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Introducing Río Gallegos
Hardly a tourist destination, this coal-shipping, oil-refining and wool-raising hub is a busy port with a few merits worth mentioning. Since the reign of the Kirchners, the capital city of their home province has been spruced up and spit-polished – recent prosperity is palpable. Outside of town, visitors can find some of the continent’s best fly-fishing, traditional estancias and amazingly low tides (retreating 14m). Traveler services are good here but most visitors quickly pass through en route to El Calafate, Puerto Natales or Ushuaia.
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Río Gallegos has an opportunist past. As the wool industry boomed in the early 1900s, fortune-hungry Brits and Chileans came seeking land – foreigners totaled 80% of the original population. The port stayed active with the narrow-gauge railway when coal was discovered 230km away in Río Turbio. Gallegos’ economy now revolves around nearby oilfields, with coal deposits shipped to ocean-going vessels at Punta Loyola. Home to a large military base, the city played an active role during the Falklands War.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
