Puerto Madryn, Argentina - Peninsula Valdes

Monday February 19

I set up a private tour with www.sentir-patagonia.com.ar We were joined today by Trish & Gary, a great couple that we are doing several tours with.

 sunrise

We were amongst the first ones off the ship and saw our guide easily since we were told he would be holding a blue balloon and a sign with my name.  Our driver was Carlos and our guide was Roberto. 

Very interesting landscape on the drive to Peninsula Valdes across the Carlos Ameghino Isthmus which was mostly scrub. Reminded us of some parts of Arizona. We quickly saw Guanacos (like a llama) and Choiques (lesser Rhea) on the drive. We only saw the Choiques in one place, but the Guanacos were numerous all along the drive. There were also lots of sheep and a few horses along the way. We also spotted quite a few Elegant Crested Tinamou which looked like arger fancy quail.
Peninsula Valdes is the lowest point on South America at 132 feet below sea level. It is also a UNESCO World Herritage Site.

 Choiques (lesser Rhea)

About 35 miles away from Puerto Madryn, we stopped to visit El Desempeño which is the main access to Peninsula Valdes and we visited the interpretation center. There was a tower we climbed to see the beauty of the area. They had a full skeleton of a Southern Right Whale and a few interesting exhibits. There was a small gift shop and restrooms.

 Guanaco (like a llama)

 Interpretation Center

 Our Guide Roberto

Rufous-collared Sparrow

 Patagonian Mockingbird

 Elegant Crested-Tinamou

From there we headed to Caleta Valdes about 59 miles away. Our first stop was to see the Magellanic Penguins. There were a few of them up close and many more down on the beach. There were a couple of Sea Lions in the water and a few sea birds.

Our next stop was to see the magnificent Elephant Seals. (no Orca whales this time of year to be seen) They were molting and conserving energy, so not active at all. There were quite a few sea birds here as well. Here we did a couple of short trails for scenic views of the peninsula. Greg saw one lizard and Trish and Gary saw an armadillo.

 fossils

 one of the trails

 Long-tailed Meadowlark

In the van ride to our next stop we had our boxed lunch of a ham & cheese sandwich, a cereal bar and a cookie.

Our last stop was to Puerto Piramide, a small fishing village on the Golfo Nuevo where we saw an active Sea Lion rookery. Lots of small black young ones and many adults as well. Since they were active it was more fun to watch them for a longer time.

We then drove back to Puerto Madryn where we had a little time to explore the town. The craft market was packing up. We stopped for some chocolate cookies at Havana and I found a cute penguin magnet with P. Madryn on it. We stopped at a local market for some wine.

 Sea Lions on the shelves of the pier

 sail away

There were also quite a few people enjoying the beach on the warm, but windy summer day. (too cold for me on the beach) It started out cool this morning, but warmed up later in the day, especially if you were out of the wind.

It was a great day out and our guide and driver were very nice. Since we have seen and walked amongst thousands of penguins, elephant seals and sea lions in South Georgia and Antarctica, this was quite underwhelming in comparison. Of course, we still enjoyed it immensely.

Back on the ship we grabbed dinner in the restaurant and requested a table for 2 in hopes of making the evening entertainment which was Doug Funk an comedian and Improvisor. It was an Incredible laugh out loud show.  Glad we caught it.

Tomorrow, we have a sea day.

Peninsula Valdes,  Puerto Madryn https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y1dH46Pf9qyz2bLr1