Y Wladfa: Discover Welsh Patagonia in Gaiman

Did you know that Argentina’s Patagonia was settled by the Welsh?

Surprise! You may even hear Welsh spoken when in this region of Patagonia. And if you don’t hear it, you’ll definitely see it. Welsh is often paired hand in hand with Spanish on a lot of signage in towns like Trelew or Gaiman.

So, how did they get here?

In 1865, a group of 150 Welsh settlers crossed the Atlantic on a ship called the Mimosa to create a new community where they could preserve their language and culture, free from English influence.

Argentina, conveniently, was working hard to settle their vast territory in Patagonia.

Argentina’s government happily handed over a huge swath of land along the Chubut River to these Welsh settlers.

They originally settled on the Atlantic coast with cities like Trelew and Gaimain, then expanded all the way to the way to the Andes with Esquel and Trevelin.

This is Y Wladfa – Welsh for “The Colony”, or even Y Wladychfa Gymreig – “The Welsh Settlement.”

Life was far from easy in this harsh landscape and the original 150 settlers found help from the local Tehuelche people who taught them how to hunt and survive in this harsh new land.

The Welsh presence remains strong even today throughout Chubut.

Spending the afternoon in Gaiman as a day trip from Puerto Madryn is the easiest way to experience the Y Wladfa.

The rest of this post will tell you how and what to see in Gaiman and the rest of the Y Wladfa if you’re so inclined.

Trelew & Gaiman: A Very Welsh Day Trip from Puerto Madryn

Gaiman is only 15 minutes from the large-ish city of Trelew in the Patagonia province of Chubut.

Visiting both is an easy and popular day trip from Puerto Madryn. That link leads to an easy booking agent if you want a guided tour.

We drove ourselves and found it very easy to manage on our own. Check here for rental car rates.

The highways here are very well maintained. It was an easy drive, taking us an hour and forty-five minutes to get to Trelew from our base in Puerto Piramides. If you’re based in Puerto Madryn, it’s an even easier 45-minute drive.

Gaiman & Trelew Itinerary

In 2018, on my first visit to the area, we drove out to Trelew and Gaiman on our own from Puerto Piramides before flying out that night out of Trelew.

My verdict: I hated Trelew and wasn’t in love with Gaiman either, to be honest. Trelew is very unattractive city and I was underwhelmed by Gaiman.

That said, if you (or your kids) love paleontology, then a trip to Trelew is a must. And if you’re already in Trelew… why not make the 15 minute effort for Gaiman? You’re already almost there. This logic that has brought me to an untold number of sites over the years.

In 2023 we were crossing Chubut from Trevelin to the coast. We decided to stop by Gaiman and drive through Trelew to give it all another chance.

Gaiman had polished itself up a lot since my first visit, with new cafes and gift shops selling beautiful Welsh souvenirs. I liked it more, but I still wasn’t in love. It was a nice pit stop, but unless you’re really interested in Welsh Tea (I’m not really a tea or sweets lover), it isn’t a must.

My feelings on Trelew remain unchanged – ugly city but it is a dinosaur heaven.

Now that I’ve done a horrible job of convincing you to go on this day trip, here’s what to do once you are there.

trelew: Dinosaurs & butch Cassidy

If you are anywhere near Trelew, then stop at the lifesize (literally made to scale) dinosaur statue on the side of the highway.

📍Where: Just outside of town on the northern entrance to Trelew on Ruta Nacional 3.

This is the Patagotitan mayorum, the world’s largest dinosaur that was found right here in Chubut. It is 40 meters (131 feet) tall and 20 meters (66 feet) long.

The statue is part of a visitor complex with restrooms, a cafe and tourist information but I can’t speak for that as it opened in 2024 after my 2023 visit.

Once in Trelew, visit the Museo Paleontologico Edigio Feruglio. We spent about an hour here but it has gone through a major renovation since our 2018 visit.

It is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 6pm and costs around 18 dollars to visit or 10 dollars for children aged 4-11. Confirm here as these things can always change.

And also, fun fact, for about 6 years Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were all over Patagonia. Mostly they were hiding out on their homestead in Cholila but he also stayed at Trelew’s oldest hotel, the Hotel Touring Club.

There is a room just off the main courtyard dedicated to Butch and his time there.

Read more about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s life in Patagonia.

Things to do in Gaiman: Welsh Patagonia

The highlight of the day is Gaiman, a small town in the Patagonian steppe where Welsh culture is strongly preserved.

You may not hear much Welsh still spoken today but you will see a lot of signs posted in both Spanish and Welsh.

Start your visit off at Tourist Information, pick up a map and get oriented. While here peak into the old train tunnel of the old Victorian Chubut Railway, a project driven by Lewis Jones that helped this region grow.

