Bahia Bustamante

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  Bahia Bustamante

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  Bahia Bustamante

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  Bahia Bustamante

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  Light House at the Aristizabal Cape

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  Penguins in their island at Malaspina Cove

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  Bahia Bustamante

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  Sheep work at the Ranch

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  Bahia Bustamante

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  Bahia Bustamante

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  Bahia Bustamante

Bahia Bustamante combines pristine Atlantic coastline, natural pastures, desert, canyons and an amazing array of marine bird life and fauna.

Set on the south Atlantic coast in Patagonia some 300 kilometres south of the Valdes Peninsula, Bahia Bustamante is a true paradise for nature lovers. This astonishing privately-owned reserve spans more than 70 kilometres of Atlantic coast and offers a tremendous diversity of marine birds and mammal species. The area is home to colonies of more than 50,000 penguins, 4,000 sea lions, 115 bird species, white sandy beaches, a petrified forest and pastures with more than 20,000 sheep.

A settlement was first established at Bahia Bustamante in 1953 by Lorenzo Soriano, a Spaniard who discovered that this remote stretch of coast was a great source of seaweed from which colloids could be extracted for use in a hair spray. During the 1950s and 60s the settlement grew into a village, with its own school, church, police station, warehouses, workshop and grocery store. As more land was added for farming, the population peaked at around 400 inhabitants. Today, there are only about 30 inhabitants, and the main activity has switched from seaweed collection to small-scale eco-tourism.

The private reserve is still owned and managed by the third generation of the Soriano family, who take a serious approach to sustainable ecotourism and preservation of the wildlife and natural beauty in the area. Since December 2008, this stretch of coastline has been incorporated within the 132,000-hectare Patagonia Austral National Park, which protects the mainland coastal zone and some 50 islands from Cabo Dos Bahias to the south of Malaspina Cove.

The closest airports to Bahia Bustamante are Comodoro Rivadavia (180 kilometres) and Trelew (250 km) and the last 40 kilometres of road are unsurfaced. However, the very remoteness means that you will be one of just a handful of guests able to experience this beautiful and isolated natural spot.

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