The Meseta takes up most of the patagonian province Chubut all the way to the Atlantic coast. It is a dry, steppe-like steppe land with numerous plateaus and low mountain ranges, crossed by deep canyons, with a windy but mild climate.
There are a few seaside resorts on the coast, but this is the main attraction Peninsula Valdéson whose beaches you can watch whales, sea lions and penguins. The water is suitable for bathing down to the south of the province. Inland you can find the lake landscape of Colonia Sarmiento with their petrified forests and the wild and romantic valley of the Río Chubut.
Regions
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The Meseta is crossed by a few river valleys in an east-west direction. Due to artificial irrigation, these are very green and fertile and contrast with the brownish-ocher-colored layer level.
places
- 1 Puerto Madryn , 80,000 inhabitants, tourist mecca on the coast, seaside resort and industrial city as well as starting point for the Valdés peninsula
- 2 Comodoro Rivadavia, 150,000 inhabitants, the largest city in the province and the center of an oil production area. The very attractive seaside resort of Rada Tilly is in the immediate vicinity.
- 3 Trelew, second largest city in the province with 100,000 inhabitants.
- 4 Rawson, the provincial capital, but only the fifth largest town in the province (25,000 inhabitants) with a charming fishing port and the seaside resort right next to it Playa Unión.
- 5 Sarmiento, 15,000 inhabitants, in the middle of the two huge lakes Lago Musters and Colhué Huapí, an oasis town with beautiful surroundings
- 6 Camarones, 1,500 inhabitants, a small harbor town with a penguin colony in the area and lovely beaches
Other goals
- 1 Peninsula Valdés, world-famous nature reserve with abundant wildlife
- Valle del Río Chubut, very attractive, little-known and sparsely populated valley with multicolored rock formations
- 2 Bosque Petrificado José Ormachea
, another nature reserve with petrified forests, near Colonia Sarmiento - 3 Punta Tombo, America's largest penguin colony, relatively easy to reach from Trelew.
background
The Patagonian Meseta is a huge, very sparsely populated region. The population is concentrated on the coast and a few river valleys, outside of which the country is almost uninhabited and also affected by severe rural exodus. It is particularly attractive because of its width and barreness.
The south of the region is characterized by oil production. The valley of the Río Chubut produces the second wealth of the region: fruit and vegetables, which are also transported to Europe. On the meseta itself, the only activity is sheep farming.
language
The region's Spanish is similar to standard Argentine.
getting there
The river valleys, in which the largest cities are located, and the coast are well connected to the transport network, even if there are relatively few direct bus connections to the north of Argentina. The main airport is Trelew, followed by Comodoro Rivadavia.
Getting to the open meseta is more difficult. The places on the main routes from east to west (e.g. Trelew-Esquel, Comodoro Rivadavia - José de San Martín) are easy to reach by bus, but often unattractive dreary outposts. If you want to get to know the real attractions, you have to bring your own, best off-road vehicle.
mobility
There is a good transport network between the various places in the river valleys, less so on the open Meseta.
Tourist Attractions
activities
You can swim well in the reservoirs, in the Atlantic (especially in late summer, in spring the water is very cold, as there is still an Antarctic current) and in the rivers.
kitchen
The region's cuisine is based on lamb and goat meat, preferably as Asado is eaten grilled.
nightlife
A good nightlife can be found in Comodoro Rivadavia and Puerto Madryn and, to a lesser extent, Trelew and Rawson, in the other cities it is more of a small town.
security
Unsurprisingly, the region's main crime area is the city of Comodoro Rivadavia. Furthermore, you should pay attention to nature: Sea lions and similar colossi should never be irritated, as they can become quite aggressive. The whales and dolphins, on the other hand, even the notorious orcas or killer whales, do not attack humans, and not a single death is known anywhere in the world.
climate
The coast has the mildest climate in the area, with little temperature dropping from north to south. Comodoro Rivadavia has a daily temperature of 26 ° C in January and 11 ° C in July, in Puerto Madryn it is 28 ° C and 12 ° C.
The climate of the Meseta is continental and dry (approx. 200 mm of rainfall per year). Unlike on the coast, there are large temperature differences between summer and winter. The summers are warm, especially in the north, but very windy.
The winters are cold, there is often snow, albeit not in large amounts, on average during the day 7 ° C in the valley (up to 10 ° C in the east, near the coast) and 1 ° C on the plateaus. However, it can sometimes get unexpectedly warm in winter.
