Peninsula Valdes

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In terms of fauna the Peninsula Valdes and specifically this hotel is the top attraction of Argentina. Depending on when you are visiting you can spot seals, dolphins, killer whales, whales. This official site of Madryn has some nice calendars and a lot of useful information on the area madryn with a very nice map of the area map

In our trip we were very lucky, sea elephants were present in large groups. Unfortunately the males were out in the sea and are expected back on the beach in January. Males are around 4000 kg while females are 'just' 700 - 900 kg!

We were even more lucky with the whales. The season for watching the Right Whale (noordkaper (NL)) officially ends 15th of Dec. And we were at Punta Piramides port for watching the whales at the 14th.....of course nature cannot be predicted. Last year in November it was already difficult to find a whale and this year they were preparing to leave already for weeks. This preperation is done by laying in the sea water without moving, saving energy for the long trip south.
The trip I was on was planned to take one hour, but after 30-40 minutes of going one way we still did not spot any whales. Finally a couple of minutes later we spotted a couple of mothers and their babies whale and they gave us a spectacular show of a couple of breaks, a lot of swimming and one baby was too curious.....it came very close to the ship.
This was a very special experience and probably we were the last group this year to see them because nothern wind forecasted for the 15th will probably make them go south only to return next year again.
Because of the fact that Noortje quickly gets sea sick she unfortunately did not join this trip therefore I ordered the DVD of the whale researchers who are studing these whales already for years trying to understand their living paterns and trying to identify each and every whale.
After the whale whatching trip we continued our trip to our hotel.

At the end of the earth, where lonely moors stretch as far as the eyes can see, a different outstanding beauty captivates you. Patagonia beats on the Peninsula, where new sensations feed your eyes and soul The Valdés Peninsula is considered a World Heritage. The Hotel Faro Punta Delgada, originally the place was Correo Argentino's main office and the Argentine Navy's casino. This hotel we booked specially for Noortje. It has great opportunities to explore the beaches and the animal life in early mornings or late evenings when all other tours and tourists have left the area.
The hotel was great, extremely remotely located at the south eastern point the peninsula. Very desolate with great opportunities of horse riding near the cliff with spectacular ocean views as well as nice walking. The weather though is very unpredictable. One day it was sunny and warm, next day cloudy and very strong cold wind blowing sand everywhere....
Because of this strong wind our visit to the sea lions was a very short one, going out of the jeep was not a pleasure at all having sand blown into your face, hair and in your clothes.... but still a spectacular view!!

Because of the remote location also in the evening great opportunies for watching stars (ofcourse in case of clear skies only) the lighthouse (still working) has a great map of the southern hemisphere so you can compare and learn about location of stars.

All and all we very much enjoyed our relaxing stay and the great experiences of peninsula valdes and punta delgada faro hotel.

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Photos

preparation
Preparing the whale watching trip

The Right Whale
The Right Whale breaking

The Right Whale
The Right Whale blowing water

elphant seals
at punta delgada

horse riding
at punta delgada

Noortje horse riding
at punta delgada