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WHEN you go to Peninsula Valdes will have much to do with the experience you have. Go at certain times of year, and you probably won't see whales. Go when the weather is bad, and it might be hard to see anything. Go at low tide, and the viewing might not be as good. Your attitude will have something to do with the experience, too. The peninsula's miles and miles of flat, desolate shrubs and grasses are boring for some, fascinating for others. Know first that looking at this area on a map can be deceptive. Looked like a short tour bus ride from Puerto Madryn, where our cruise ship docked. Turned out to be 2 1/2 hours out and 2 1/2 back! Go past the Isthmus Carlos Ameghino Visitor Center in Peninsula Valdes Natural Protected Area and you're on dirt roads. Bumpy and dusty. Crossing the isthmus that joins Peninsula Valdes to the mainland is interesting, it being only 7 kilometers wide at one point. Golfo de San Jose is to the north, Golfo Nuevo to the south. Much of the land on the peninsula belongs to estancias, ranches where sheep are raised. The guanacos you see everywhere are wild, though; they're closely related to the llama. Our tour guide told us we weren't likely to see the near-threatened Patagonian mara (related to guinea pigs), then we saw one right by the roadside! The best wildlife sighting on the way in: a burrowing owl. Later in the day, we saw a pichi (armadillo native to Argentina) walking through a parking lot while tourists scrambled to photograph it. The big attractions here in mid-March were Magellanic penguins and elephant seals, both around Caleta Valdes (Valdes Cove). The penguin colony was a small one. The elephant seals were 100 to 200 feet below our viewpoint. There are also a lot of seabirds -- more than 180 species. TIPS: * Don't get bored too quickly with the guanacos. They like to jump fences! * It's possible to stay at an estancia (which literally means "stay" in Spanish). Estancia La Elvira and Estancia Rincon Chico are two. * Climb the lookout at Isthmus Carlos Ameghino Visitor Center to see what moon walker Buzz Aldrin would no doubt call "beautiful desolation." * If it's not too cumbersome, take a tripod. You really have to zoom in to get good photos of those distant elephant seals.…
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Date of experience: March 2020
1 Helpful vote
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We visited on a small group tour in a mini bus. It is a long drive from Puerto Madryn and the last stretch is on unmade roads. If you have any interest in nature, unspoilt scenery or wildlife then it is worth the trip. We saw a Patagonian Hare,countless Guanacos, an armadillo, penguins, seals and a variety of birds. If you are looking for a cosseted tourist experience then don't bother.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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A place listed as something (a sight to see). Nothing special. If it is in route to other palces then it is worth the stop.
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Date of experience: February 2020
2 Helpful votes
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If you want to go here, which I'm sure it is lovely at certain times of the year, don't go in March. There was nothing to see. Everything was really far away. Only go at high tide - we went at low tide. From the visitor center it is another 1.5 hour drive (2.5 total) on a gravel road to get out to where you can "see" stuff. 100% not worth it.…
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Date of experience: March 2020
2 Helpful votes
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First of all, I booked this tour in error, actually intending to go to Punta Tombo. However, the problems with the Peninsula Valdes tour is that in the end, there is little to be seen or enjoyed. The landscape is barren, and uninteresting. When you have seen 4000-5000 elephant seals from a distance of 10-20 feet, at Piedras Blancas or Ano Nuevo Beach in California, it is not impressive to see 4-6 juveniles lying about on the beach from cliffs 100-200 feet above them. Nor to see 20-25 Magellanic penguins on the beach, again at a distance. There were plenty of guanacos immediately beside the road on which we traveled, and several Darwin's Lesser rheas, again at a great distance while driving by. The game was not worth the candle.…
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Date of experience: March 2020
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