Southern Patagonia Gate

It is the starting point of all excursions, it has become the tourist center of scale par excellence.

But Río Gallegos is not only a transit center. Its history, its great cultural movement and the natural attractions near it make it a great tourist center.

The city is located at the mouth of the river with the same name, it is the capital of the Santa Cruz province and head of the Güer Aike department. It has just over 80,000 inhabitants.

His story

The first historical news of the current Río Gallegos dates back to the expedition of Jofré de Loaiza in 1525, when it reached the Idelfonso river (today the Gallegos river) and the one headed by Simón de Alcazaba in 1535, who for the first time called it Gallegos.

Río Gallegos was born, definitely, when the maritime sub-prefecture settled there in 1885. Its destiny was apparently very modest, but the purpose was very important since it indicated a will to maintain and exercise Argentine sovereignty over these distant lands.

Currently Río Gallegos is the second most important city in coastal Patagonia and the largest in the province. 13 km from the coast and 38 km along National Route 40 is the last continental deep-water port, Presidente Arturo Illia, making the city an important industrial and commercial center.

Being the most important city in the province, it has important receptive equipment ranging from three-star hotels to lodgings, apart hotels and 2 campsites.

Also, the gastronomic options are multiple. In the city you can walk along the waterfront, visit museums or simply stroll through the streets enjoying the intense commercial, cultural and recreational activity.

Wooden barge from ex – Swift fridge Located on Av. Almirante Brown, it is considered a historical cultural manifestation. The wooden barge belonged to the dock of the former Swift refrigerator, which was built in 1910. The dispatch of the meat was carried out as follows: the raw material was loaded by steam cranes to the barges that transported them to the ships. caponeros. In the 70s for various reasons and mainly economic problems, the Swift refrigerator went bankrupt and the facilities were abandoned and the wooden barge ceased to function.

City tour through Río Gallegos

The central part of the city offers enough attractions to take a tour and learn about specific facts of its vast history and its present.

Ex - Swift Refrigerator

Surely you have heard of the Swift Fridge, which is why we suggest you visit Roca and Malaspina avenues where in 1899 it began its activity with the installation of the La Blanca grease factory, which was the base of the Swift de la Plata Company.

Railway station

This railway line is the southernmost narrow gauge train in the world. The branch was inaugurated on May 25, 1951 to serve the Río Turbio coal mines and still has coal-fired combustion engines.

Pioneers Museum

Installed in one of the oldest houses in the city, the Museum of the Pioneers shows how people lived in Río Gallegos at the beginning of the 20th century.

Virgin and Dungenes Sentinels

At the southern tip of the American continent there are two permanent lookouts: the Cabo Vírgenes and Punta Dúngenes lighthouses. We visited both.

The Rock Balcony

 Strolling through Piedrabuena and Alcorta, you will find the balcony that is part of a late 19th century construction, made of sheet metal and wood, which was used as a Government House and Post Office Building …