Puerto Madryn and Peninsular Valdes - Day One

Oh hi! Our longest journey yet of 23 hours in seats that were on the small side, combined with a multitude of stops at bus terminals across Argentina, it seemed the journey really would never end! Luckily we had actually bothered to book accom in advance knowing that this would be whale watching high season and busy. We rocked up at El Retorno to be met by Gladys, our mad, high pitched chatty host who instantly tried to get us on one of her rubbish tours. No Gladys! No! She did love Wiji though!

Super, super excited to be in Puerto Madryn, as one of the places I had chosen to visit while still in London. Breakfast on the decking of a beach cafe...this was where the whale watching began! We could clearly see them in the bay already!!! Poor Wiji was coming down with a cold, he looks a bit mawdling here, but wasn't, prom-prom.


Slightly hysterical after being on the bus for sooo long, not having has a shower and sleeping on my face!


It was a really beautiful day...but really cold too!


The beach has a few people gazing out to sea at the whales in the distance...we were entranced too.


Walking a long the sea front...


We spent the first day sorting out car hire for the next few days and generally recovering from the bus...as well as exploring the town a bit. There was a little craft market in the evening in Plaza san Martin where we checked out some very clever wire puzzles demonstrated in a very animated and entertaining way. I brought one for Wiji to stave him off from trying to get me to play *!@*head (cards) yawn.

Wiji tucking into another lump of meat at restaurant Estella, where we sat next to the massive annotated postcard wall. OMG...there were even postcards from the likes of Torquay and Exeter, exotique! Whatever next?

Wiji put on a brave face and washed his dinner down with a nice hot lemsip! Can you really digest that?


The next morning we picked up our hire car, an estate Corsa. Wiji was overjoyed at the prospect of driving around for the next three days! We headed out of town with the boot full of supplies for camping and cooking and off to Puerto Piramides. The journey took about a hour and a half as the tarmac road turned into gravel. The only time Wiji had driven on anything remotely resembling these off road conditions was on Colin McRea Rally in Jay-to-the-dizzle's bedroom...LOL. Fortunately he didn't go quite as fast....

Our first sighting here of some Guanaco's running off.


This was pretty much the landscape... a 'steppe' type of landscape with no trees or shrubs higher than 2ft, lots of grasses and small annual plants.


Looking over at massive lake Golfo San Jose, that is open to the Atlantic ocean at the opposite point in the distance.


Miles and miles of deserted landscape...it was quite strange...Peninsula Valdes extends over a 4,000 square km area and is a protected world heritage site.


Charles Darwin commented on this wilderness... 'I see that the plains of Patagonia pass frequently before my eyes, nevertheless, everybody says that they are the poorest and the less useful. Why is it then that these arid deserts have remained imprinted in my mind?'.

We were excited by the emptiness and the open road.

To enter the reserve Peninsula Valdes we had to pass through the gated park entrance and pay some fees, before making our way onto the vistors centre to check out the displays.

A view from the modern visitors centre.


The visitors centre was dedicated to Carlo Ameghino, an Argentine field paleontologist, explorer and collector who devoted his life to researching Patagonia.

Here's Wiji looking at the complete sketeton of a Southern Right Whale, its head in the foreground.


The filter part of a whales mouth. Right whales have a series of 'baleens' that are long and flexible plates that are arranged along the upper jaw. These are used to sieve the krill.


Part of the head and vertabrae...


The bones in a flipper.


Looking back at the vertabrae, from before the tail section. The tail itself was not present because it has no bones but is made of cartilage and muscle...we were surprised by this!


The visitors centre provided us with some good quality info about the landscape, wildlife and flora that we would see. It also displayed information on the history of man's impact and place in the environment. We looked at visual information on original Indian settlers and the Spanish. Cattle raising, mining and the railroad. We thought that we would return again after our visit to check off the wildlife that we had seen.

So we continued our drive across the steppe landscape, Wiji concentrating on the gravel road and me scanning the empty lanscape for signs of life. When we arrived in Puerto Piramides we were struck by just how small it really was...literally a few tour offices and some wacky housing and a few restaurants, then nothing...

We had our hearts set on a sunset whale watching expedition with a max of 16 people in a small zodiac boat and Wiji had phoned ahead to reserve a place for 4pm that day. Sadly when we got to the Hydrosport office they were no-go with this and said it would be too windy for the smaller boat...we were gutted! So after some discussion we immediately opted for the next best, a tour in 40mins time in a larger zodiac boat, these being the best to manouver and very speedy.

Here we are getting ready in all the gear, looking like we are in comedy fat suits! Just as we donned the rubber capes and life jackets it started to rain and the sky became very grey. Wendy from London took this pic for us, until then we didn't quite realise just how mental we looked! Lol.


Despite the greyness (after the stunning sunshine in Puerto Madryn), we were very excited as we boarded the zodiac boat and it was expertly towed into the ocean...and we were off! Puerto Piramides in the distance.


The captain and English speaking guide Fernando, grimacing in the cold wind and spray.


The landscape off the coastline of Puerto Piramides in the Golfo Nuevo, the Atlantic Ocean.




Instantly we could see whales all over the place in the distance...and just hoped that we could get closer! Here's both the head and the tail visible at once. Fernando said that female southern right whale's can be as long as 18meters (as long as a London bendy bus)! The males are smaller.


One flipper being gently raised...it was enormous! The flippers have three indented furrows in them.


Part of a back.


Oh yeah...really getting a feel for the size of these amazing creatures! And pleased that we were getting the intimate experience that we wanted. We seemed to have the best seats!


A head and body...


Two whales with the gnarly ectodermic tissue (the white bits) covered with parasitic crustaceans on the tops of their mouths.






This whale was very close and several times the whales disapeared under the zodiac...you could really sense the size of them, as well as peer over the edge of the boat to make out the rough shape deep under the water. Very exciting!




It was amazing! We were seeing whales all around us, also in the distance and in groups!


Missing a breach in full, but catching the gigantic splash! Fernando said that this behaviour occurs to enable the whales to rid themselves of dead skin and parasites, but scientists still can't be certain of this. A breach also makes an enormous noise audible to other whales through the ocean up to 1500 meters away.




A breach at very close range. The captain suddenly sped off, I guess to get us out of the way!


A breach where you can see the front flippers and white underbelly as the head has been thrown back under the water, often we saw this happen consecutively.


Seagulls were a good idicator of where the whales were. They were waiting to eat the dead skin and parasites, sometimes landing on the whales backs as they emerged from the water.


Heading straight for us...a massive but tiny portion of its body exposed...


Then immediately diving below us, in the top left corner of this pic you can see the lighter colour that is the whale under the boat! We loved peering over the edge into the dark sea, it was thrilling to imagine the complete size of the whales around us! We would have loved to be able to get in and snorkle (with wet suits on)!


Tail slapping behaviour is recognised as a call for other whales as part of the mating ritual. Whales making their way here from all over the world...some from Australia, Antarctica and South Africa...




It was incredible to see and hear.


Another whale to our left breaching. At this point Fernando said that we were witnessing a breeding group meeting around us.




More close range tail slapping where several whales were present. When it comes to breeding a female will mate with all the males present, without competition or agression, and it is the strongest sperm that will inpregnate her. The female can have one calf every 3 years and then will suckle it for 2 years. Scientists believe that whales will not recognise their offspring on the return to the breeding ground...how odd?




Having a truly amazing time, it was awe inspiring! It was also chucking it down and we were wet through!


A profile with the head on the left.


Again another one heading right for us! Fernando said that whales were naturally curious of us and had never been hunted in this area, but whale watching had continued for over 30 years here, so the whales had no fear of the boats. It was good to know that guidelines for whale watching were in place too.


Diving under...


A tail emerging...


Super close! So close in fact that we got to taste the spray from the whale's blow-hole...not actually by choice! The swell was big and next to the zodiac the boat now really did seem small!




Face on again... the mouth has a long, narrow and arched upper jaw that joins the lower upwardly curved jaw that is bigger and acts like a scoop.


The blow-hole spray...


Two whales side by side in the mating group that we were watching.


In the distance another breach with the white underbelly exposed. It was at this point there was so much to see, we didn't know what to look at!


The massive swell in the foreground! The whale heading straight for the boat.


Alongside us.


Diving under...


Looking to the left with another male whale joining the mating group.


Wendy taking a last pic of us, before our hour and a half trip was up. Fernando in the background said that it was very unusual to see a mating group like this. He was very enthusiastic and a great guide. Wiji is grimacing a bit here as our trousers are soaked though from the spray and we are frozen. But this really added to the whole authenticity of being out in the ocean!


As we sped off Fernando chatted to us about the whales and the area and continually got hit in the face by spray, but took it all in his stride to answer our questions. Thanks!

Here's a video montage, with sound, of our whale watching experience.


The zodiac boat that we were in after being hauled back up the beach by the tractor-trailor.


Wiji and Wendy who we enjoyed the trip with. I was waddling behind like John Wayne trying unsucessfully not to touch my legs against my soaking trousers!


After the trip we were elated and so pleased to have seen far more than we thought would have been possible!

We got back in the car and headed off to the municipal camp ground to find our hearts and spirits immediatley plummet...it was the most tragic, desolate and windy hole with several very tiny caravans (some mended with what looked like tin foil). Also some cats going through the bins...one looked like Fred!We had a drive around, this gave us the full sad picture.

We tried to get the seats down in the car to sleep in the boot, but there was a massive bar and dip...a no go. It was howling a hoolie outside and we both had the shivers, Wiji with his cold even had to admit that putting the tent up wasn't the best plan! So we got some over priced accom and two fan heaters and a sleep later , we had warmed up a bit!

We went out for a seafood meal at El Paradise...well it was our 3 year anniversary...LOL!


Wiji went for it with a lemsip appetiser, then the seafood stew that included octopus, scallops, muscles and calamari... Moy differente! Very adventurous...he liked it! I had to have muscles of course...Yah, especial! What a totally amazing and memorable day!!!