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Welcome to Comodoro Rivadavia. When we first told our Argentine friends that we were traveling to Argentina's national oil capital, everyone asked, "Why?" We were told, "There's nothing to see there, and you'll just find sand and wind." But this only piqued our curiosity. So in today's video, we're exploring this unlikely tourist destination. We'll learn about the town's origins at the National Petroleum Museum, take in the views from Cerro Chenque, a hill that looks a lot like a sandy pyramid, visit a neighboring seaside town that is the southernmost beach resort, and we'll also enjoy some delicious seafood. This is our travel guide to Comodoro Rivadavia.
Comodoro Rivadavia is a seaside city, and that means you can enjoy some beautiful coastal walks along the Costanera. We walked along Playa Costanera, which was really nice. You have to go through a bit of an industrial shipping area where there are some old abandoned boats covered in graffiti, but you eventually reach a really nice beach. Oh, and you know what was really cool? What? Seeing the lifeguards training and the stray dogs joining them. Oh, that was amazing. I got such a good shot from high above, and then one of the lifeguards came up to us and wanted to see the clips afterwards. Really nice
guy. He's training, and uh hopefully he's going to get a full-time job uh sometime in the new year. Wishing him the best. What's this all about? And this is a really interesting monument. It's right nearby the beach, by the boardwalk. This is a monument to Tango. Also, what a huge difference it makes here between low tide and high tide because on our first day we arrived at high tide, and the waves were just like crashing into the beach, into the walls that are kind of like protecting the
coastline. It was insane. Like we cannot believe the size of the waves just like smashing and like jumping up in the air. It was crazy. Um and now, by comparison, it looks so calm. Like just little rolling waves, not even big enough to surf on or anything. The most important place to visit in Comodoro Rivadavia is the National Petroleum Museum. Locally known as Museo Nacional del Petróleo. This is the place to learn about how they found oil and the role this played in making Comodoro
Rivadavia the city it is today. The museum is located about 3 km north of the city center and it is built in the very same spot where the team's first struck oil. The nice thing about this is that there is a guide on site to share the history of oil in Comodoro Rivadavia and answer any questions you may have, in Spanish, of course. The museum has a simulator that shows you what it would be like if you could shrink down and travel to the bottom of an oil well. I'm sure it's an experience meant for children, but it was actually a lot of fun. They also have interesting displays that show you what petroleum can look like, all sorts of surprising colors, photos of the National Oil Queen pageant, and exhibits on the uses of oil through
time dating from the Middle Ages to Ancient Egypt. Still learning fascinating stuff about petroleum here. I'll translate this for you guys, but it's basically saying that 5,000 years ago, um the Egyptians were already using petroleum to embalm their mummies. 4,000 years ago, it was being used in construction to like stick bricks together, kind of like the glue. Then, 900 years ago, during the Middle Ages, it was being used as a medicinal Probably not a good idea, guys. And then, just a few decades ago, they were just extracting the kerosene from the petroleum, use it in lamps to illuminate rooms. So, yeah, and then over to the Bible, back in Genesis, it already mentions something like petroleum. There's There's mention of it
in the area. It has a long history, this stuff. Another thing to do in Comodoro Rivadavia is to enjoy the views from Cerro Chenque. It's impossible to miss this hill as it dominates the skyline. It stands 212 m above sea level and offers panoramic views of the city and the coastline facing south. The name Chenque means cemetery or grave in the native Tehuelche language since this was used as a burial ground. While it is possible to walk up Cerro Chenque, it is a busy road shared with heavy traffic and you have to walk along a gravel path on the side. If it's just the views you're after, you can hire a taxi to drive you to the top and wait for you
while you snap some photos before driving back down. Aside from the National Petroleum Museum, which is the main attraction in town, there are a few smaller museums scattered across the city. We managed to visit the Museo Ferroportuario set in the same building that once housed the railway station. This museum shows the city's link to the railway and the port. This is the most interesting exhibit so far, at least for me. These are different lighthouses of Patagonia. If you look at the poster over here, it says exactly that. And they have replica models and they also have information of where they're are located. If you wanted to make a an interesting challenge for yourself, you could come to Patagonia and try to visit
maybe not all of them, but most of them. Or all of them. Rent a car and visit all There you go. There's a challenge for you. Also, these are squeaky floors, hey. Another thing to do during your visit to Comodoro Rivadavia is to take a day trip to Rada Tilly. Rada Tilly is a beach town located just 13 km away and it's considered a weekend getaway and summer destination for those with oil money. The waterfront is lined with elegant homes and mansions, some that look like they were inspired by Santorini and the beach is right on their doorstep. Well, guys, welcome to the beach.
Nice and windy here. Woohoo! We actually arrived at high tide, so there isn't a lot of beach to walk on. It's kind of crazy, like the waves have just kind of taken over the whole shore, but it's so cool to see. And I mean, the water is a beautiful color. It's like turquoise. It almost feels like you're in the Caribbean, but I'm sure if you were to dip a toe, you'd be like, "Oh, hello Atlantic." It is not warm. I'm sure. You can tell there's a lot of wealth here. People really look after their properties, their gardens, their home. If I had known about this place, I would have wanted to spend a few days just hanging out here, having like a little
beach vacation, you know? vacation. Seriously. During low tide, the beach is super wide and you can walk all the way down to the cliffs on the south end looking for seashells. And if you travel 6 km further, you'll reach Punta Marqués. This is a natural reserve where you can see the sea lions that live on the cliffs year-round, though you'll find the highest concentration of them from October to December. Now, let's talk about where to eat in Comodoro Rivadavia. We hit up Gajo Coco a few times because of its proximity to our hotel.
This restaurant does classic Argentine dishes, including things like empanadas, sandwiches, grilled meats, salads, and pizzas. We also ate at their sister restaurant Gajo Coco del Mar, which has sadly since closed down. But the key takeaway is to try the seafood in the city. We ate dishes like paella, shrimp casserole, and tasting platters featuring things like calamari, mussels, and breaded fish. And yes, more pizza was consumed. As you can see, Sam couldn't get enough of the shrimp pizza, and I have to admit, it was pretty good. I'm the pizza monster. We went to the museum this afternoon and the staff there were super nice.
They gave us a brochure of different restaurants we could get out of the city. We saw photo of the pizzas from this place. It's called Cuarto Mitre and it's only three blocks from our hotel. I'm like, we got to come and try their specialty, the seafood pizza, a Patagonian specialty pizza. And it comes with shrimp, eight slices. Have a Santa Julia um Malbec wine. An old familiar favorite. It's a really nice table wine. Pizza in Argentina is excellent, like world-class. Especially the shrimp pizza, you get the giant shrimps. So juicy, it goes so well with
the cheese. Delicious, guys. Salute. Because Comodoro Rivadavia is an oil town, most people travel here for business. That means the city has a nice selection of business hotels. We stayed at Comodoro Hotel. This is a centrally located three-star hotel with a lobby bar and a good buffet breakfast. It was no-frills, but it worked for us. And that concludes our visit to Comodoro Rivadavia. We hope you enjoyed exploring Argentina's oil capital with us. And should you ever find yourself in this corner of Atlantic Patagonia, now you know what there is to do. If you enjoyed this video, we invite you to give it a like, subscribe, and we'll see you soon with more videos. Ta-ta.
