Punto Tombo~


Punto Tumbo is a nature reserve located on Argentina’s central Patagonian coast.


It was set aside as a reserve in 1979,


and is home to the largest colony of Magellanic Penguins in the world.


It is also home to the Guanaco, the largest non-domesticated herbivore in South America.


Guanacos are members of the camel family and are undomesticated or wild llamas.


Adult Guanacos can weigh up to 310 pounds and are excellent swimmers.


They coexist happily with the penguins,


which is just a shameless lead-in to slip in a couple more penguin pics!


The final photo is from Gypsy Cove in The Falkland Islands which is an entirely different colony of Magellanic Penguins that I also couldn’t resist slipping in.

Cheers to you from the stunning wild creatures of the southern latitudes~

234 thoughts on “Punto Tombo~

    1. Yes indeed Eliza, guanacos are gorgeous & colonies of penguins in pristine environments have to be one of the most inspiring sights in the world. It also helps that they like people! 🐧

    1. Yes, I was thrilled! I had to discipline myself to limit the photos. There were lots of them and I have photos of them with the penguins swimming all around them that are really fun! There was also a Giant Petrel on a nest in the midst of the whole chaotic scene 🐧

  1. All great photographs! On the ninth picture, or, the next to the last if you count backwards, the penguin’s feathers look like fish scales, and the stones on the beach are more colorful than any others I have seen.

    1. You are observant. The whole area around Punto Tombo is a fossil dream. It is just packed with intact dinosaur skeletons, amazing minerals, rocks and fossils. It is also wind swept, isolated, hot in summer (now) and freezing in winter. But it would be simply amazing to go fossil and rock hunting here. This is why Argentina has such a huge market in precious and semi-precious stones.

  2. Yes. They are cameloids, members of the camel family. There are four species, llamas and alpacas were first domesticated by the Incas around 4000 BC high in the Andes. Guanacos and Vicuna are un-domesticated and wild.

        1. And, plus there was a giant petrel, sitting on a nest. I had been photographing giant petrels flying at sea. I couldn’t believe there was one right there watching all the hub-bub. What incredible birds!

  3. The furs of Guanacos look soft and a bit on the long side. It is tempting to touch. Another close look at penguin, it looks like they are wearing wet suits. I guess their feathers are designed for swimming. Very nice pictures of these cute creatures!

    1. Agreed, they might spit like a camel! 🐫 Penguins are known to regurgitate on you if you displease them by being overly tactile! I talked to a biologist who used a garbage can lid to shield himself whilst tagging penguins in Antarctica. I kinda relate with the penguins on this issue. I might regurgitate too, if tagged by a biologist 🐧

        1. Their coats are incredibly soft. There are four types of cameloids in South America, two of these are domesticated, llamas and alpacas, both of which are sheared like sheep but make a fiber so much softer than wool. I bought sweaters for my family made of alpaca fibers and they are being worn constantly!

  4. Penguins and Guanaco… I’m enchanted Cindy. And somehow, I had missed, or forgotten the camel connection. Fascinating. Must have happened way back when the continents of the world were all one big happy family! –Curt

    1. Their faces especially look camel like and they survive in harsh environments often with little water. Hard to conceptualize that llamas were first domesticated in 4000 BC by the Incas high up in the Andes~

                1. and a species, even more unfortunately for us, is defined by their actions. we really can’t escape the cumulative impact of our harm, and our lack of will to do anything substantive about it~

  5. Eliza Waters mentioned the coloured stones on the beach from the Falkland Islands. I’ve never seen such colourful stones on a beach before.
    Leslie

  6. The Guanacos look like they could be a handful if you got on their wrong side – like the rest of the camel family, I guess. The penguins are a delight, and the sandy beaches they roam in the Falklands look very inviting!

  7. What an amazing time you are having Cindy, the colour of the coat of the guanacos is beautiful. Do they ever domesticate them and use them for their wool/hair? I bet you could sit for hours watching all the action going on around you. Thank you for taking the time to share all this beauty with us

    1. Guanacos are cameloids, members of the camel family, there are four species, two are domesticated, llamas and alpacas, and two are wild vicuna and guanacos. Guanacos are completely wild animals. Llamas were first domesticated by the Incas in 4000 BC. Llama and alpaca fibers are used extensively in the making of baby fine, soft clothing. Baby alpaca fiber is the most prized. I have seen very expensive clothing (men’s jackets and such) made from vicuna fibers in the past, but I am hoping protections are now in place for the wild ones. The domesticated cameloids are used for transport and their fiber is processed much like sheep. I am no expert on these animals though, and if any blogger has more accurate information, I hope they chime in.

      1. Very interesting Cindy. Makes me wonder why 2 are domesticated and 2 aren’t. Maybe they are like the difference between dogs and dingo. It is possibly a genetic thing….

        1. Yes, yes probably so. Plus dingos are really interesting in that they are genetically distinct. Like lots of your critters in Oz. They evolved in isolation on your continent which makes them utterly unique and so fascinating.

    1. Thanks Patti! We are traveling for a little over 5 weeks with one month on a boat which is now over! It has been an amazing adventure and especially wonderful to share it with our adult children and son in law!

