Right whales
From Puerto Pirámides boats.
Hugo Hulsberg — CC0 · No machine-readable author provided. Raulhoracio assumed (based on copyright claims). — Public domain · Wolves201 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wolves201 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Valenroselli — CC BY-SA 3.0
Península Valdés is a vast nature reserve jutting into the Atlantic in Chubut province, some 3,625 square kilometres joined to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Its interior is dry steppe and salt lakes, one of them about 40 metres below sea level, home to guanacos, rheas and maras, while its shores belong to sea lions and elephant seals. Its great draw is the southern right whale: the two gulfs on either side, Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José, are the most important breeding ground for the species in the world, and the whales arrive between May and December to mate and calve. Whale-watching boats leave from Puerto Pirámides, the peninsula's only village. At its northern tip, orcas are known for surging onto the beach to catch young sea lions. Distances inside the peninsula are long, on gravel roads, so allow at least a full day and start at the interpretation centre on the isthmus. Fuel is sold only in Puerto Pirámides, so fill up before you enter.
From Puerto Pirámides boats.
On the beaches.
Guanacos and rheas.
Carlos Ameghino isthmus entrance, northeast of Puerto Madryn, Chubut
Southern right whales are there between May and December, most numerous in mid-season; boat trips leave from Puerto Pirámides.