The east coast of Argentina, and in particular the Chubut Provinice, is legendary for it’s marine wildlife. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Valdes Peninsula, a UNESCO defined area of outstanding universal value, due to the plethora of marine mammals that call this home for part of the year.
We decided to make the long cross-country trip to visit the area last January. We did this full in the knowledge that unfortunately some of the largest and most recognisable of these mammals would likely not be present for our visit. This was due to their migratory season which meant they would have left the area a month or so previously.
Our first stop in the area would actually be a couple of hours south of the city of Puerto Madryn, in the isolated location of Punta Tombo. Here we hoped to avail of the opportunity to view literally hundreds of thousands of Magellan Penguins and their new born chicks in their natural habitat. We were not to be disappointed. From a visitors perspective, the setup is really good. There is a very informative visitor centre that can be visited before seeing the penguins themselves, and one that really does prepare you well for what is to come in the wild! There are also wonderful segregated walkways whereby humans can see the penguins up close, but not actually interfere in their busy day to day activities. We marvelled as parents minded chicks, then waddled huge distances to swim off and catch some dinner for the family. We also had some wonderful assistance form the staff working there, who were only too happy to answer questions from young and old amongst us!
From Punta Tombo, we drove the 3 hours up to the city of Puerto Madryn. We were slightly apprehensive before arriving, as we had read how the city can feel overrun by tourists and locals trying to sell to them. Our experience there was nothing of the sort. We hugely enjoyed the place, casually strolling the promenade and pier without a single disturbance. We took full advantage of the wonderful weather and spent a couple of days playing games on the enormous and meticulously well-kept beach. We ate well-priced food and drank delicious juices right on the beach-front. Perhaps the feeling is a lot different if the boat trips to see whales are in high-season and vendors are not content until you are aboard one of their vessels. We certainly didn’t feel this and loved our time in the city.
Valdes Peninsula itself was reached via an excellent road linking it to Puerto Madryn. After a little over an hour, we reached the visitor centre on the peninsula. There we spent a good while learning all about the non-human visitors that they get throughout the year. Southern right whales, orca whales, sea lions, elephant seals, penguins, dolphins, maras, guanacos, armadillos, and an array of birds are just some that the natives are luckily enough to see.
Despite the huge number of tourists the peninsula gets each year, it really does not feel like the area is particularly well setup for such an influx. We just about managed to get a space in the one campsite that is on offer. Having said that, it is located right beside the wonderful beach in the town of Puerto Piramides, so we had absolutely nothing to complain about. I just wonder whether the situation would have been different if we had made it during peak whale-watching season. The town itself is really lovely, full of friendly locals, well-priced restaurants and general good vibes. The town also has the benefit of housing an enormous amount of sea lions, which can be visited via a relatively short walk from the town. Unfortunately for us, the Southern Right Whales, which can be seen from the cliffs outside town, were long gone by our arrival. We are told that they are a sight to behold if your timing is right.
To travel around the peninsula with a camper van such as ours is not advised at all. As there are no other campgrounds except in Puerto Piramides, and as it is forbidden to wild camp with the vehicle, the only option is to take day trips and return there each evening. As each of the 3 main tourist locations are located about 70km from the town, this would mean long round trips each day, or a very long circuit of the whole peninsula with little time to stop to admire the views along the way. Added to this, none of the roads on the peninsula are paved, meaning that its a pretty uncomfortable ride for the most prepared vehicle, and an incredibly uncomfortable one for a travelling family of 4…
We made the very sensible decision to go to a couple of the main places with a local driver, happy in the knowledge that our beloved vehicle would have her feet up, lounging beside the beach for the day. The $40 we paid for the privilege felt like a very wise choice as we hurtled along the dusty and bumpy roads in the intense January heat. We visited Punta Norte, where we saw more Magellinic Penguins before marvelling at a colony of elephant seals in full voice! Next up was Caleta Valdes, the spot where orca whales routinely hunt unsuspecting sea lions. Again, our timing was off and we were left wondering what such a scene may have looked and felt like in person. Punta Delgada was closed during our visit so we returned to Puerto Pirimades via Salinas Grande. This is a huge salt flat, where the locals once extracted up to 12,000 tonnes each year. Since 1920 however, this is simply a marvel to be looked at from afar, which we did before our long bumpy ride back to base.
We left Valdes Peninsula with mixed emotions at the end of 10 days in the Chubut Province. We hugely enjoyed our time in each place we had visited, and saw some incredible wildlife along the way. Yet we had the feeling that this was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what can be on show around there. As a wiser person than me once said, its good not to see everything you want to in a place that you like, so that you have a reason to go back one day. We will thus eagerly look forward to our return visit before too long.
Click here to read the “Buenos Aires” travel guide
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