Bird Watching in Argentina - Península Valdés - 3

My Pain, Your Gain

Here are some things I wish I had known beforehand:

• People generally fly into Trelew, a very missable city (unless your children are interested in the renowned dinosaur museum, Egidio Feruglio Paleontologic Museum) of over 100,000 people that’s about 105 miles from Puerto Pirámides. You can also fly into Puerto Madryn (we flew on Andes Airlines for US$220), one of the country’s fastest growing cities of over 80,000 people, which is 60 miles from Puerto Pirámides.

• From October to the end of March is high season, and you'll pay high season prices. November is Temporada Alta Especial, or “high high” season, which means extra high prices. It’s worth it, as it's the only time you are likely to see babies of both whales and penguins.

• Our itinerary was for two half-day tours in Península Valdés with a private guide and transport; one group tour (11 hours) to Punta Tombo; and a free day in Puerto Madryn. To lower costs we stripped out all the luxury hotels agents often put tourists in (such as Las Restingas and Territorio) and arranged our own transfers.

• Go straight to tourist boards for information: They speak English, are helpful and well-organized with up-to-date lists of accommodations, car rentals and tour agencies that they can e-mail to you (informes@madryn.gov.ar). All Buenos Aires travel agencies will sub-contract with agencies in Puerto Madryn—so eliminate the middle man and get the list from the tourist board. Our tour guide was from Argentina Vision (correo@argentinavision.com).

• Whale watching in the waters of Peninsula Valdes
• aokettun

• Where to stay: If you want city life, stay in Puerto Madryn; hotels range from two stars to four stars. If you want peace, quiet, and less traveling, stay in Puerto Pirámides. It’s a village of about four streets and a wide stretch of so-so beach (not white sand), but we loved it. The playground has a couple of climbing walls and a skateboarding ramp, as well as the usual swings and slides. There are more places to stay than the guidebooks indicate; contact the tourist board.

• Gravel roads: All the roads on the peninsula are gravel, so travel is slow (it takes at least an hour to get between any two points on the peninsula). If you are renting a car, expect to pay around A$200 per day (US$66 per day) and make sure you understand what the insurance covers, as cracked windshields are common. It’s isolated driving, but not dangerous. Wild Skies (wild.skies@gmail.com) has good terms and a very clear contract. Budget is supposed to be the best of the big names.

• Getting to Puerto Pirámides: From Trelew there is a shuttle bus to Puerto Madryn for A$20 (US$7) per person. From Puerto Madryn’s bus station, there is one shuttle a day at 9:30 a.m. to Puerto Pirámides, and one shuttle back at 6 p.m. for A$12 (US$4). We arrived too late for the shuttle; our taxi from Puerto Madryn airport cost A$200 (US$66). If you ask a travel agent to book it, it’s US$100.

• Avoid January on Puerto Pirámides: This small town is overtaken by 20-somethings on holiday who camp on the beach and nearby.

• Check for cruises: Some large cruise ships dock at Puerto Madryn, so try to avoid visiting the main attractions when they arrive. Two days after we left, two cruise ships with a total of 3,000 people were due in.