Comodoro Rivadavia
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Comodoro Rivadavia

Comodoro Rivadavia

Patagonian oil city on the Atlantic, battered by wind and softened by nearby Rada Tilly beach.

The biggest city in Patagonia sits on the Atlantic coast, battered by relentless wind. Comodoro Rivadavia grew rapidly in the early twentieth century when oil was discovered here, and it still has the feel of a working industrial town rather than a tourist destination. Like many Argentine cities of that era, it is modern and practical rather than picturesque.

If you find yourself here, make the short trip south to Rada Tilly. The beach there is genuinely beautiful -- a welcome contrast to the oil derricks and windswept streets of Comodoro itself.

Guide

Getting There

General Enrique Mosconi International Airport (IATA: CRD) serves Comodoro Rivadavia with multiple daily flights from Buenos Aires on Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM, and connections to Neuquén, Bariloche, and other Patagonian cities. The airport is about 9km north of the city centre; taxis are available.

By bus, Comodoro is reachable from Buenos Aires (around 24 hours on a long-distance coach), Puerto Madryn (5 hours), and Río Gallegos (8 hours south). The bus terminal is in the centre of town. The long overland approach gives a good sense of the Patagonian steppe — flat, windswept, and largely empty for hundreds of kilometres.

Guide

Things to Do

Comodoro Rivadavia is not a tourist destination but has a handful of worthwhile stops, most connected to its oil heritage and the dramatic Patagonian landscape around it.