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A Unique Marine Fauna Haven: Tour to Peninsula
Valdes Peninsula Valdes is one of the largest marine
wildlife reserves in the world, and a true paradise for marine wildlife lovers.
Declared a natural heritage by the United Nations, it has an unsurpassed variety
of marine wildlife species. A delightful visual feast of penguins, elephant seals,
whales, sea lions and orcas (killer whales) can be enjoyed in the peninsula area.
Prepare to experience a super close-up and unique encounter with some of the most
amazing marine animals, in their natural habitat of Peninsula Valdes Reserve.
Peninsula Valdes is like an island united to the
continent by a 22 miles (35 kilometers) long strip of land called Carlos Ameghino
Isthmus. After 48 miles (77 kilometers) we do our first stop at a small interpretation
center in the Carlos Ameghino Isthmus, from where you can see San Jose Gulf and
Nuevo Gulf. On the top floor of this Interpretation Center you will find a set
of potent binoculars from where you will be able to see in detail both gulfs and
the Isla de los Pajaros (Bird’s Island). The distance between both gulfs is only
4 miles (7 kilometers) at the narrowest part of the Isthmus.
We continue our journey and 15 miles (25 kilometers) later we arrive to the tourist
village of Puerto Piramides (Pyramids Port) where we prepare to enjoy an included
whale watching boat adventure. The sailing will last
one hour and fifteen minutes and we will then return back to port.
We continue our journey heading to the southeast eastern point of the peninsula:
Punta Delgada (Delgada Point). The entire road after Puerto Piramides is an unpaved
gravel road. After 50 miles (79 kilometers) we reach Punta Delgada, where Punta
Delgada lighthouse is located. This lighthouse is a navy base since 1905.
It is in Punta Delgada where three different beaches spread over a 4 mile (6.4
kilometer) coastal line gathering one of the largest concentrations of Southern
Elephant Seals, a major attraction for researchers and travelers.
Peninsula Valdes offers the chance to watch Southern Elephant Seals without having
to travel to remote islands, since this is the only continental territory in the
world where this species is found. One of the
characteristics of these species that most impresses travelers is their large
size and enormous weight. Males reach up to 15 feet (5 meters) long and weigh
up to 4 tons while females can be 10 feet (3 meters) long and weight up to 1 ton.
Males have a proboscis or inflatable snout that makes them look like land
elephants, which has been the reason of their name. Though
there is a stable colony in Peninsula Valdes all year round, about 40,000 Southern
Elephant Seals arrive to the Peninsula from August to March for reproduction and
to shed their skin. They are polygamists and form large harems of more than 10
females. They can spend three months at sea, diving day and night for fish. They
head for the beaches when it's time to shed their skin or for breeding season.
An outlook located near a cliff will give us the chance of enjoying a panoramic
look at the elephant seals colony. The
Southern Elephant Seal has a sub Antarctic distribution it's population is estimated
to be around 700,000, of which 20,000 arrive between August and March to breed
and change their skin in Peninsula Valdes. They are located all along the external
coast of Peninsula Valdes.
During the entire reproduction season they fast (abstain from eating), loosing
from 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 7 kilograms) per day. Elephant Seals are excellent
divers. They can go as far as 4500 feet (1.500 meters) deep, or average depths
of about 1200 feet (400 meters) and stay under water for periods of 2 hours. They
are polygamists and form large harems. Southern
Elephant Seals, when not fighting for their harems, spend most of their time lying
in the sun. As we stroll down the beach we will be able to hear the loud roars
of the male elephant seals which are used as a warning signal to other male elephant
seals that are getting too close to their harem. If the intruder ignores the warning
and comes even closer to the harem, the 2 elephant seals will eventually end up
fighting one another in a contest for sexual domination. Our
next stop is in Caleta Valdes, a natural channel, which lodges a large variety
of marine fauna. Caleta Valdes has the most spectacular panoramic views of the
Peninsula Valdes. It is a sheltered inlet which is especially important for the
peninsula biodiversity. Elephant Seals and orcas can be seen from a viewpoint
that overlooks the sea. Elephant Seals can be seen throughout
the year, especially between August and March, when they are in higher numbers
than in the other months. It is possible to go down a cliff in Caleta Valdes by
a stair, from which the Elephant Seals and the geological formations of the cove’s
spit can be seen. Depending on weather conditions, orcas
or killer whales can be seen from October to November and from February to April,
when they feed on young elephant seals. Orcas are mammals
that belong to the family of cetaceans, but unlike the whales they have teeth.
They can be seen in Peninsula Valdes from February to April in Punta Norte Region
and from October to November in Caleta Valdes and Punta Delgada region. The orca
is predominantly black, except for its white abdomen and a back fin with a white
spot behind it which scientist use for its identification.
Orcas are the greatest predator of the seas. They eat several fish species, sea
lions, sea tortoises, elephant seals, sharks and penguins. The Orcas of Peninsula Valdes are specially well known for their unique strategy of intentionally
stranding on gravel beaches to capture Sea Lions and Elephant Seals calves. The
orcas of Patagonia are the only orcas in the world that use this dangerous hunting
method in which they swim very quickly onto the beach, leaving two thirds of their
body out of the water. They then grab an elephant seal or sea lion with their
mouth and jump back into the water with energetic dorsal movements. Finally, they
share their hunt with the other members of their group. It is known that hundreds
of killer whales die each year during this hunting act, as they expose themselves
to dehydration if they are unable to move back into the water after making a kill.
Specialized emergency help units must be used to rescue these animals quickly.
Big males can weight more than 8 tons, be 29 feet long
(9.5 meters) and their dorsal fin can be up to 6 feet (2 meters) high. Females
weight 5 tons and are 18 feet (6 meters) long. Females’ life expectancy is 50
years while life expectancy for the male is only 30 years. When held in captivity
average life expectancy is significantly reduced (5 to 10 years).
You will also see in the Peninsula Valdes many prairie and bird species such as
guanacos (American Llama), rheas, hairy armadillos, hares, grey foxes, ostriches,
and oyster catcher. After a long journey we start our
return back to Puerto Madryn. Difficulty: low.
Duration: About 10 hours. The whole tour is 250 miles (400 kilometers) long. Only
63 miles (100 kilometers) are done on paved road, the rest is done on unpaved
roads (gravel roads). Guide: shared English/Spanish
speaking guide Transfer: shared vehicle.
Includes: transfers + entrance fee to Peninsula Valdes Reserve + Whale Watching
adventure. | 
