Argentina Guide
Patagonia
Península Valdés
PENÍNSULA VALDÉS, a sandy-beige, treeless hump of land connected to the mainland by a 35-kilometre isthmus, is one of the planet's most significant marine reserves and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. It's an amazing place, evoked beautifully by writer Gerald Durrell in The Whispering Land: "It was almost as if the peninsula and its narrow isthmus was a cul-de-sac into which all the wildlife of Chubut had drained and from which it could not escape." Nothing prepares you for the astonishing richness of the marine environment that surrounds it – most notably the southern right whales that migrate here each year to frolic in the waters off the village of Puerto Pirámides – nor the immense animal colonies that live at the feet of the peninsula's steep, unstable cliffs.
The first attempt to establish a permanent settlement here was made in 1779 by Juan de la Piedra, who constructed a fort on the shores of the Golfo San José. A small number of settlers tried to scrape a living by extracting salt, but the colony was abandoned in 1810 after attacks by the local Tehuelche; an extremely limited salt-extraction industry exists to this day in the salt-pans at the bottom of Argentina's second deepest depression, the Salina Grande, 42m below sea level, in the centre of the peninsula. However, it is nature tourism that's the pot of gold now, with Punta Delgada, Punta Cantor and PuntaNorte, along with Caleta Valdés bay, providing some of the best opportunities on the continent for viewing elephant seals and sea lions.
The whale-watching season runs from mid-June to mid-December, but the best time to visit the peninsula is September to November, when – in addition – elephant seals are active, the penguin colonies have returned to breed and, if you're lucky, you stand a chance of seeing orcas cruising behind the spit at Caleta Valdés.
Getting around
Many people see Península Valdés in a day tour from Puerto Madryn, following a fairly standard route that visits the lookout point for Isla de los Pájaros, Puerto Pirámides (whale trip costs from $60 extra) and Punta Cantor and Caleta Valdés and – depending on the operator – either Punta Norte or Punta Delgada. Be sure to find out exactly what sights you're visiting and how long you'll get in each place (most tours stay 1hr at each destination), whether the guide speaks English and the size of the group (some companies use large buses). Tours are long (10–12hr) so bring picnic provisions, though you can buy lunch in Puerto Pirámides.
If you want to visit the peninsula independently, the Mar y Valle bus service links Madryn with Puerto Pirámides (daily 9.30am, return 6pm; 1hr 15min; Jan/Feb second departure from Madryn 5pm, return 11am; $11 one way). This gives you the choice of going on more than one whale-watching trip, but it's difficult to organize trips from Pirámides to the rest of Península Valdés.
The best way to see the peninsula, however, is to rent a car from Puerto Madryn. This means you decide how long you want to spend wildlife-watching, and you can time your arrival at Punta Norte or Caleta Valdés for high tide, when there's the best chance of seeing orcas; it also gives you the freedom to stay at an estancia, recommended for a better appreciation of what makes the peninsula so special. A word of warning, however: do not attempt to rush, especially if this is your first experience of driving on unsurfaced roads – serious crashes and fatalities happen with alarming regularity on the peninsula, especially after rain. When renting, check what happens if you break down or have a minor accident.