Miles and miles of unspoiled beaches and some of the richest marine wildlife in South America -- that is what Valdes Peninsula offers. Since it is often too cold and windy to sunbathe, you are probably here to watch the animals, and on that front it delivers spectacularly.
Shaped like an axe head jutting into the Atlantic, the peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important wildlife areas on the continent. Southern right whales come to the sheltered waters of Gulfo Nuevo and Gulfo San Jose to calve between June and December. Southern elephant seals and sea lions haul out on the beaches in vast colonies. Orcas famously beach themselves here to hunt seal pups -- one of the most dramatic predator behaviours you can witness anywhere. Magellanic penguins nest along the coast, and guanacos and rheas roam the scrubby interior.
The gateway town is Puerto Madryn, about 70 km from the peninsula entrance. Most visitors base themselves there and visit the peninsula on day trips, either by rental car or organised tour.
