Lighthouses of Southern Argentina

Argentina has a lengthy coastline, extending from the warm waters of the Río de la Plata to the edge of the icy Antarctic ocean. This page includes lighthouses of the southernmost part of that coast: southern Patagonia (Santa Cruz Province) and Tierra del Fuego. These two regions are separated by the Strait of Magellan. Tierra del Fuego is divided between Argentina and Chile in such a way that the entire Strait, including its eastern entrance, is in Chile; this leaves a small gap in the Argentine coastline at the Strait entrance.

Active lighthouses in Argentina are owned by the Argentine Navy and managed by the Navy's Servicio de Hidrografía Naval (SHN).

Interest in lighthouses seems to be fairly high in Argentina. In the past, there hasn't been much concern about preservation, since the great majority of the lighthouses are being maintained by the Navy. However, in recent years there has been increasing concern about the preservation of several of the country's most historic lighthouses, especially those in the far south.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume G of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 110, except for lights of the Beagle Channel, which are from Publication 111.

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General Sources
Faros de la Argentina

This outstanding Spanish-language web site has full information on the surviving lighthouses of Argentina. The web site was created for the 2002 meeting, in Argentina, of the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society.

Lista de Faros

Official SHN lighthouse site. Most of the information and photos on this site also appear on the Faros de la Argentina site.

Faro de Cabo Virgenes, October 2005
photo copyright Paul Cookson; used by permission

Santa Cruz Province (Southern Patagonia) Lighthouses

Puerto Deseado Area Lighthouses
* Olivia: 1945. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white flash every 5 s. 7 m (23 ft) square pyramidal concrete skeletal tower, painted white, with black and white slatted daymark. Small workshed at base of the tower. Lantern removed by 1987. Located on a hilltop on the northwest side of Caleta Olivia, on the Golfo San Jorge. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-050; Admiralty G1128; NGA 19864.
Mazarredo: 1945. Inactive since 1950. 7 m (22 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower, unpainted except for a black horizontal stripe. No photo available; a Google satellite view shows a skeletal tower at this location. More information is needed on this site. Located in a remote area on the southwest coast of the Golfo San Jorge. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: unknown. ARLHS ARG-046.
Monte Loayza: 1946. Inactive since 1992. 12.5 m (41 ft) square cylindrical concrete skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and enclosed lower portion. The area surrounding the lighthouse is a nature reserve, the Reserva Natural Monte Loayza. Located in a barren and remote area on the south coast of the Golfo San Jorge, about 135 km (85 mi) northwest of Puerto Deseado. Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-048.
* Cabo Blanco: 1917. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); five long (1.5 s) white flashes every 40 s. 27 m (88 ft) round red brick tower with lantern and gallery, unpainted; lantern and gallery painted black. Douglas Fernandes has a 2007 photo, and Barbara Macia has a 2008 distant view. This is a staffed station, with a 1-story station building and several communications towers. The area surrounding the lighthouse is a nature reserve, the Reserva Natural Cabo Blanco. Located on a rocky headland at the end of provincial route 91 about 90 km (55 mi) north of Puerto Deseado; 4WD recommended. Google has a good satellite view. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-001; Admiralty G1134; NGA 19912.
Punta Guzmán: 1928. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); two white flashes every 12 s. 17 m (56 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower. Tower painted black; slatted daymark painted with an orange triangle. Lantern removed by 1971. Located in a remote area about 15 km (10 mi) south of Cabo Blanco. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-039; Admiralty G1136; NGA 19916.
Puerto San Julián Area Lighthouses
Cabo Guardián: 1928. Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); flash every 7.5 s, alternating red and white. 36 m (118 ft) square pyramidal steel tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted black. In 1975 a second square pyramidal steel tower was built inside the original tower in order to strengthen the structure. Located on a prominent and steep headland about 160 km (100 mi) southwest of Puerto Deseado; Google has a satellite view. There does not appear to be any road access to the site. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-027; Admiralty G1156; NGA 19952.
Campana: 1928. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); two flashes, white and then red, every 16 s. 26 m (85 ft) square pyramidal steel tower, painted black. Lantern removed? (More information is needed on this site, since the current tower has a modern appearance; it may not be the original). 1-story keeper's quarters, abandoned. Google has a satellite view. Located on Punta Mercedes, a remote headland about 175 km (110 mi) southwest of Puerto Deseado. There is no road access to the site. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-033; Admiralty G1158; NGA 19956.

