Very few places in the world that are so easily accessible have such are so rich in wild life as the Valdés Peninsula. It's a must if you like taking photos on safari, or animal watching, and an ideal destination for families travelling with children.
At different seasons of the year thousands of sea mammals visit the peninsula's coasts before leaving for other areas. Magellan penguins, right whales, sea lions and sea elephants, orca, etc. The whale season is high season for tourists.
I loved the Valdés Peninsula because of the variety and number of animals, and also its lunar landscape, untouched and arid, with dunes and cliffs facing the ocean.
If you are a nature lover then get your camera ready! This is an incredible place. The wildlife on the land is not particularly amazing, and can even appear a bit boring compared to what you can see in the ocean. In that great blue expanse your eyes are going to feast on some spectacular sights.
And you don't have to get into a boat! You can stay on the beach, or on the signposted trails and wait a little, and then just admire...You'll experience moments of intense emotion on the Valdés Peninsula . During our stay we were lucky enough to see Right whales from the beach. Only 10 m from where we were, there were young mothers playing with their calves, teaching them how to jump, etc....incredible. I was speechless. Something you absolutely must see during a trip to Argentina.
Right whales are the great attraction of the place but they aren't its only one. We had been told that the north point of the Valdés Peninsula had a particular attraction. Apparently orcas are known to come up on the beaches there to catch sea lions. Really something special to see! So we went there, arriving, after a good hour's drive down not very good roads, full of hope. We were told that no one had seen an orca for a month. But that day we were lucky and saw an amazing spectacle. They were patrolling up and down about 1 metre from the beach.
There are lots of surprises on the Valdés Peninsula.
The Valdés Peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage site and an absolutely unmissable Argentinian tourist site if you want to animal watch. Surrounded by wild landscapes, if you keep your eyes open you might see ñandus, armadillos, foxes, guanacos...
Every year from July to December the star turn is when more than 1,000 whales arrive to give birth. If you want to go and observe them you have to take a boat from Puerto Pirámides. You don't have to go far before you see the whales. I really recommend going there, it's something that you will never forget. Whales swimming right next to you, lifting up their heads and their tails. One went right under my boat. It's impressive! Another unforgettable moment.
During your trip in Argentina, or to be more precise in the region of Chubut in northern Patagonia, the Valdès Peninsula is an unforgettable experience which will leave you with souvenirs that are, at the very least...unusual.
I honestly don't know which was more impressive, listening to or seeing the Southern Right whale. From the beaches of Puerto Madryn, which was my base, the spectacle was very moving. Just imagine, the biggest mammal in the world snorting and splashing only a few hundred metres, or even less, away from you. Its astounding. And that's not all, the waters of Golfo Nuevo and the peninsula have lots of other things to see, which you need to find out about from the local guides. You can also go watching guanaco (a camelid that is related to llamas), the Patagonian hare (an enormous rodent), sea elephants and sea lion, Magellan penguins... as to the birds - well, there are lots!
In one word, I love the Valdès peninsula.