Puerto Pirámides is the Patagonia “Truman Show” island. A population of ~700 people, everyone knows everyone… but by a nickname (Crazy Horse, Onion) and not their real name. A truly gorgeous place to visit for not just whale watching, but to enjoy the simple life.

The last time we were truly amazed by a small village near a large mass of water was Olkhon Island in Russia. Puerto Pirámides is part of the larger Península Valdés and is a more developed place with mobile phone connection, many restaurants and a number of hotel and/or airbnb options. A car is a must to get to the various points of the peninsula where you can see all sorts of animals: sea lions, elephant seals, penguins, and whales. It is about 2 hours drive from Trelew (smooth asphalt roads) and well worth spending at least three full days. Note: the roads around the peninsula are rough with max speed at 60 km. We ended up with a flat tire and drove max 40 km for the trip to stay safe. Here are some fun facts about this village we learned on a free walking tour:

Town History

Puerto Pirámides was built in the 1900s, originally as a salt business. There were well over 1000 people with banks and general stores. Today, there is no bank - just an ATM that may not work. With the invention of the refrigerator, people did not need salt to preserve their meat anymore. The town ghosted itself - all the people left with the salt business going bankrupt. Between 1915 and the 50s, sea lion hunting went on. The town rebirthed in the 1950s with sea lion conservation efforts and the whale watching tourism developing.

Whales

Whales are the source of livelihood for the locals. Thousands of people come each year for whale-watching and this feeds guests to the hotels and restaurants. In 2001, a 27 meter long female whale skeleton was found:

There are two whale statues in town. The first one is next to the beach at the center of town. The second statue is in the quieter part of town with painted on student handprints. This was originally painted for National Whale Day. Back in 2002, a whale had an anchor stuck on its tail. All the locals went to help remove this anchor and fortunately, this whale named Gara survived. The kids from the school wrote stories from Gara’s perspective: stories of survival, courage, and gratitude to the local people.

The 200 Argentinean Peso note shows a whale on it - this whale art was inspired by Gara’s mother.

By the way, Princess Diana visited Puerto Pirámides right before her death. She found out about the place through a hair dresser. This photo is hanging to commemorate that time. You will see she isn’t wearing a life vest (even though it is required). She refused and I guess I can see why - blue doesn’t go with the bright orange.

One School & One Library

There are less than 100 students at this school and the classroom is shared across grades. For example, the teacher will split the board in half advising first graders to look on the left side and second graders to look on the right. Sometimes the school doesn’t have enough money and classes will be suspended for a few months.

The library opened less than two months ago and is named after Asuncion Cobo, a well-loved woman who taught at the school for over 30 years. All of the locals helped build this library: donating money, physically helping with the build, and donating furniture, books, and other items. When we saw this, it is a reminder of a village at its best: helping each other create something wonderful in selfless forms.

One Hospital, No Pharmacy

Being a small town, some locals will prefer to drive 100km to the nearest city (Puerto Madryn) for a doctor than go to the local hospital where everyone will see you walk in and get nosy about what is going on with you.

Fire Department

From what we understand, firemen in Argentina are all voluntary. Puerto Pirámides is such a small town that you can hear the sirens from all corners of the town. One siren means they are coming, Two Sirens = An Accident, Three Sirens = Fire, and Four Sirens = Flood.

Street Signs

The streets were all named by children as part of a wider school project. The names are to celebrate special days and individuals with an impact on the town. The locals do not use these street names given how small the place is. There is one main street, one center of the village, and people just know where things are based upon shops and where people live. Many street signs have also been destroyed by winds blowing overnight.

A rising issue is there are non-locals using addresses on their ID cards pretending to live in Puerto Pirámides. This is so they can get tax breaks and other benefits.

Radio Station

This small station is mostly used by the school for kids to run their own programs. Hilariously though, it is also where locals go to get messages sent out to family and friends working out on the remote parts of the peninsula. In these areas, there is no mobile reception but they can listen to the AM radio! A message could come through like, “Claudio, I need you to pick up some milk on your way home!”

Church

The original church was destroyed in a storm in 1996 and the current standing one was build in 1999. You can see a brick statue to the right of the church - this is a time capsule from 2000 to be opened in 2050. We then had a deep discussion of how it is likely someone put a VHS tape in there which will puzzle people in 2050.

An Artist named Silvana

All around town, you will see beautiful artwork on walls. These are from a woman named Silvana. At first, she was hired by the local community to paint artwork focused on female empowerment. In Argentina (and around the world), there are huge movements supporting women, denouncing violence and sexual assault. Now, she also has been hired for commercial paintings around the town. We hope that when we visit Puerto Pirámides in the future, we will see the whole place painted by her artwork.

Puerto Pirámides is a wonderful example of the many small towns around the world. Tourism is supporting its existence and this is bringing not just foreign tourists, but Argentinians who have moved to work and live here permanently. This has helped the community evolve. There are locals who were born and raised in the village, never going anywhere else. By interacting with others, this is helping evolve their mindsets which may have had some traditional viewpoints no longer accepted in the modern world. This includes how women are treated. Silvana’s artwork represents how this place is changing and it is wonderful to see. We hope others will visit Puerto Pirámides, or at least take inspiration from this town, and continue to evolve into the future.