you’re taking your laptop, cell phone and camera chargers, check to see what voltage they run on and take a converter if they’re 110V.

If you need to buy an adapter in Buenos Aires, head to the Florida shopping area where you can pick one up for around US$2.

There are two different types of wall sockets in Argentina, and it can vary from building to building, so it is best to come prepared with an adapter for all situations, whether you’re coming from the US, Europe or elsewhere. The plugs you need are the double round-pin and the Australian-style diagonal straight-pin:

Additional electronic tips

So you’re nearly all set for your trip to Argentina, here’s a few extra tips we recommend before you go:

Remember to pack camera chargers, USB cords and spare SD cards for those all-important snaps! Upload your images onto an online storage site such as DropBox so in case you lose the camera or card, you still have those memories safe.
Make sure everything is fully charged up before you set off on any long treks or tours where you might be away from electricity for a while.
Take plenty of spare batteries for devices that require them!
Note that smartphones in particular are extremely expensive to buy in Argentina due to import restrictions, and they are not widely available. So don’t flash your smartphone, tablet and laptop and never leave them unattended.
When you’re visiting Iguazu Falls, remember if you cross to the Brazilian side, the electricity connection could be different again and your cell phone might not work here. Same goes for if you cross into Chile in Patagonia.
Last of all, don’t panic – if you forget or lose something out there, you will be able to buy almost anything you will need in Argentina!