A calm beach town on Argentina's Atlantic coast, surrounded by pine forests and sand dunes. Small shops and wooden houses line its unpaved streets.
Mar de las Pampas sits along Argentina’s Atlantic coast between dense pine forests and wide sandy beaches. Developers created this village in the 1970s to encourage a slower pace of life connected to the environment. Walk streets shaded by acacias and cypresses planted decades ago to hold back shifting sands, or follow forest paths leading directly to beaches with few visitors. Slide down dunes on sandboards, ride horses along wooded trails, or listen to live music performances near the ocean. The village keeps its scale small, with low wooden cabins and small hotels spread across a compact grid 8 kilometers south of Villa Gesell.
Beaches and Forests
Mar de las Pampas covers 300 hectares of land where developers planted pines, eucalyptus, and cypresses to stabilize once-moving dunes. A ridge system blocks salty ocean winds, allowing trees to grow tall enough to shade walking trails. Beaches here stretch uninterrupted for miles with soft sand that stays dry underfoot, backed by dunes that change shape with seasonal winds. South of the village, the Querandà Lighthouse stands at the edge of a 5,000-hectare dune reserve reachable by horse or 4x4 trucks. This open expanse of sand appears almost desert-like compared to the village’s shaded pathways filled with bird calls.
Things to Do
Rent bicycles to follow trails connecting to Mar Azul, or ride horses along the beach as the sun dips below the horizon. Take surf lessons in gentle morning waves or harness stronger afternoon winds for kitesurfing. Families build elaborate sand sculptures or fly colorful kites on wide sections of beach sheltered by dunes. In cooler months, walk the shoreline to find shells left by high tides or watch plovers and oystercatchers migrating north. Those wanting minimal effort can book a horse-drawn cart ride through pine groves.
Where to Stay
Choose between wooden cabins with private decks for grilling meals, or small hotels providing massages and morning yoga classes. Rental houses come in sizes from single-room studios to three-bedroom homes with stone fireplaces. Buildings sit back from roads without fences, letting the forest create natural boundaries between properties. Winter brings lower prices, with some cabins costing half their summer rates. Reserve at least three months ahead for December through February visits, as fewer than 200 lodging options exist.
Transportation
Drive 370 kilometers southeast from Buenos Aires using highways through farmlands until coastal pine forests appear. Buses from Buenos Aires to Villa Gesell take five to six hours; taxis complete the final 8 kilometers to Mar de las Pampas. No buses operate within the village, but you can walk to markets and restaurants in under 15 minutes. Roads consist of packed sand—regular cars work in dry weather, but 4x4 vehicles handle better after storms.
Art and Community
Local artists run galleries near the village center selling hand-thrown ceramics, woven rugs, and landscape paintings. Each February, the Music Festival on the Beach invites guitarists and folk singers to perform on a temporary stage by the water. Building codes limit structures to two stories and require natural wood exteriors to blend with the environment. Restaurants focus on simple dishes like grilled corvina fish and salads made with vegetables from nearby farms.
Development History
Work to transform this stretch of barren dunes began in 1957, with crews planting trees for 20 years to stop sand from burying new roads. Early 1970s development plans shifted to curve streets around existing dunes rather than flattening the land. By 1979, the first properties sold with requirements to preserve trees and avoid visible fences. Today’s winding lanes and houses hidden behind pines reflect the original goal of building a community adapted to the landscape.
Day Trips
Drive south along the beach at low tide to reach Querandà Lighthouse, where a 72-meter tower offers views across endless dunes. Hike the 3.2-kilometer trail linking Mar de las Pampas to Mar Azul, ending at a beach rarely crowded except in January. Villa Gesell provides more shopping and evening entertainment options 15 minutes north, though many visitors return before dark to enjoy quiet evenings by cabin firepits.
