What is the experience of traveling to Península Valdés in search of orcas like?

There is always a good reason -if necessary- to visit

and

.

If it is not the whales in winter and spring, it is the penguins, dolphins and elephant seals in summer or the sea lions all year round, as well as birds and terrestrial fauna such as guanacos, choiques or maras.

And now, autumn, is the time of the orcas:

mark the best time of the year to watch these cetaceans, especially in the area of

, in the beautiful northern end of Península Valdés.

March and April are the best months to observe orcas in Península Valdés.

Photo Peninsula Valdés Orca Research

The season for killer whales and penguins - there are still many in the penguin colonies in the area, such as Punta Tombo or San Lorenzo - begins to overlap with that of whales, since the first ones begin to arrive at the end of March or the beginning of April.

There we go.

Heading to Punta Norte

It is a privilege to stay in a beachfront hotel in Puerto Madryn.

The view is hypnotic, with the beach shining under the midday sun, with the sunsets with reddish skies and with sunrises like this one, in which we get up early towards our goal.

In the area they have identified 23 specimens of two family groups,

It's 6:30 am when we get on the minibus looking for

to the north, not without a brief stop to photograph that orange ball that appears on the horizon and begins to reflect in a calm sea like a pond.

In just over two hours we cover the 160 km -almost half gravel- between the city and the immensity of the destination landscape: a parking lot, public toilets, a cafe, the park ranger's house and a small house right at the tip and in At the top, where

control the behavior of visitors, especially those who want to go down to the beach -it is prohibited- and, above all,

: on a wall, a calendar has notes on several days, such as March 14 (“6 orcas”) and 16 (“7 orcas”).

Orcas live in the area all year round, but the sea lion pup hunting season is the best time to observe them.

“The orcas live in the area all year round, but at this time it is more likely to see them because the newborn sea lions begin to jump into the water to learn how to swim, and then the orcas take the opportunity to hunt them, and even to teach their

. how to do it”, explains our guide, Leoní Gaffet, a naturalist and one of the managers of the Península Valdés Orca Research project.

In this task, the orcas in the area apply a

, the "intentional stranding": they come out of the water, catch their prey and remain stranded on the pebble beach, waiting for a new wave that Help them get back in the water.

The show attracts visitors from all over the world;

in fact, on the observation walkways we share space, talks and silences with Americans, Germans and French, many French.

"

" Mike suddenly shouts in rudimentary Spanish, an American who is touring Patagonia, and when we see the water vapor that orcas, like whales or dolphins, expel through the blowhole, everything is revolutionized. , emotion and an indescribable expectation takes over everything and everyone.

Then I see Leoní coming at a fast pace, almost running down the gangway: "Don't worry, it's not an orca, it's a southern right whale," he warns, seeking to lower our expectations.

It is that the

, which arrive at the coasts of Chubut every year, are doing it

.

With the beginning of spring we are already seeing the first “advance” of the 2023 season.

It is that, unlike the whales, which easily leave the coast or embarked in summer,

;

one can go one day and see them, or go several days, without luck.

Agencies organize "orca vigil".

In fact, there are agencies in Puerto Madryn that organize what is called “

”, which consists of coming every day to Punta Norte or Caleta Valdés to watch and wait until they appear.

The tour always coincides with the rise of the tides, because

of sightings, and for this reason they do not have a fixed departure time but can be at dawn, in the morning, in the afternoon or at night, depending of the tidal schedules.

They go with a vehicle with driver and guide.

killer whales in family

"In the area we currently identify

, whose leaders are Maga and Ishtar.

From Maga, born before 1980, we identified six children and five grandchildren;

and of Ishtar -already deceased-, five children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandson, although some members died, so today there are 23”, explains Leoní.

Orcas are identified by certain unique traits.

Photo Peninsula Valdés Orca Research.

Among those 23 there are four who are not associated with either of these two family groups: Antu, Tyson, Jaluel and Yenu.

The

project keeps track of each sighting and updates the image catalog year after year, because orcas are identified by certain particular signs such as the shape of the dorsal fin, the saddle -the white spot behind that fin-, the white spot behind the eyes -it is like a fingerprint, different in each specimen-, the tail or caudal fin.

Marks on their skin are also updated year after year, such as wounds or scratches that may be the result of fights or even caused by being stranded on the beach.

Some of the orcas identified by the Península Valdés Orca Research project.

The penguin stay

Around one in the afternoon, we decided to leave: the tide is already going out and that lowers the chances of orcas appearing on the Punta Norte coast.

It is not bad at all to leave with an earring for a next trip.

But the activity that awaits us is no less attractive: a unique Patagonian grilled lamb for a great lunch at the

-closes in April and reopens in September-, and then a visit to the penguin colony that has grown and grown in recent years. It grew to become the

, with more than 600,000 specimens at its peak, between December and February.

That is why the visit is no longer free;

Before, each one could arrive by their own means, now, to take care that the place is not damaged, they only go

;

penguins appear everywhere, and more than once we have to stop their march to wait for them to move out of the way.

Estancia San Lorenzo opens from September to the end of March.

At the end of March, although the juveniles already leave in the water, there are still thousands that populate the beaches of this sector of the north coast of the peninsula.

Many are molting their plumage, and they look funny with their messy locks.

Lying on the warm pebbles of the beach, we took photos of the penguins with the sea golden by the sun in the background, and we enjoyed

that only this Chubut peninsula is capable of giving, which was not declared

for nothing. .

MINIGUIDE

How to get there

• Puerto Madryn is 1,300 km from Buenos Aires along RN 3 to Bahía Blanca, then RN 22, RN 251 and again RN 3.

• Aerolíneas Argentinas and Flybondi fly to the Madryn airport and the nearby Trelew (60 km) .

Roundtrip in April, from $17,970 (with hand luggage only).

• Bus from Retiro (Andesmar, Cóndor-Estrella, Vía Bariloche, Vía Tac, 7 pm), from $21,500 one way.

• Punta Norte is 160 km from Madryn along provincial routes 1, 2 and 3 (87 km of asphalt and 73 of gravel in good condition).

It can be reached by rented vehicle or with an excursion.

Penguins at the San Lorenzo ranch.

Photo PB/Travel

Where to stay

In Madryn there is a wide range of accommodation, from hostels to 4-star hotels.

At the Pirén hotel (three stars), from $19,800 for a classic double room with sea view.

April and June, promo one free night from three accommodation (www.hotelpiren.com.ar).

How much it costs

• Admission to Península Valdés for Argentines costs $1,300 for adults, $650 for children between the ages of 6 and 11, and retirees and pensioners;

children under 6 years old, free.

Foreigners, adults $2,800, $1,400 children from 6 to 11. Chubut residents, $500 single rate.

• Animal Travel's “orca vigil” tour, in a vehicle for 4 people with an expert driver/guide, costs $97,500 .

​• Another option is the regular Peninsula Valdés tour, which visits Punta Norte, Puerto Pirámides and its sea lion colony, the Ameghino isthmus with the interpretation center, Caleta Valdés and Punta Cantor: $19,500 per adult (animaltravel.com.ar).

Where to find out

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