>>Travel Península Valdés

It is located in the province of Chubut. This peninsula is joined to the continent by the Carlos Ameghino ism, which divides the sea in two gulfs, San José (Saint Joseph) to the North, and Nuevo (New) to the South. It is in the Atlantic Patagonia, it was declared estate of mankind in the year 1999, because it hosts very important habitats for the preservation of marine mammals. The peninsula is the habitat of several species of marine birds, killer whales, sea lions, elephant seals, and above all the Franca Austral whale. The protected area comprises, among others, the fauna reservations of Puerto Pirámides, Punta Tombo, Isla de los Pájaros, Punta Norte, Punta Loma and Caleta Valdés (Valdes Cove).

Between May and June, the Franca Austral whales go to the Nuevo And San José Gulfs to comply with the yearly mating ritual. The arrival of the whales to the waters of both gulfs is an awesome spectacle. Impelled by the strength of its powerful tail this whale can do incredible somersaults, splashing tons of water and foam while playing with the sea. In groups of over 400 whales, they stay in the waters around the peninsula Valdes up to November or December. All along the 400 km. of the shore of this peninsula, it is possible to find all kinds of the marine animals of the Patagonia. Apart from the Franca Austral Whale, you can see dolphins, elephant seals (the biggest of the world), sea lions and sea leopards.

The killer whale deserves special attention, it is a cetacean mammal, with a black back and a white chest, that can be up to 10 meters long. It appears between February and May in the North corner of the peninsula Valdes, and it is an impressive show to see them go out to the shore to hunt a careless sea lion.

Among the birds that inhabit the peninsula, you can find penguins, seagulls, albatross, cormorants, and Antarctic pigeons.