The Whales of Peninsula Valdes
Peninsula Valdes is the world’s middle seat front row for marine fauna observation, the peninsula is a wildlife enthusiast’s paradise with innumerable animals of a multitude of species passing by its shores each year. The huge southern right whales swim within metres of the shore and elephant seals and sea lions, penguins and birds of all kinds gather in vast numbers on the rocks and beaches. Guanacos, armadillos, Darwin’s rhea and grey foxes are found inland. When first exploring the Peninsula we met the irrepressible Ale Ferro, whose family owns the largest farm on the Peninsula and has access to over 80 km of almost untouched rarely visited coastline. Over the years we’ve organised some fabulous experiences with Ale, one of the most memorable was a picnic on a deserted beach during which, seemingly from nowhere, a herd of sea lions came over to say hello. We swam out to greet them and it was like something out of a movie.
Where to go & What to do
- Snorkelling with sea lions.
- Hiking or horse riding or kayaking to see the sea elephant and burrowing penguin colonies.
- See the orcas teaching their calves to hunt along the beaches.
- Go in search of the toninas, a black and white dolphin indigenous to Patagonia.
Travel logistics
- Penguins, sea lions, elephant seals: All year round.
- Right whales: August to October.
- Dolphins: January to March.
- Orcas: March to September (though it is rare to see, March is the best time to see them hunt along the beaches).
- Peninsula Valdes features a peculiar climate because of the effect created by the Atlantic Ocean. It does not rain much in the region on an annual basis, Summers are usually mild, the temperature can even get quite hot though it eases off in the evening. The area does get very windy at times.
- By air from Buenos Aires, Trelew airport is: 2 hr. By land: 20 hr. It’s then a couple of hours drive to get to the Peninsula Valdes, where we recommend our guests to stay.
- The region links well with Ushuaia, from where you can continue round Patagonia to the region of the glaciers.
Things to keep in mind
- Stating the obvious, wildlife can be unpredictable. The peninsula is considered one of the best places in the world to see marine wildlife and it is pretty much guaranteed to see certain species at certain times of year, though the risk of not seeing them is always a possibility.
Example Itineraries
Some examples of our favourite trips that we’ve organised over the years:
