Puerto Deseado

Puerto Deseado (Port Desire) is a city and fishing port located along the estuary of the Deseado River in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The estuary is a natural reserve and was visited in 1833 by Darwin, who described the area as one of the most secluded places he had ever seen, a “rocky crevice in the wild plain.” Puerto Deseado has a population of 15,000, with an economy based primarily on the fishing and tourism industries. Tourists come to Puerto Deseado mostly to view the estuary’s diverse fauna. Among other sea birds, there are two types of penguins (Magellanic and Rockhopper) as well as the incredible black and white Commerson’s dolphins that may be spotted jumping out of the water during mating season. The port is also a spot from which Isla Pinguino (the Island of Penguins) can be easily reached, just over 12 miles south/southeast from Puerto Deseado. On land, visitors can visit the rail museum (Estación del Ferrocarril Patagónico) or study the examples of Spanish and English architecture and sailing artifacts that remain from both countries attempting to settle here in the 17th and 18th centuries.