Whale Watching adventure

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For anyone who likes spotting wild animals this is the place to be! One wouldn't think that considering that this is practically a desert - but we have seen so many creatures on land and in the sea...

Whale watching tops it all. These huge beings are incredibely docile and curious. They swam around, next to and under our little boat, did breaches to show off... it was certainly one of the most amazing experiences ever!
We did the tour several times (never enough 😊) and every time it was a totally different experience. Just loved it!

We also spotted sea lions, elephant seals, penguins, orcas, armadillo, guanacas, rheas, maras, a desert owl and other birds, tarantula type of spider, snake... It's a desert - but full of animals! Here, in this small and totally relaxed village we really had the time of our lives!

And to prove again that the world is after all a very small place we have a funny little story. Some of you might remember Domenico?! He served us those tasty tuscan breakfasts at Villa Ducci during the wedding last July. Well, we were sitting on a terrace in this little village of 250 people in the middle of the desertic Patagonia and who do you think we saw walking down the main (and only) street!? So we spent some time with Domenico too... small, small world!

Lots of pics this time! Enjoy while we're abandoning the sunny Patagonia for Tierra del Fuego.

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Photos

Southern Right Whale breaching
Imagine - this is around 30 tons of weight!

An armadillo
What happened to these creatures during evolution?!

Catching some sun!
It is after all a summer destination!

Hmmm...
This fellow is thinking of maybe heading back to the Antarctic...

Sea lions
Talking about taking it easy!

Elephant seals
Spot the difference between these fellows and the sea lions!

A Rhea
(some sort of Emu)

Maras
Very, very big rodents (or rats)!

A spider
About 15-20 cm big

JW enjoying it
It is a vacation after all!

Comments

[nico en jenny]

hI Jan Willem en Tajana, Jullie leuke verhalen en prachtige fotos zojuist weer ontvangen!Wat een appart beest is de armadillo nog nooit zoiets gezien! Wat leuk dat jullie Domenico nog ontmoet hebben , heel toevallig, hij staat op de foto al net zo vrolijk en vriendelijk als in Toscana! Morgen gaan jullie naar Ushuaia dat zal het meest zuidelijke punt voor jullie zijn? Zegt papa! Hier sneeuwt het momenteel en in Nederland zijn er 9 dodelijke ongelukken gebeurd door de gladheid! Nog veel reisplezier goede vlucht en tot mails! Liefs pama

[Bruno]

Impressionante
Ciao Ty & JW, ci fa enorme piacere che vi trovate bene e che vi state divertendo. Certo che fa impressine trovare tanti animali di diverse speci tutte in uno stesso posto come fosse uno zoo. Ty sarai senz'altro stata contentissima di aver visto le tue preferite (balene). Alcuni animali però non ispirano troppa fiducia (tipo armadillo), e da altri state, per favore, a debita distanza (ragno gigante). Divertitevi al massimo e continuate spensierati il vostro viaggio e avrete così un bellissimo ricordo nei giorni a venire. Duby & Bruno

[iva]

pusssa
pauk se zove tarantola. 500 vrsta i vrlo vrlo otrovni. ps tati crko kompjuter. zabavite se i za nas

[jw_tajana]

Ci stiamo divertendo da matti!
Le balene sono semplicemente fantastiche! E' veramente impressionante esserci cosi' vicini. Sono enormi ma molto gentili ed agili. Nuotano vicinissime all'imbarcazione perche' curiose, ma non la toccano mai... E quando si mettono a saltare e' semplicemnte uno spettacolo! E armadillo non e' per niente pericoloso - e' una lucertola con il guscio. Veramente ridicolo! Un bacione, Tajana e JW

[olivia]

wow!
uhm.. vorrei essere li' che invidia!!! divertitevi.... dalle foto vedo che vi state godendo il viaggio e mentre voi siete al sole qui oggi ha nevicato. un mega abbraccio o.

[Chris and Conrad]

Hello, some question about whale watching
Hello, i m Christelle, we are going to Argentina, and we ll be in Peninsula Valdes end of November this year, we are very excited to be there, your pictures look amazing! Do you remember with who did you do the tour for whale watching, I find a lot of tour, but would prefer to be advise be someone who know a little more about them. Thank you Christelle

[jw_tajana]

Whales Argentina
Hi Christelle, sorry for late answer, I haven't checked my mail in a while... but I think I'm still on time. There are indeed a lot of different agencies that offer the tours and it is really important to chose the right one. It's quite different to see the wales with biologists who truly enjoy it every time they go out or with 'touristy' tours that are in and out of see in no time and you barely see anything. We were really, really happy with Whales Argentina agency. You go out on relatively small zodiacs - ask for it though because they have also other boats, but this one is definitively the best for this kind of experience, plus they carry around 15/20 people, so it's never too crowded. Also you get really up close and personal with the wales. The tour lasts 1 and a half hour if I remember well, but they really just ride around until they see a huge smile on everybody's faces. We went with them 3-4 times.... and would surely recommend them. Good luck with your Argentina tour and have fun! It was one of the most amazing trips we ever did! Ty

[D MJ Binkley]

Amazing shot!
What a great photo and experience. I am jealous!