This train was in operation from 1888 to 1961. Inside the tunnel there are informational audiovisual displays about the history of this railway, ideal if your interested about trains in Argentina.

Museums of Gaiman

Housed in the old train station is the Museo Histórico Regional Galés. It is home to more than 3,000 items from the original Welsh settlement here.

This is a must visit to appreciate the arrival and life of the first settlers in the region.

Hours seem to vary by season, but currently posted hours online are Wednesday through Monday from 3:30 to 7:30 pm. I’d reach out to Gaiman’s official tourism account here to confirm for your trip.

Life in the Patagonian steppe was a shock to the Welsh settlers and the local Tehuelche people helped them survive by bartering guanaco meat and teaching them how to hunt.

The Tehuelche-Mapuche Museum is dedicated to their daily lives, customs, and their interactions with the Welsh settlers. The museum is housed in one of the town’s first two-story buildings that dates back to 1911. It is open daily from 11 am to 5 pm.

The Museo Casa del Poeta, the Poet’s House Museum, is dedicated the immigrants rituals, way of life, dress, and traditions.

The museum has been decorated as closely as possible to how it would have been with original owner of the house, Evan Thomas, a poet who lived here with his family.

And fourthly, visit Gaiman’s First House, described below.

Y tu Cyntaf, The First House

On both of our visits we stopped by the first house in Gaiman, or in Welsh, Y ty Cyntaf.

The house you see today is a replica of the stone house that was built by David Roberts and Jemima Jones in 1874. Originally the roof would have been straw, but today it features a tin roof to protect the original furnishings inside.

Buy a ticket to see inside. Your visit includes a guided tour with an English and Spanish speaking guide.

Welsh Protestant Churches – Bethel Chapel

There are around 30 Welsh Protestant churches throughout Patagonia and here in Gaiman there are two.

The old Bethel Chapel was built in 1884 and is a protestant church.

In 1906 there was a religious rebirth in the area which led to the construction of the new chapel (above) in 1913, on the same property. 

Welsh Tea Houses in Gaiman

Welsh Tea Houses are the highlight of Gaiman. This is what people drive all the way here for and why Argentines don’t come to Chubut without packing a few tins of torta galesa (Welsh Cake) to bring home to mom and dad.

I can’t give any personal recommendations. I don’t care for tea, tea time, or torta galesa. Despite multiple visits to multiple Welsh settlements, I just haven’t been able to make myself go. I’ll do a lot of things but apparently tea time is not one of them.

But if you do fancy a cuppa, I’ve given a list of all of Gaiman’s tea houses. Expect a similar menu across the board. Come hungry. Have a light lunch before or better yet, skip it entirely.

The best tea houses in Gaiman:

• Ty Cymraeg
• Ty Gwyn
• Ty Te Caerdydd – This tea house hosted Princess Diana and Prince William on their visit to the region.
• Plas y Coed
• Casa de Té Nain Glenys

How to Visit Gaiman

On our first visit we saw the above, everything as described, in Trelew and Gaiman. With our own car it was easy, not too rushed and with little time on the road.

But let’s be honest, there is a lot to see in this part of Patagonia. Over the years I’ve explored it all from dolphins to penguins to whales (and yes, even Wales, get it? See what I did there?).

If you’re willing to spend more time on the road or would prefer the ease of a packaged excursion, these arespe excellent alternatives and add-ons.

• 🐬Dolphin watching in Rawson: The town of Rawson is very close to Trelew and is one of the only places in the world to see the small black and white Tonino dolphins. If you can make the schedule work to combine a boat excursion with your visit to Gaiman, you’re in for an exciting day. Always note that it is weather dependent. If wind is too strong, boats do not go out. We spent 3 days in Rawson in 2023 in the midst of a horrible wind storm and never got out onto the water.
• 🦕Bryn Gwyn Paleontological Park: This paleontology park is only 8 kilometers from Gaiman. Visiting this park is described as traveling 40 million years into the past. It would be a great compliment to the Trelew Paleontology Museum for dinosaur lovers.
• 🐧Penguins in Punta Tombo: Punta Tombo isn’t exactly close. It is 2 hours away but it is the largest Magellanic penguin colony in the world. It is worth the drive. A tour like this one brings you to Gaiman, Trelew, and Punta Tombo from Puerto Madryn on one jam-packed day.

Read More Patagonia Guides

• Puerto Madryn: A Detailed Travel Guide
• How to visit the Peninsula Valdes
• Trevelin: Argentina’s Mountain Welsh Colony
• Punta Tombo: Argentina’s Penguin Paradise
• Where to see Penguins in Argentina
• A Guide to Wildlife in Argentina