Verão in Península Valdés

Península Valdés is one of the most important fauna silvestre sanctuaries in South America, a UNESCO World Heritage Site jutting into the Atlantic Ocean from Argentina's Chubut province. This flat, windswept peninsula of about 3,600 square kilometers supports extraordinary concentrations of marine mammals, seabirds, and unique estepe fauna silvestre.

While the peninsula is most famous for its southern right baleia season (June-December), verão from dezembro a fevereiro brings its own spectacular fauna silvestre experiences. Massive elephant seal colonies are active on the beaches, with males fighting for dominance and females nursing pups. Southern lobo-marinho colonies are at their most animated, with pups learning to swim in the shallows. Magellanic pinguim colonies at Punta Tombo (nearby) and smaller groups on the peninsula are present through February before their autumn migration.

Verão also brings the most comfortable visiting conditions. Temperatures reach 25-30°C — warm by Patagonian standards — and the long daylight hours provide ample time for the driving required to traverse the peninsula. The dusty gravel roads are dry and passable, and the estepe comes alive with guanacos, rheas, armadillos, and nesting birds.

The gateway city of Puerto Madryn lies about 77km from the peninsula entrance. Most visitors make a full-day excursion, though spending a night in the tiny settlement of Puerto Pirámides — the only town on the peninsula — allows for a more relaxed pace. A carro alugado is the ideal way to explore, giving you the freedom to spend as much time as you want at each fauna silvestre viewing point.