GAIMAN TRAVEL GUIDE | Things to Do in Gaiman, Argentina

Hello and greetings from Gaiman! Today, we’re taking you on a tour of a little Patagonian town, set along the banks of the Chubut River, that was settled by the Welsh! This is the perfect town to visit if you’re looking for a quiet destination. It is very sleepy, yet super picturesque, walkable, and very underrated. We liked it so much that we visited on two back-to-back day trips. Some highlights included visiting Welsh tea houses (including one that was visited by Lady Diana), going to a local farm where we stocked up on artisanal products before strolling their apple orchard, and checking the numerous museums that bring this town’s history to life. This is our travel guide to Gaiman in Chubut Province, Argentina! Things to Do in Gaiman, Argentina 00:44 - Getting to Gaiman 01:48 - Central Chubut Railway Tunnel 03:33 - Gaiman Panoramic Viewpoint 04:07 - Gwalia Lân Restaurant 05:06 - Tehuelche-Mapuche Museum 05:45 - Gaiman Regional History Museum 06:21 - Ty Gwyn Welsh Tea House 07:54 - First House in Gaiman Tour 08:38 - Quintas Narlú Farm Visit 08:20 - Ty Te Caerdydd Welsh Tea House #gaiman #patagonia #patagoniaargentina Getting to Gaiman The easiest way to visit Gaiman is by renting a car and driving into town. It’s a 15-minute drive from Trelew, or a 1-hour ride if you’re coming from Puerto Madryn. Alternatively, you can catch a bus from the Trelew Bus Terminal, which is what we did. There are two possible routes, one that takes the highway and another that takes a parallel country road. We travelled both, of course, the latter is way more scenic. Either way, you can expect the journey to Gaiman to take anywhere between 20-45 minutes, depending on the route and the number of stops the bus makes! Gaiman Panoramic Point If you’re up for a fairly short and easy hike, you can head up to the Gaiman Panoramic Point. There’s a sculpture up top called The Shape of Silence, plus you get panoramic views of the town. The trailhead is right next to the Central Chubut Railway and the tourist info centre. Lunch Gwalia Lan We had pumpkin sorrentinos and soup for lunch. The food wasn't very Welsh, but it was a cool pub! Ferrocarril Central Chubut FCCC One of Gaiman’s main tourist attractions is the old train tunnel that was part of the Central Chubut Railway. The railway operated between the Chubut River valley and the port city of Puerto Madryn from 1888 to 1961 (making it the first railway in Patagonia!). It also helped cut down travel time since this journey was previously something that had to be done on horseback. Inside the tunnel, you’ll find displays that share the history of the railway in Spanish, English and Welsh. Tehuelche-Mapuche Museum The Tehuelche-Mapuche Museum, formerly known as the Gaiman Anthropological Museum, is a great museum to visit to gain a better understanding of the people who lived in this area before the arrival of the Spanish and later the Welsh. The museum also looks at the friendship that emerged between the Tehuelches and the Welsh, and how they helped the newcomers survive in a new and hostile climate that was very different from the one they’d left behind. Gaiman Regional History Museum Another place to visit in Gaiman for those wanting to learn a little bit more about the town’s origins is the Regional History Museum. It is set in the former train station and it displays a variety of items that were brought over by the early Welsh settlers. There are rooms with furniture and crockery, others with farming equipment, and another section that focuses on the Eisteddfod – a Welsh cultural festival with a strong focus on singing, reciting poetry and dancing. Ty Gwyn The main thing to do in Gaiman is to visit one of the town’s many tea houses for Welsh afternoon tea. My suggestion is to skip lunch and go very hungry because there will be a lot of food! The first tea house we visited in Gaiman was Ty Gwyn. It had a very cozy feel and it kind of felt like we were hanging out in someone’s dining room. First House in Gaiman We also toured the first house to be built in Gaiman by the Welsh settlers. This first house was built of stone in 1874, and it’s where David D. Roberts and his wife Jemima Jones, the first settlers of Gaiman, lived. This house can only be visited by signing up for a guided tour. Narlu Farm Quintas Narlú is a beautiful farm that welcomes visitors. We first walked into their shop, which features all sorts of homemade jams, freshly picked berries, Welsh Bara brith cake, honey, dry lavender bundles and more. We purchased some cake and berries, and then the owner told us we could also have a look around the farm, so we ended up having a picnic in the apple orchard. Ty Te Caerdydd We also had tea at Ty Te Caerdydd, which is the most famous tea house in Gaiman, as it hosted Lady Diana during her visit to Argentina in 1995. This tea house felt a bit more elegant and reminded me of afternoon tea at a hotel.