Safari to Peninsula Valdes

killer whales living up to their names

Set on the Atlantic Coast around 1000 km (600 miles) south of Buenos Aires, Península Valdés is an area which is renowned for its prodigious marine wildlife.

Although the hinterland in this part of the world is a relatively bleak and unattractive steppe, the coastline teems with life. So much so that it’s been described as “the most significant marine mammal sanctuary in the world” and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, being upgraded to a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2014.

The two big highlights are orcas beaching themselves whilst hunting seal pups on the foreshore and enormous bull elephant seals fighting over their harems. The back-up cast includes sea lions, southern right whales and Magellanic penguins.

The area can be explored by vehicle, on foot, by mountain-bike or on horse-back. There are also options for heading out on boats for various marine safaris and even to watch from below the waves in a small submarine.

Surprisingly the inland towns of Trelew and Gaiman were largely settled by immigrants from Wales and there are plenty of, native Welsh speakers, quaint little tea rooms and other hints at this historic connection.

The best time to visit Península Valdés is generally considered to be during the Oct-Mar southern spring-summer-autumn period.

Península Valdés officially has a ‘semi-arid climate’, with two reasonably clearly defined seasons …
During the Oct-Mar summer season the weather is relatively warm and dry. Daytime temperatures usually reach around 21C/70F, with nighttime lows holding up around 12C/54F. Rainfall during this period is down around 12mm (0.5”) per month. Sunshine averages out around 9 hours per day (around 75% of daylight hours). But it can be quite windy.

During the Apr-Sep winter season the conditions are significantly cooler, and very slightly wetter. Daytime temperatures usually struggle up to around 12C/54F, with nighttime lows falling to around 4C/39F. The rainfall during this period is only around 25mm (1”) per month. Sunshine drops to around 4 hours per day in Jun-Jul (about 50% of daylight hours).

In terms of wildlife, fortunately most of the migratory animals also visit the Península Valdés area during the warm summer months. The only slight exception are the Southern right whales, which arrive in June and are gone by mid-December, so you might miss them.

The main orca hunting seasons are Oct-Dec for elephant seals and Mar-Apr for sea lions.

Getting there

Península Valdés is usually accessed via Trelew International Airport (REL), with regular direct connections with Buenos Aires and more occasionally with El Calafate (for Los Glaciares National Park) and Ushuaia (for cruises around Cape Horn and to Antarctica).

From Trelew it’s a road transfer of 100-250 km (60-150 miles), assuming that you choose to stay at one of the more remote lodges out by the coast.

Where to stay

Although there are plenty of hotels in the towns of Trelew, Gaiman, Puerto Madryn and Puerto Piramides, much of the joy of visiting the area comes from staying on one of a handful of quaint estancias and other historic properties right out along the wild coastline.

There are two absolute stand-out accommodation options …

Estancia Rincon Chico is a wonderful historic farmhouse, in a perfect position on the southwest of the main peninsula and with 16 km (10 miles) of pristine private coastline for the exclusive use of just 16 guests.

Estancia La Ernestina is an even smaller and more exclusive (but much simpler( property, this time on the north side of the peninsular, personally guided by the owner and an especially prime spot during the Mar-Apr orca versus sea lion season.

Other exciting options include the historic El Pedral Lodge and the remote and characterful Bahia Bustamante Lodge, both considerably further south.
If you are quite active and have six or more nights to spend in the area, you might consider combining one of the lodges on the Península Valdés with Bahia Bustamante Lodge, which would add up to a real marine extravaganza.

best visited during the Oct-Mar southern summer