The undoubted highlight of the whole Atlantic Coast in Patagonia is the splendid array of marine wildlife on Península Valdés, best visited from Puerto Madryn. This seaside town has a grand setting on the wide bay of Golfo Nuevo, and is the perfect base for setting off to Valdés, just 70 km east, as there are plenty of hotels and reliable tour operators running excursions to the peninsula, including boat trips to see the whales. During the breeding seasons (broadly speaking, September to December) you can see whales, penguins and seals at close range, or go diving to explore life underwater. It’s possible to stay on the peninsula if you hire a car, with several estancias right in the middle of the wild nature, and conventional hotels at the small popular resort of Puerto Pirámides. Puerto Madryn is a good place to enjoy the sea for a couple of days, with lots of beachfront restaurants selling superb locally caught seafood.
Much of Península Valdés’ wildlife can be enjoyed throughout the year, with sea lions, elephant seals, dolphins and many species of bird permanently resident. The bull elephant seals can be seen fighting for females from September to early November, and at this time too, killer whales can sometimes be sighted off the coast, staying until April. Penguins can be seen from September to March, and the stars of the show, the southern right whales, come to these waters to breed in spring (September to November).
The city centre is easy to get around on foot, with many restaurants and hotels lined up along the seafront at Avenida Roca, and most shops and excursion companies on the streets around 28 de Julio, which runs perpendicular to the sea and past the town’s neat little plaza, all contained within four or five blocks.
Puerto Madryn Airport (T02965-456774) is 8 km west of centre and can be reached by taxi, US$10. There are weekly flights with LADE from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn’s airport, 10 km west. However, there are more frequent flights with Aerolíneas Argentinas from Buenos Aires, El Calafate and Ushuaia to Trelew’s airport, some 60 km south, with buses to Puerto Madryn that meet all flights. Transportes Eben Ezer runs a bus service from the airport to Puerto Madryn’s bus terminal for US$4, the journey takes one hour. Mar y Valle runs a bus every hour from Trelew’s bus terminal to Puerto Madryn’s bus terminal. The bus terminal (T02965-451789) is at Yrigoyen y San Martín (behind the old railway station), and has a café, clean toilets, locutorio and a small but helpful tourist office. Walk three blocks down Roque Sáenz Peña to get into town.
1Create your personal travel guide:
Give a title and description about where you plan to go and what you plan to see throughout your trip!
2Plan and organize your trip:
Browse tripwolf and click the (+ add to my trip) button next to any location that you find appealing. Add sights, restaurants, bars, hotels - whatever you like! Arrange the location in any order by dragging and dropping them.
3Print and share your guide:
Finish planning and download your personal printable PDF guide for your trip and share it with your friends. (Soon you will also be able to download your trips to your tripwolf iPhone application!)
more Puerto Madryn photos
Puerto Madryn videos