* Caldera Alta (Puerto San Julián Fifth Range Rear): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); red flash every 3 s. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower. Lighthouse painted black. At the top, the tower carries a slatted daymark painted yellow with a black triangle, point down. A 2007 photo is available. This range guides vessels departing Puerto San Julián. Located on a hillside east of the Bahía San Julián, about 7 km (4 mi) northeast of Puerto San Julián. The shadow of the tower is seen in a Google satellite view. Accessible by 4WD. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1184.1; NGA 20004.
Puerto Santa Cruz Area Lighthouses
Cabo San Francisco de Paula: 1917. Active; focal plane 86 m (282 ft); two white flashes, separated by 6 s, every 15 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) octagonal cylindrical skeletal tower with lantern and gallery; there is a small square equipment room enclosed within the base of the tower. Entire lighthouse painted black. Google has a satellite view. Located on the "cape," a barely noticeable bend in the coastline about halfway between Puerto San Julián and Puerto Santa Cruz. There is a road to the light, but the site is quite remote. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-060; Admiralty G1196; NGA 20016.

* Cabo Vírgenes: 1904. Active; focal plane 69.5 m (228 ft); white flash every 5 s. 26 m (85 ft) hexagonal pyramidal skeletal tower with central cylinder, lantern and gallery; Fresnel lens in use. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. Paul Cookson's photo is at the top of this page, Felu Molina has a good photo, the lighthouse has a website, and Google has a good satellite view. This historic lighthouse marks the eastern entrance to the Strait of Magellan, along with the Chilean lighthouse at Punta Dungeness (see the Southern Chile page) about 10 km (6 mi) to the southwest. This is an active naval station. Nearby is a penguin sanctuary with a visitor center. As of 2004, the lighthouse was in rather poor condition and there was concern about its preservation. However, it appears in recent photos that the lighthouse has been refurbished and repainted. Located at the end of provincial route 1 (unpaved) about 80 miles (unpaved) south of Río Gallegos. Site status uncertain, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-032; Admiralty G1260; NGA 20152.

Tierra del Fuego Lighthouses

Atlantic Coast Tierra del Fuego Lighthouses
Magallanes: 1976. Active; focal plane 53 m (174 ft); three white flashes every 50 s. 13.5 m (44 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted black. the upper portion of the tower is partially enclosed by a slatted daymark. Google has a satellite view. Located 800 m (1/2 mi) southeast of the border between Chile and Argentina south of the Strait of Magellan. Site status unknown. ARLHS ARG-043; Admiralty G1260.5; NGA 20156.
Punta Páramo (2?): Date unknown (station established 1924). Active; focal plane 22.5 m (74 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 17.5 m (57 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted black. At least, that's what's pictured, but Google's satellite view seems to show a different style tower. Located near the end of the Península El Páramo, a long sand spit partially enclosing the Bahía de San Sebastián. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-057; Admiralty G1261; NGA 20160.
* San Sebastián: 1949. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); three white flashes, separated by 5 s, every 40 s. 11 m (36 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, unpainted; lantern painted black. Located off national route 3 about 25 km (16 mi) east of the town of San Sebastián, marking the southern entrance to the Bahía de San Sebastián. Google has a good satellite view. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-013; Admiralty G1262; NGA 20192.
* Cabo Peñas: 1916. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); two white flashes, separated by 5 s, every 20 s. 13 m (42 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted black. Located on a headland about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Río Grande. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-028; Admiralty G1274; NGA 20256.
Cabo San Pablo (1): 1945. Inactive since 1949. 6 m (20 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. After being in service only four years, the lighthouse was heavily damaged by the earthquake of December 17, 1949. The quake left the tower leaning at an angle of about 30°. A good closeup photo is available. The active light (focal plane 136.5 m (448 ft); two white flashes every 20 s), built in 1966, on 6 m (20 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with slatted rectangular black and yellow daymark. Located at the end of provincial route A off national route 3 about 80 km (50 mi) southeast of Río Grande. Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-031 (old) and ARG-074 (new); Admiralty G1275; NGA 20260.
Cabo San Diego: 1934. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); three white flashes, separated by 3 s, every 32 s. 14 m (43 ft) square cylindrical concrete skeletal tower with lantern. Tower unpainted, lantern painted black. This lighthouse marks the extreme southeast corner of Tierra del Fuego and the western entrance to the Estrecho (Strait) of Le Maire. Google has a satellite view. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ARG-030; Admiralty G1276; NGA 20264.

