About 18Km. of Puerto Madryn, across the Carlos Ameghino Isthmus enter Peninsula Valdes, one of the finest wildlife reserves in South America. Sea lions, sea elephants, seals, guanacos, rheas and many seabirds are present in large numbers in the beaches and headlands. Sheep breading ranches "estancias" occupy most of the peninsula’s interior, which includes one of the lowest continental depressions in the world, the salt flats of Salina Grande and Salina Chica, 42 meters below sea level. In the San Jose Gulf, just off the Isthmus, is the Bird’s Island, a bird sanctuary off limits to humans but visible
through a powerful telescope. Puerto Piramide, the peninsula’s only village, was the port of exit for salt from Salina Grande at the turn of the century, but now it depends exclusively on tourism.
Right whales visit its sandy white beaches between July and December. Caleta Valdes, on the eastern shore, is a sheltered bay with a long gravel spit onto which Sea Elephants haul up in the spring. They are easily photographed, but should not be approached too closely. Guanacos sometimes stroll across the beach. Punta Norte itself is an enormous mixed colony of sea lions and Sea elephants, with clearly marked trails and fences to discourage either side from too close and encounter. Return to Puerto Madryn.

*Navigation is optional. In case you decide not to take it, you will wait on shore for the rest of the group.

In the area of Peninsula Valdes the wilderness of the nearly deserted east Patagonian landscape contrasts with its incredible abundance of fauna: whales, sea lions and elephant seals, guanacos, ñandúes (American ostriches), millions of penguins, gulls, cormorants and countless other species of birds choose Golfo Nuevo, the steep cliffs and lonely sand banks of Caleta Valdes, Punta Norte, Punta Delgada and Punta Tombo for mating, breeding and raising their cubs.
At Peninsula Valdes, the group is gathering around the edge of Golfo San Jose from where you see "Isla de los Pajaros" (Birds’ Island).
Then visit to Estancia San Lorenzo where the group can have lunch. This private Reserve is located to 17 km from Punta Norte. The main attraction nowadays is featured by the largest Penguin reserve in the Valdes Peninsula. We are talking about 30,000 nests which in number of Penguins means 250,000 during the Summer time. It is also worth to mention that this is the northernmost penguin colony in the world.
A driving circuit has been designed in order to stroll through with 4x4 Land Rovers and getting a close view of the nests. Then we arrive to the old sea lion factory from where we take a walk. This walking excursion is taken along a 1.6 km a shaped circuit, strolling among the penguins and enabling those groups wishing to walk as much as possible to get to the end. We return from the Reserve in 4x4’s along a cliff driving down through a dune to the beach where you can observe the Elephant Seals.
Back at the main house of the ‘estancia’ which is an old shearing warehouse recycled into a Centre of Interpretation.
Then the group shall cross the peninsula going eastwards to Caleta Valdes where herds of elephant seals sprawl on the beaches and sandbanks.
The next stop can be in the extreme south of the peninsula at Punta Delgada with its lighthouse. Return to Puerto Madryn.

Punta Tombo is the most important Magellan Penguins colony within Patagonia. Half a million of them arrive at this place every year in order to breed. The first penguins arrive in September and stay here up to mid March but the best season to see them is after November, once the babies are born. One of the greatest features of this Reservation is the fact that you can literally walk among the penguins, follow them and learn their habits, see how they feed their babies, the rites of pairing, the fights for the defense of their territories, how they build their nests, and the restless walks they take to and from the sea. In other words, you can closely watch these tender little animals like you never imagined you could. Once you start getting closer to the coast, you will be surprised by a hectic fauna activity. This rocky territory hosts a great quantity of sea birds: southern seagulls, skúas, royal and black necked cormorants, Antarctic pigeons and petrels. Also, these coasts are frequently visited by sea lions as well as the southern whales, dolphins and orcas. Return to Puerto Madryn.

This tour includes a visit to Trelew and Gaiman, both towns located along the Rio Chubut Valley.  The visit to Trelew consists of a short tour that goes through the town centre, the historical square and some other places of both historical and cultural value. The most interesting point is the Paleontology Museum “Egidio Feruglio”, with a stop to do an optional visit.  The tour continues to Gaiman. There, you will pass throughout relevant historical places, as the tour guide will tell you about the history of the settlement and the typical building styles. The tour stops at a typical tea house with the option to have the Welsh tea.

Puerto Piramides is the only town of Peninsula Valdes, placed one hundred kilometers far from Puerto Madryn. We set out from Puerto Madryn with a first stop in the middle of the way at Ameghino Isthmus Interpretation Center. There, you will find information about natural and cultural facts of Peninsula Valdes.  There is also a viewpoint to watch the gulfs of San Jose in the north, and Nuevo, in the south.  After that we go directly to Puerto Piramides. There, we take a boat to do a one hour trip ; the whale-watching season is from May to December. From December to March you may watch sea-lions, cormorants and possibly, dark dolphins. You may visit the sea lions reserve at Punta Piramides, approximately five kilometers from the town.

*The one hour boat trip is optional

Gaiman shows a mixture of culture and history of its own. It is placed at 18 km from (the city of) Trelew and at 80 km from (the city of) Puerto Madryn. Gaiman, as well as Trelew, is situated in the Valley of the Chubut River and, for this reason, it can also be thought of as an oasis in the large dry ecosystem of the Northwest of Chubut. It is a small village with less than 10.000 inhabitants who work mainly in farming activities. Gaiman’s main attraction stands on both its high number of typical Welsh buildings and the historic and cultural events that take place in the village.

This palaeontology museum, the most important one in South America, is in Trelew. Its exhibition is a trip to the past, from the first human being back to life begins on the planet, the protagonists being the dinosaurs that once populated this region.
A guided visit is rounded off by documentary that combines both, knowledge and entertainment. The MEF assigns as much importance to the exhibition itself as to the accomplished research work and preservation of the fossils in Chubuts territory.

Jorge Schmid was a pioneer in the whale-watching activity in Puerto Piramide. The fact that he has been doing this for 30 years makes him an expert in whale watching in our country. Jorge Schmid and Punta Ballena offer a safe, respectful and high-quality whale-watching. Whales’ watching is available from July to Dec.

This is the first faunistic reserve founded in the province of Chubut. "Reserva Leon Marino De Punta Loma", is located 10.5 miles southeast of Puerto Madryn. A quick visit offers you the opportunity to see the colonys of sea lions in the Golfo Nuevo. We suggest you to consult the sea conditions before your visit.

*Suggested: September to March