Where is Peninsula Valdés.

Getting around Valdés requires a bit of planning. Despite having two airports, the best places in the region are hidden on long dirt roads or at the tip of the peninsula. Where is Peninsula Valdes.

Get ready for a few bumpy drives through blissfully remote landscape to reach the best whale and sea lion watching spots.

Where is Peninsula Valdés

It has approximately 3,625 square kilometers of extension, without taking into account the Isthmus of Carlos Ameghino that links the peninsula with the continent.

It is a transcendental nature reserve that was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

Indeed, it is one of the most emphasized features of the fauna of Argentina.

The Valdés Peninsula offers the opportunity to perceive some of the greatest marine animals of nature in their natural habitat.

Possibly the largest postcards are the southern right whales that come to take refuge in the natural roads on both sides of the peninsula between June and November.

However, there is much more to see with a large number of other animals, such as elephant seals, Magellan penguins and other species.

World Heritage Site-where is Peninsula Valdes

The Valdés Peninsula in Patagonia is a world-class space for the preservation of oceanic mammals.

It is home to significant spawning numbers of Australian right whales at risk of death, as well as far-reaching spawning numbers of southern elephant seals and southern sea lions.

The orcas in this area have perfected a unique hunting strategy to accommodate the particular coastal conditions.

Aspects to consider

There are two airports in the Valdés region: Trelew (2 hours from the peninsula) and Puerto Madryn (1 hour from the peninsula).

Flights to Trelew are more regular than to Puerto Madryn.

We recommend flying to Puerto Madryn if possible, as you can spend a few nights there observing the wildlife before heading to the peninsula.

There is no special reason to spend more time than necessary in Trelew.

How do you get to Península Valdés (and its surroundings)?

How to get there from the airport-Where is Peninsula Valdes.

Trelew Airport:

Once you’ve landed in Trelew, you can either take a pre-booked transfer to Puerto Madryn, or pick up a rental car and drive yourself.

It’s a 2 hour drive to Puerto Madryn, but we recommend that you get there as soon as possible after your flight.

Instead of staying in Trelew, since it is in Puerto Madryn where the wildlife watching opportunities begin.

Puerto Madryn Airport:

The bustling beach of Puerto Madryn is a 20-minute drive away. Stop and relax here for a day or two or head straight to the peninsula, an hour away.

We can organize transfers to the main places of interest and hotels in the cities and on the peninsula.

If you prefer to have a little more freedom to explore the vast spaces and discover secluded beaches and natural attractions, ask us about renting your own 4×4.

Roads-Where is Peninsula Valdes.

In and around major cities, roads are generally in good condition. However, it is worth keeping an eye out for some interesting rules of the road, especially when it comes to roundabouts.

As you move away from Trelew and Puerto Madryn, along the Atlantic coast or on the peninsula itself, the asphalt disappears and you find dirt roads in poor condition and often quite treacherous.

These roads can be very slippery and bumpy, so it’s best to ride them at low speeds and during the day.

We recommend that you hire a 4×4, or driver, to travel through this area, as many of the roads are dirt / gravel and are often in poor condition.

Discover more about Valdés

Peninsula of Valdés

The Valdes Peninsula is a unique land formation and world conservation site, home to abundant marine life, as well as countless strange and wonderful land mammals and birds. …

Peninsula Valdes Hotels

The Valdés Peninsula and the surrounding coastline are teeming with a varied and unusual fauna: southern right whales, elephant seals, penguins, killer whales and much more. …

Whale watching in Valdés

The unique geography of the Valdés peninsula has made it a paradise for whales, and this is now one of the best places in Patagonia to see them.

Whales rarely make it so easy …

Kayaking in Valdés

The coasts of Valdés offer visitors a unique opportunity to kayak among the largest population of southern right whales in the world, as well as sea lions, penguins, elephants …

The Peninsula de Valdés – The lucky whale

Probably the best-known natural area in Argentina, the Valdés Peninsula is not, at first glance, a place that should be home to life.

However, although the land may seem arid and inhospitable, it is the oceans that surround this peninsula that are the reason for coming here.

With two bays, one to the north and one to the south, the Valdés Peninsula offers a quiet stopping point for, in particular, southern right whales, both for lactation and for mating, away from the harsh Atlantic surf.

Upon reaching the desolate and windswept plains of Argentine Patagonia, one is struck by the vastness and also by the inhospitableness of the place.

It is incredible that the first immigrants to Argentina did so at the end of the 19th century and managed to make a living.

Driving from Trelew towards the Valdés Peninsula, you begin to see some traces of life, the occasional Guanaco (a wild version of the famous Llama), or hairy armadillo.

Only when you get to the coast does one realize the real reason for coming here, for the incredible Valdés Peninsula and the marine life it nurtures.

The Valdés Peninsula has formed over millions of years as the Atlantic has flowed, leaving strange deposits of shells in its wake.

Today, the peninsula sits on a bedrock, with layers and layers of sand-sediment on top. Without good growing soil, the only plants that survive here are small and need relatively little.

However, it still manages to maintain a population of guanacos, and the ranches of sheep and cattle that form a mosaic throughout the land.

Around this sandy promontory in the Atlantic that constitutes the Valdés Peninsula, the beaches are bursting with life:

The myriad of elephant seals, colonies of sea lions, the occasional Magellan penguins, and of course the famous southern right whales.