Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting Around
Bus 8 'Directo Palazzo' (AR$1.75) goes directly to the airport from outside Comodoro's
bus terminal. A taxi to the airport costs AR$60 from downtown.
Expreso Rada Tilly links the bus terminal to the nearby beach resort (AR$3) every 20
minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends.
Rental cars are available from
Avis
(
454-9471; Airport)
and
Localiza
(
446-1400;
Airport)
.
Dubrovnik
(
444-0073;
www.rentacardubrovnik.com
;
Moreno 941)
rents 4WD
vehicles.
DON'T MISS
BAHÍA BUSTAMANTE
A number of coastal reserves feature Patagonia's diverse marine life, but few illu-
minate the exuberance of this ecosystem like this historic 80-hectare
estancia
(
0297-480-1000, in Buenos Aires 011-4778-0125;
www.bahiabustamante.com
;
s/d/tr sea cottage incl full
board & activities US$500/620/750, basic 3-person cottage US$145; )
located between Trelew
and Comodoro Rivadavia. Romantics will love the sprawling steppe, rolling grass
dunes and pebble beaches that beg you to bask in the slow rhythms of life on this
deserted coast. Excursions are thoughtfully guided by bilingual naturalists, and in-
clude sea kayaking, trekking the on-site 65-million-year-old petrified forest and
boat trips to see Magellanic penguins, sea lions and marine birds.
Another quirky footnote in Patagonian history, Bahía Bustamante was founded
by an entrepreneurial Andalucian immigrant who used the abundant algae in the
bay to manufacture agar agar, a natural food thickener. At one point hundreds of
workers lived on the estancia, which became a kind of Wild West, complete with a
police station and jail cell. In pre-settlement times, Tehuelches traveled the area,
leaving behind their small tools and middens.
These days the much-reduced algae harvests also include comestible seaweed,
which is mostly exported to Japan. An estanciatour explains the sheep farming
operation, which is transitioning to better ecological practices. Grazing rotation
promotes soil and native plant recovery and recently introduced Merino hybrids
are better adapted to the ecosystem.
The estanciahas the sleepy feel of a ghost village coming back to life. Its heart is
the former general store, now converted to a rustic-chic living room and dining
area where you might dine on local lamb or seaweed crepes with the grandsons of
the founder, who now run the estancia. Lodgings are in comfortable seafront cab-
ins with big red loungers recycled from shipping palettes. For a more economical
