Puerto Madryn & Península Valdés

This is Patagonia's Atlantic side: no mountains, no forest, just the steppe ending in cliffs and gulfs that happen to be one of the great wildlife coasts of the world. The southern right whales come into the gulfs of Península Valdés to breed, elephant seals and sea lions line the beaches, orcas hunt on the shore at Punta Norte, and south of here hundreds of thousands of Magellanic penguins nest at Punta Tombo. Inland, the Welsh towns of the Chubut valley, Trelew and Gaiman, are the unexpected human story.

Puerto Madryn is the base, with two or three nights that cover a whale-watching trip from Puerto Pirámides, a full day around the peninsula and a half day to Punta Tombo or Punta Loma. Sleeping inside the peninsula or at a lodge on the coast changes the trip: the beaches are at the door and the day no longer depends on the road. Bahía Bustamante, further south, is the version for people who want the coast to themselves. The region fits well between Buenos Aires and the deep south, by air through Trelew.

The calendar is set by the animals. Whales are in the gulfs from June to December, with the most activity in September and October; penguins are at Punta Tombo from September to April; elephant seals breed in spring and sea lions are there all year. Orcas on the beach at Punta Norte are a matter of tides and luck, mostly in March and April. Summer is the warmest and the driest, winter is cold and windy but has the whales.