Getaway to Bustamante Bay

A trip to enjoy one of the most rugged destinations in the Patagonic coast: Bustamante Bay. This suggested tour includes three-night accommodation in a house with a sea view, full board and activities with a bilingual guide (Spanish/English). A getaway to Bustamante Bay long enough to switch off, leave behind routine and enjoy nature.

A picturesque coastal town, Bustamante Bay is a very quiet site and it has unpaved streets. Quietness is only interrupted by wind gusts, birds singing and waves breaking on the beach. With no cell phone reception but with Wi-Fi (very limited service) and a payphone, in Bustamante Bay, electricity is produced with a generator that runs from sunset to 11 PM.

This getaway includes three-night accommodation in one of the six sea-viewing houses available for visitors. Each house has two rooms, bathroom, living room, and a terrace, and is equipped with battery operated lights for the time when the generator does not run. Accommodation in the sea-viewing houses includes full board and activities. This trip is definitely an ideal plan to switch off, get some rest and reconnect with the essentials: nature.

Bustamante Bay sits between Trelew and Comodoro Rivadavia (Chubut province). It is the first town in the world with a seaweed based economy. Founded by the Soriano’s in the middle of the twentieth century, Bustamante Bay was aimed to develop their enterprise for seaweed collection and treatment. The town was once inhabited by 400 people, and it had school, church, police station, warehouses, repair shop, and a grocery. Later, more acres were added to the property, and sheep industry began.

Today, Bustamante Bay has 30 inhabitants, it is focused on sustainable productions and it has been open for tourism from over a decade. It sits within an 80.000 acres private property that goes from the coast to the plateau. Due to its great bird and mammal diversity, from December 2008 this area has been part and an access door to the Parque Interjurisdiccional Marino Costero Patagonia Austral.

Bustamante Bay is a destiny in which you can enjoy nature 100 per cent. Some of the activities available are:

• Sail along Caleta Malaspina to do birdwatching, where you will be able to see Magallanes penguins (from October to March), steamer ducks, petrels, Olrog’s gulls, oystercatchers, cormorants, among others, apart from sea lions.
• Visit Penguin Island to watch a small Magallanes penguin colony.
• Walk around the town to get know its history and inhabitants. Besides, the storehouses where seaweeds are kept can be visited, to learn about different species of seaweed, the uses and collection of each of them.
• Visit the Petrified Wood La Pirámide. Eighteen miles away from town, this petrified wood is a silent witness that shows us how was the landscape 60 million years ago, before the uplift of the Andes chain.
• Take a ride on a four-wheel drive along the coast up to Arisitzabal lighthouse. During the journey, fauna and seabirds can be watched, apart from the breathtaking coastal landscape.
• Give a walk or ride a bicycle along the Graviña Peninsula and the nearby shores. This is an area of beautiful beaches, safe from wind due to giant rock formations. When the tide is low, natural pools are formed in the rocks, ideal to swim in the summer afternoons.
• Take part of some of the different rural tasks that are done in the estancias (according to the time of the year), to understand and get to know better the meat and sheep wool production.
• Go on a trek through the Cañadón de Piedra, a 50 feet rock-wall made up of rocks that date from the Jurassic period.

The activity schedule is organized with the guide at arrival. Activities depend on the weather conditions and the tides.

*** And this season, make sure not to miss the work Misterios (Mysteries) by Christian Boltanski, part of Bienalsur***

• Three (3) night stay based on double occupancy in a “Casa de Mar” in Bustamante Bay, with full board (according to the prefixed menu) and a daily activity, as the program specifies.
• Meals included: three (3) breakfasts, three (3) lunches and three (3) dinners.

• Plane tickets to/from origin to Comodoro Rivadavia or Trelew. Ask us for plane tickets.
• 21% value-added tax for accommodation (value-added tax does not apply for foreigners only).
• Transfer to and from Bustamante Bay. If you want us to help you choose the best way to get there, please ask us.
• Food other tan included in the prefixed menu, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
• Tip or any other service not mentioned in this program.

• Fares are per person based on double occupancy and are subject to availability.
• The “Casas de Mar” are not shared with other travelers, regardless of the number of occupants.
• Activities included and mentioned on this trip tour are for reference only. They can change according to weather conditions and the tides table. The local guide decides on the order of them. Apart from scheduled activities, guests can go to the sea, visit the beaches, walk around or ride a bicycle, or use the games room in their spare time.
• Outings and transfers are services shared with other passengers.
• There are several ways to get to Bustamante Bay. We can offer the alternative that suits best your route. If you want to know the best way to get to Bustamante Bay, ask us.
• For special Fares for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, ask us.
• For changes to this tour or special rates for kids or groups, ask us.