Just 30 kilometers from Viedma, at the mouth of the Negro River, lies the resort town of El Cóndor. Known among the region’s inhabitants as La Boca, it is a coastal village that combines the vastness of its beaches with the majesty of the cliffs that mark the last step of the central Patagonian plateaus.
The main access is Provincial Route Nº 1, a paved road that follows the coastline and links different beaches until reaching the Port of San Antonio Este. Within the resort, the Costanera Avenue runs parallel to the sea and ends at the point where the cliffs begin.
The coastline offers beaches of different characteristics —Playa Central, Playa del Casino, Playa del Faro—, some with basic services. During the summer, volleyball courts are set up and sports activities organized by the municipality take place.
The vastness of the space and the constancy of the wind have turned the area into a privileged setting for disciplines such as surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, land sailing, and kite buggying. At Easter, the Wind Festival is held, featuring sports competitions and exhibitions of large kites.
January concentrates the busiest moment of the season with the National Festival of the Sea and the Camper, which brings together concerts and cultural events. Beyond beach life, El Cóndor stands out as one of the most remarkable ornithological sites in Patagonia.
Its cliffs are home to the largest colony of burrowing parrots in the world, which is why they have become a site of research and scientific observation. More than 120 bird species inhabit the area, including falconets, black swallows, and various gulls. At sunset, the return of the flocks to the cliffs constitutes one of the site’s most unique natural scenes.
Just 3 kilometers from the village, at the mouth of the Negro River, lies the area known as El Pescadero, famous for its abundance of silversides, whiting, and flounder.
Provincial Route Nº 1 also connects with sites of historical and symbolic interest, such as the Monument to Ceferino Namuncurá, the Río Negro Lighthouse —the oldest in Patagonia— and the Malvinas Memorial.
© Sergio Pappatico
