Wildlife Encounter In Peninsula Valdes

**There are more than 500,000 Magellan penguins in the Punta Tombo Rookery in Peninsula Valdes.**

Puerto Madryn, Patagonia, Argentina Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Puerto Madryn is the gateway to penguins and whales and a Welsh tradition. It is one of the most vibrant cities in Patagonia. It has a beautiful coastal avenue overlooking the huge natural amphitheater of Nuevo Gulf.

Puerto Madryn's major attraction is its nearness to Peninsula Valdes, a natural sanctuary with a great variety of flora and fauna and where whale watching is one of the greatest attraction. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The other attraction is the Punta Tombo Natural Protected area. Located there, is the most important continental colony of Magellanic penguins.

The whale season is between May and December and the penguin season is between September and March. The whales stay until December and from September they will share their territory with the Magellanic penguins, which also comes to hatch their eggs and wait for their offspring to be born.

At the access point to the Peninsula Valdes, located on the Argentine Isthmus, we stopped at the Interpretation Center which serves as an introduction to the flora, fauna, geography and history of this fascinating natural sanctuary.

Whale bone at the Museum

Guanaco are camelids native to South America, related to the Llama

Chris and John lake

There are four species of penguins found in Patagonia

Magellanic penguins are the one you're likely to see in Peninsula valdes

There are 7 colonies of Magellanic penguins in Peninsula Valdes

The next stop was at Caleta Valdes. It is a place where elephant seals, sea wolves lives and a great variety of birds coexists.

Punta Piramides- It has the largest South American Sea Lion colony. It is also the only town within the Peninsula. It is named this way since it is located in a bay surrounded by cliffs resembling pyramids. The waters are crystal clear. Approximately 200 people live there.