Isla de los Estados Lighthouses

San Juan de Salvamento (replica 2): 1998 replica of 1884 lighthouse. Active; focal plane 72.5 m (238 ft); two white flashes, separated by 3 s, every 15 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) octagonal frame keeper's quarters, the light shown through a square window. The building is crowned by a gray metal globe. Argentina's oldest lighthouse was replaced by the Faro Año Nuevo in 1902, but not before it played the starring role in the Jules Verne novel Le Phare au Bout du Monde (The Lighthouse at the End of the World). (Scholars believe this novel was actually written by Jules Verne's son Michel Verne.) In 1998, a society of French Jules Verne fans worked with the Argentine Navy to rebuild the historic building. Remains and artifacts of the original lighthouse are on display at the Museo Maritime de Ushuaia, along with another (and somewhat different) replica. Located high on a cliff near the northeastern end of the Isla de los Estados, marking the entrance to a sheltered cove that is one of few safe anchorages at the island. Google has a good satellite view. Accessible only by boat in famously tumultuous seas. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ARG-002; NGA 20269.
Southern Tierra del Fuego (Beagle Channel) Lighthouses Cabo San Pío: 1919. Active; focal plane 55 m (180 ft); two white flashes, separated by 4.5 s, every 16 s. 8 m (26 ft) round brick tower with lantern and gallery, the lower part cylindrical and the upper part conical, painted with red and white horizontal bands. The navy has a better photo, and Google has a satellite view. An unusual design; the lighthouse looks like a giant bowling pin. Access to the gallary and lantern is by an exterior ladder. This lighthouse marks the southernmost point of Argentina, marking the entrance to the Beagle Channel (Canal de Beagle). Islands on the south side of the channel are in Chile. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ARG-065; Admiralty G1292; NGA 110-20304.
Punta Espora: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) conical tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available. This light marks the southern tip of Isla Gable, a large island that nearly blocks the Beagle Channel. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G1311; NGA 111-2684.
Punta San Juan: Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 8 s. 8 m (26 ft) square pyramidal tower, painted with red and white bands. No photo available. Located in the Beagle Channel. ARLHS ARG-086; Admiralty G1319.4; NGA 111-2624.
San Juan de Salvamento (replica 1): 1997 replica of 1884 lighthouse. Inactive. A photo is available, also a second photo. This replica was built after archeological research at the original site on the Isla de los Estados (see above). It differs in details from the 1998 replica built near that site. Located at the Museo Maritime de Ushuaia. Site and tower open (admission fee). Owner/site manager: Museo Maritime de Ushuaia.
[Zeballos (2)]: Active; focal plane 13 m (42 ft); white flash every 4 s. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, painted red with white bands. Tony Galvez has a photo. This light has replaced a similar tower 8 m (26 ft) tall previously listed by NGA. Located on the north side of the Beagle Channel, marking the border between Argentina and Chile. ARLHS ARG-087; Admiralty G1329.5; NGA 111-2570.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Cabo Domingo (1933-1999), Tierra del Fuego
Estrecho de le Maire (1926-1993), Isla de los Estados
San Gonzalo (1928-2003), Beagle Channel

Notable faux lighthouses:

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