Outings and excursions · San Julián
A Classic in Puerto San Julián
Text: Pablo Etchevers · Photos: Pinocho Excursiones
The tours organized by the Cendrón family are a classic in Puerto San Julián. Their very broad experience at sea is ideal to watch penguins, as well as the rest of the typical wildlife of this sea region.
Puerto San Julián is one of those sites in Argentinian Patagonia where everyone knows one another. At this location, the Cendrón family has organized tours for over 30 years. Their experience has enabled thousands of tourists to learn about the good things nature has to offer, both regarding sea fauna and the history of this beautiful site and its surroundings.
San Julián Bay at a glance
A family of the bay
“The bay is our natural habitat. When we started our business, we used to take adventurers out on a rowing boat and then on RIBs. Today, we have a boat over 9 meters long. We were born in the district and bet on the fact that tourists should enjoy and, at the same time, respect nature”, said Fernando Cendrón.
Respect for nature is a premise that everyone working for Pinocho Excursiones agrees to comply with. And it is essential that they do. First, because each of the members of the company is a lover of nature above all and it is by following that philosophy that they have trained themselves to teach it to the hundreds of visitors that go on these outings year after year.
A port steeped in history
Mythical Puerto San Julián is a historical place. The famous naturalist Charles Darwin, the great sailor Ferdinand Magellan and the English privateer Francis Drake have gone through this site. This is where the Patagonian myth known as “floridablanca” first began. It consisted in one of the first Spanish colonies in Patagonia to make this region famous around the world.
Justice Island and Cormorant Island
The tours cross the bay up to Justice Island. This whimsical formation shelters the graves of two captains executed by Magellan in 1520, and of another one who was beheaded by Drake in 1578. Nevertheless, this scenario where the past has been dramatic is the favorite meeting place for a wide range of birds, among which terns, cormorants, oystercatchers and skuas prevail.
The second stop on the voyage is Cormorant Island, where over 120 thousand Magellanic penguins make their nests. A tour around this site lets visitors watch every detail of these charismatic emblems of Patagonian fauna.
Commerson’s dolphins and seabirds
Commerson’s dolphins are the great stars of this tour. These splendid specimens dwell in the waters of the end of the world and show off their fantastic adaptation to this environment through unexpected jumps, caprioles and fast moves that are caught by the cameras of most tourists on the excursion.
The wildlife ballet is completed by other singular performers: seagulls, huge petrels and a limpid space where the sky and the sea melt in one embrace.
More to see in Puerto San Julián
But in addition to these sea tours, Puerto San Julián has a lot more to offer.
Nao Victoria, the Malvinas Heroes Monument, the First Mass Monument, the old Magellanic houses, Rosa Novak Archeological Museum, the Crafts Center and the entire waterfront promenade are part of the tourist attractions in this beautiful district in Santa Cruz.
Tips
The tour takes about an hour and a quarter and is cancelled in extreme weather conditions, so always check beforehand, even if you have made a reservation. In January and February, the outings take place every day every two hours. There are also private outings available as well as tours for large groups.
