Península Valdés

Península Valdés hangs from the coast by a narrow isthmus, with the Golfo San José to the north and the Golfo Nuevo to the south, where the whales come to breed. Puerto Pirámides, on the Golfo Nuevo, is its only village and the port for the whale-watching boats. The outer coast has the elephant seals of Caleta Valdés and, at Punta Norte, the beaches where orcas hunt on the shore; at the northern tip, Estancia San Lorenzo is both a working sheep farm and the home of a large colony of Magellanic penguins.

A day around the peninsula from Madryn covers the essentials, but the roads are long, and staying inside is better. Two nights at Puerto Pirámides put the whales at the door, with boats leaving from the beach and eco-suites on the shore. A night at Estancia San Lorenzo adds the penguins and the farm's work, shearing and herding with dogs, with lamb cooked over the fire. In the Golfo San José, kayaks go out among the whales.

Whales from June to December, penguins from September to April, orcas on the beach mostly in March and April. Spring has the most going on at once.