On the seafront promenade of this small town on Bahía Camarones is a plazoleta. In one corner is a small stone tower crested by a wooden cross. This monument is the venue for El Día de los Españoles, or the Day of the Spaniards, celebrated every March 9 in Chubut Province. Members of Spanish societies throughout the region come to commemorate the founding of Spain’s first colony in present-day Argentina, Ciudad de Nuevo León. It was established by Simón de Alcazaba y Sotomayor on Caleta Hornos on March 9, 1535. The site lay just around the point of land on the other side of the bay that is inaccessible by land. That colony did not survive.

The most successful attempt came in 1890, when Germans, Spaniards, Dutch and Swiss came to settle along this bay. With time, Camarones became the main port for 20 ships handling wool, skins and leather from the nearby sheep ranches. The wool from this region became known for its fine quality and distinctiveness from other wools, and earned the designation of lana Camarones, which is still recognized to this day. In 1900 the town was officially founded and within the next five years, telegraph, school and other public services arrived.

In 1899, the ship Villarino, which has repatriated Liberator San Martín’s body in 1890, ran aground on the Islas Blancas coral reef. When he was a child, three-time President General Juan Domingo Perón’s family moved to Camarones where his father was the Justice of Peace. Carefully restored, the home is now the Museo Familia de Perón. This museum is dedicated to Perón’s family history, and the socio-political revolution he launched in Argentina (April-November 9 a.m.-5 p.m., December-March 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Estrada 467. Entry: free). After he became president, Perón supported many projects in the town. Many of the buildings from the town’s first decades are constructed of chapa (corrugated tin). Homes and public edifices from the 1940s and 50s are made of the local piedra toba, a stone with a distinctive earth-tone marbleized pattern.

Camarones offers a wide range of outdoor activities for nature lovers. The beaches along the coast are good for camping, sunbathing, fishing, swimming, aquatic sports, boating and scuba diving. To the north is Playa Thompson. To the south are a string of playas, including El Arroyo, Elola, Honda, El Pescadero and Caletas. Besides salmon, pez gallo (elephantfish), mero (sea bass), escrófalo (Patagonian redfish) and cazón (tope shark) can also be hooked in this sea. Boat tours are a pleasant way to explore the bay from December to March.

The big attraction to Camarones, though, is Cabo Dos Bahías, an important colony of Pingüinos de Magallanes (Magellanic Penguin, Spheniscus magellanicus) and lobo marino de un pelo (South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens). This protected nature area is being incorporated ito the new Parque Marítimo Costero Patagonia Austral, Argentina’s first marine -coastal park, which stretches south from Camarones to Comodoro Rivadavia.

Besides El Día de los Españoles, another big celebration in Camarones is the Fiesta Nacional de Salmón during the first weekend of February. Begun in 1981, this three-day festival has coastal and high-sea fishing competitions, as well as the election of the festival queen and Miss Salmoncita, concerts and comedy shows. The last night is closed with the serving of the traditional dish, chupín del pescador, or salmon stew.

The town’s economy is still based in part on wool, though fishing is now the most important industry now. Not too far from the new fishing wharf is Escuela Secundaria 721, which has a mussel farm. Piedra toba continues to be quarried for flooring and other building uses. However, with Camarones being designated the service area of the new Parque Marítimo Costero Patagonia Austral, the town will grow even more rapidly than it has in recent years. Within the next five years, Camarones won’t be the same small village it is today.

Services

Already Camarones has basic services for the casual touris, including: Centro de Informes Turísticos (September-April: Monday-Friday 7:30 .m.-8 p.m., weekends 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; May-August: daily 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Espora s/n, on the seafront, E-mil: turismo.cultura.municamarones@gmail.com, URL: www.camaronesonline.com), Policía (Roca s/n, Tel: 496-3026) , Banco del Chubut (San Martín, between 25 de Mayo and 9 de Julio; ATM, no money exchange), Correo Argentino (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Roca and Estrada), cyber café and phone center at Camarones On-Line (25 de Mayo, near San Martín; internet $0.80 per hour, Skype but slow connection), Hospital Rural (25 de Mayo and Roca, Tel.: 496-3032) and pharmacy (Sarmiento and San Martín).

Artesanía

Amutui Quimei (Sarmiento, between Urquiza and Roca, Tel.: 154-171-369) – Camarones wool, wood and other regional crafts

Tours

For more information on tour guides, contact the Departamento de Turismo y Cultura unicipal (496-3013).

Excursiones Patagonia Austral (Brown and Belgrano, on the seafront, Tel.: 154-712-165 / 154-004-844, E-mail: patagoniaustralexpeditions@hotmail.com) – boat excursions (bay $29 per person, Cabo Dos Bahías $35 per person, minimum 4 passengers), scuba diving, sport fishing

Remis Catriel (Tel.: 154-184-077) – driver and vehicle to beaches, Cabo Dos Bahías ($34 round trip)

Vero-An Tours (Sarmiento 105, Tel.: 496-3007 / 156-257-697)

Hotels

Camping Municipal (Espora s/n, next to the tourism office, Tel.: 02965-1532-2906) -- $3 per person per day, under 10 years old free, plus one fee: tent $1.50, car $3, motorhome $4.50

Hotel Viejo Torino (Brown 100, Tel.: 496-3003 / 154-311-159) – single $17, double $34, triple $43 (high or low season)

Residencia Bahía del Ensueño (Sarmiento and San MArtín, Tel.: 496-3007) – per person $17 (low season), $23 (high); also cabañas

Hotel Indalo Inn (Sarmiento and Roca, Tel.: 496-3004) – low season: single $46, double $54; high: single $63, double $72; also cabañas

Restaurants

There are several small supermarkets. Casa Ramal general store stocks camp stove canisters in summer (Brown and Belgrano, seafront).

Del Buen Sabor (Urquiza and Mitre, Tel.: 154-122-166) – carry out

Casa de Comidas Camarones (Roca s/n, past 25 de Mayo, Tel.: 496-3094)

La Vieja Estación (Belgrano s/n, Tel.: 155-0090-825)

(Altitude: 1 m / 3.25 ft, Population: 3000, Phone Code: 0297)