Okay, this might sound crazy, but i'd love to see the penguins when i'm in south america this november... is this possible? I know they live in Argentina for quite long during the year.
Posts: 29 | Location: Vancouver | Registered: 07 July 2008
The Puerto Deseado penguins are all on an island, so to my knowledge you'd need to do a tour to see them, unless you want to rent a boat for the day. I'm sure wrestling with them is frowned upon, but there was nobody there other than my tour guide to make sure we didn't get to close to them.
.............. Two and a half years in South and Central America. My Website (10,000 photos) My Couchsurfing profile (only 657 photos)
Posts: 272 | Location: Back in Wisconsin | Registered: 03 January 2005
Originally posted by djperry: Besides Ushuaia, there's a big colony of magellanics at Puerto Deseado.
Apparently November in Puerto Deseado is perfect. Penguins, Dolphins, Seals and myriad Seabirds. I was there in winter time so missed most of the sea mammals and the Penguins.
If you can afford it or if you are due for a nice place to stay that is not hugely expensive, then the Hotel overlooking the Harbour and across the inlet is great! The public areas are really nice and cosy (but then I was there in winter so I really appreciated it at the time).
If you don't want to go that far south then I'm sure you and the rest of the hordes will see something at Peninsula Valdez.
Yep, like Mim says, during the right season you don't have to go further than to Puerto Madryn and the Peninsula Valdez to see penguins in quite large numbers. It's just a one thousand miles bus ride away from Buenos Aires!
The season is from October to March, so you seem to be there at the right time if you go in November. As a plus you may also be lucky enough to see orcas hunting seals on the beaches there. It's an amazing sight, although it can seem cruel.
Personally I prefer to see penguins surrounded by snow and ice, but I can assure you that the Valdez penguins do their amount of silly walks and violent falling, so you'll have a good time watching them there as well.
"penguins do their amount of silly walks and violent falling"
hahahah, that's exactly what I'm looking for. We were originally planning on just going as south as Puerto Madryn, but people seem to think that Deseado is better?
Which of these two locations do you recommed?
Posts: 29 | Location: Vancouver | Registered: 07 July 2008
Puerto Deseado is faaar away from everything else, so unless you're passing by on your way to Patagonia or Tierra del Fuego anyway, I wouldn't think it's worth it.
Another plus with Peninsula Valdez is that you'll be there in whale season. So if you're into that, I'd definitely go there. The Southern Right Whale is an impressive sight.
OMG whale season in Peninsula Valdez is AMAZING especially the early morning breakfast on beach whilst they swim VERY nearby (rather than the boat trip). There is a natural drop in the sea floor very close to the coast meaning they are very close to you as you are just sat on the sand. One of the best things I did in SA.
The penguins are everywhere too, as are the seals...
Posts: 111 | Location: UK | Registered: 31 March 2006
You can also see Humbolt penguins year round at the Islas Ballestras near Paracas (about 3 hrs south of Lima by car) which I believe is the northernmost penguin colony?
Also, I was in Pucusana last weekend (half hour south of Lima) and saw several, which is unusual for them to be that far north (global warming my a**).
Posts: 98 | Location: Lima, Peru | Registered: 15 April 2006
I recommend you visit Punto Tombo in Argentina. This is the largest colony of penguins in South America. You can also work with them and organisations such as Volunteer Latin America offer volunteer work with penguins. Better still, the projectsfeatured on their website is free!!!
Posts: 12 | Location: Brighton | Registered: 18 February 2006
With its bays and islands, surrounded by water, sky and mountains, Ushuaia, the southernmost city calls itself the End of the World. The warmest and sunniest time to visit is from November till March. Summer is ideal for trekking, horseback riding, mountain biking, sporting fishing and the tours along the Beagle Canal and Cape Horn. A variety of excursions are available from Ushuaia to Lapataia Bay, within Tierra del Fuego National Park, from which you can return to take a visit to De los Lobos Island and Martillo Island, where a rookery of Magellanic Penguins can be found in the summer. The number of tours is limited to make sure that the tours don’t interfere with the penguins´ natural nesting habits. The penguins have no fear of the tourists though, and often stand very close. I can also recommend you the travel company that can arrange trip for you. For the more upscale tour with the good service try Latour Company at www.latour.com. They offer a variety of packages to South America, including Ushuaia.
Posts: 1 | Location: USA | Registered: 28 July 2008
? But seriously, is the area protected to get there?