  8. The texture of the fur and the feathers Cindy!! I wanted to reach out and touch them!! Looks like such an amazing trip Cindy– I love it that you “take us along!” thanks! xo

  9. What beautiful pictures Cindy, your photography skills are fantastic, your post made me homesick for the beautiful Chilean country, you have seen the Argentina’s central Patagonian region, and I have seen the Chilean Patagonian region, sure you will agree with me, both sides of this part of the world are unbelievably beautiful.
    Kind regards and best wishes.

    1. How kind of you! Thank you so much. I will be doing some posts on Chilean Patagonia so stay tuned and I was reading Isabelle Allende as we traveled through Chile. This was our third time in Chile. It is absolutely gorgeous!!! The beauty is breathtaking as you know <3

  10. How absolutely wonderful. I loved every photo and the lamas look so fuzzy and sweet. What an amazing experience you are having. I’m so happy for you. Thank you for always showing us the beauty of nature. <3

    1. Thank you for joining me my friend and for caring for our beautiful planet and all it’s creatures great and small, wise and wonderful! Look forward to sharing 2018 with you !! 🐧

  11. First picture, left guanaco, above its head is a big bird sitting on the ground. Looks like it’s laying an egg. Have you ever tried to lay an egg in a crowd like that? Me neither! Did you go around Cape Horn or travel across land? You’re holding out on us.

    1. Oh, I cannot believe you found that in this photo as it is so small. I was debating whether to use this distant landscape view, or a closer image of the pond with the penguins swimming around the guanacos and the bird which you spotted. It is a giant petrel on it’s nest. I will do a post on giant petrels soon. I am impressed you spotted this! Happy New Year 🐧

        1. Happy New Year my friend <3
          This is the second time around Cape Horn by ship. The first time we went to Antarctica which still is the the most amazing travel experience I have had ever. We also went back to Ushuaia on land and went all around Southern Patagonia. But this trip was different in that we were on a boat for 31 days, and we brought the adult kids and spouse along to share these incredible places. It was epic and wonderful to share the experience with them.

  12. I thought these little guys had a llama-look about them! They’re quite cute, and you know how much I love the penguins. Your last photo is stunning, Cindy!!

  13. Cindy, the most impressive picture for me is the one with the penguin on a colourful pebble. Unbelievable, how Mother Nature makes so beautiful things! It looks unreal, like a human made Art.

    1. Yes. Argentina has the most amazing precious and semi-precious stones, minerals, fossils and this sub-region is loaded with intact, huge dinosaur skeletons. The stones are simply incredible. Thank you for noticing. The ocean water is also spectacularly clean and clear which highlights the stone’s and their colors.

  14. Bonjour ou bonsoir CINDY

    https://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/275061colom.jpg

    Ne demande rien à la vie, laisse-toi guider simplement

    Moi je suis bien avec mes amis ou amies , tu en fais partie
    J’ai appris à te connaître que ce soit par tes commentaires et encore plus par les écris de ton blog
    J e t’ai tendu la main et toi tu m’as tendu aussi la tienne

    Ensemble on a déjà parcouru du chemin

    Toi mon ami ou amie
    Souris à la vie, elle t’apportera bien du plaisir et de belles discussions pour égayer ta vie de tous les jours
    Sois toujours en confiance avec toi-même

    De nouvelles portes s’ouvriront encore à toi pour te satisfaire dans ce monde

    Passe une belle journée ou soirée

    Bisous Bernard

  15. Pingback: Nominated For a Blogger Recognition Award – aspiblog

  16. Beautiful pictures. I have nominated you for a blogger recognition award: https://aspi.blog/2018/01/10/nominated-for-a-blogger-recognition-award/
    The requirements are:
    1. Show your gratitude to the person who nominated you and provide a link back to the person’s blog.
    2. Give a brief story on your blog.
    3. Share two or more pieces of advice for beginner bloggers.
    4. Choose 10 other bloggers to nominate.
    5. Comment on each blog, letting them know they’ve been nominated and provide a link to your award post.

  17. What a delightful post. Of course, pictures of penguins always get my attention, but those of the Guanaco are fabulous. Llamas are such sweet creatures and I love feeding them out of my hand. They show their appreciation by slobbering all over you.

  18. Happy New Year Cindy. Thanks for all the stunning photos you’ve been posting from your trip. Loved all of them just as these ones – especially of penguins. I am absolutely fascinated by them 😀

  19. Bonjour ou bonsoir mon AMI (ie)CINDY

    Ce jour à n’importe quelle heure de la journée
    J’ai besoin de t’ écrire un petit mot
    Comme quoi je ne ‘oublie pas
    Et j’ai un peu de temps à t’accorder
    Juste une minute pour te dire
    Que je t’envoie un beau sourire
    Et je t’accorde deux minutes pour te donner
    Sur tes joues, deux Gros Bisous d’amitié
    Et surtout quelques secondes pour
    Te souhaiter une excellente journée ou soirée

    Avec du soleil au cœur

    Bernard

    https://s18.postimg.org/lmc5mtn5l/femme.gif

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