Balneario El Cóndor

Balneario El Cóndor (also called La Boca) is a spa on the coast of Río Negro near the mouth of the Río Negro, 25 km from Viedma. It is the second most important in the province, with around 80,000 visitors annually and known internationally for its colony of burrowing parrots, one of the largest in the world.

Understand

Cliff area, home to the world's largest colony of parrots

Upon arrival at km 31 of Provincial Route 1 and entering the small village by the access road which ends at the Playa Grande, to the left of its long coast is the mouth of the Negro River in the Argentine Sea, and to the right, where the cliffs begin, is the oldest lighthouse in Patagonia.

Get in

By car

You can get there from the city of Viedma along Provincial Route 1, paved.

By bus

Viedma is connected to all towns along National Route 3, including Buenos Aires, and to western Patagonia (Neuquén, Bariloche). In Viedma you have to take a local bus, which does not leave from the terminal, but from the square. You can also take a local bus in Carmen de Patagones. Only the service from Bariloche is directly connected to the resort.

By train

Viedma is connected to San Carlos de Bariloche and San Antonio Oeste by the Patagonian Train (twice a week). Carmen de Patagones has service to Bahía Blanca and Buenos Aires.

• Some distances: to Bahía Blanca 270 km, to San António Oeste 185 km, to Las Grutas 195 km, to the Middle Valley (Choele Choel) 315 km, to the Alto Valley (Gral. Roca) 550 km, to S.C. from Bariloche 1,000 km.

See

• The colony of burrowing parrots is a few meters from the lighthouse on Playa del Faro, 2 km west of the center, where the cliff begins.
• 1 Rio Negro Lighthouse (Faro Río Negro). The oldest in Patagonia, serving since 1887. It is not open to tge public, byt tgerevus an exdellent view. (updated Jun 2024)
• 15 km west of the center there are several sites with attractive rock shapes, such as El Espigón and Playa Bonita. You have to check the status of the access because it is usually closed due to landslides.

Do

El Cóndor is one of the Argentine spas with the widest range of activities. In addition to the traditional beach activities, you can go sailing on the wide beach, diving, paragliding from the cliff, fishing at the mouth of the Río Negro ("El Pescadero") and fourtrax.

The beaches are very wide and gently sloping, mainly those closest to the mouth of the Río Negro. The ones closest to the Lighthouse have sandbars (rocky outcrops) at low tide. They have almost no infrastructure, although year after year there is growth in this aspect, accompanying the growth of the town.

• 1 Playa Central (Central beach). (updated Jun 2024)

Sleep

There are relatively few places in hotels and apartments, but several campsites located on the coast. The most luxurious hotel is the Hotel del Casino.

• 1 Carabana Hotel y Restaurante, C. 16, C. 71 esq, ☏ +54 2920 696732 (WhatsApp). Oceanview hotel with restaurant. (updated Jun 2024)