Full Day Peninsula Valdes - optional Whales Watching Navigation
Description
Be seduced by the fascinating landscape of Peninsula Valdes on this full-day tour from Puerto Madryn. Admire the mesmerizing beauty of this famous wildlife reserve of Patagonia, a UNESCO World Heritage. Optional: If you choose the "including Whales Watching Navigation" option, you'll get a closer view of this natural wonder from the water! This is a lifetime experience you can´t miss!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Today, we will pick you up early in the morning at your hotel to visit the Peninsula Valdés Protected Natural Area, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO IN 1999.
After an hour of travel, we will arrive at the ecological village of Puerto Pirámides. Here, those who wish can embark for the traditional whale watching navigation (not included) between the months of June and November, or Sea Lions and Cormorants between the months of December and March.
If choosing to include the Whales Watching Navigation Puerto Pirámide is the only place in Península Valdés where this experience can be done. The whale watching trip starts going along the coast in both directions and then getting one or two miles into the sea, to get in touch with the Southern Right Whales. The first stop is generally at La Lobería (sea lion colony). The sailing along the coast allows one to also watch many cormorant colonies. We will continue our navigation to meet the whales. Once we meet them, magic will start. The boat will stop the engines and silence will begin to reign, interrupted only by the sounds of the sea and the occasional bird. It will be a unique moment where, if we are lucky, we will be able to see them very close to us. The estimated sailing time will be 1:30 hs depending on the time of year, weather conditions and the number of animals in the area. Those who remain on land will be able to visit the picturesque Puerto Piramides town and its beaches
We will continue touring the southern part of the Peninsula, crossing wide landscapes of grasslands and undulations, passing through the Salinas Grande and Chica, and outside Punta Delgada, which constitutes the southern end of the peninsula. We will continue to Punta Cantor to admire the Atlantic coast and the fascinating geological formation known as Caleta Valdés. These beaches are usually inhabited by southern elephant seals, depending on the time of year. Depending on the season and the availability of marine fauna, we can replace the southern area of Las Salinas and Caleta Valdés with Punta Norte.
From there we will start our return making a stop at the Carlos Ameghino Interpretation Center, a compendium of the natural wealth of the peninsula. During the excursion we will have great chances to observe terrestrial wildlife, such as guanacos, rheas, foxes, maras, armadillos and skunks.
After enjoying the last views of the day, we will take you back to your hotel.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick-up from hotels in Puerto Madryn is included. Pick-up time from your hotel will be between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. If your hotel is NOT listed, please provide your hotel name when booking in the 'Special Requirements' box. If you are staying at an Airbnb/bungalow/apartment, please let us know and we will inform you of a meeting point for pick-up. You MUST give your personal phone number so that we can reach you if needed. Pick-ups not included in hotels located in the outskirts of the city. In this case, the traveler must pay an extra cost for the transfer to the city center. Transfer from Puerto Madryn Airport/Bus Station to your Hotel in Puerto Madryn are available with extra cost. Please ask at the moment of booking. Pick up time on Christmas and New Year may vary.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Important: Passport name, number, nationality and date of birth and are required at time of booking for all participants.
- Please bring: Warm clothing, waterproof jacket, gloves, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, comfortable footwear and clothing. You can bring refreshments.
- The order of the tour may vary depending on weather conditions. Depending on the time of year and the availability of marine fauna, we can replace Caleta Valdes with Punta Norte. You will be arriving back to Puerto Madryn at approximately 5pm / 5:30pm.
- At lunchtime, the excursion will meet in Puerto Pirámides or Caleta Valdés (not included). There is a service area with restaurants and cafes.
- Season to travel: Excursion all year. Whale watching navigation available from mid-June to November. Sea lions navigation available from December to the end of March. Between April and mid-June there is no navigation.
- Ensure your accommodation details are filled out to complete your reservation. This is necessary for confirmation.
Reviews(10)
We did this tour as a couple in November 2025 and loved it. The pickup was on time and everything was well organized. The guide was friendly, spoke good English, and shared interesting facts about the animals. The boat felt safe and we saw many whales very close, plus other wildlife. It was a long day but not too tiring, and it was a beautiful, romantic experience that we would happily recommend.
Hello! What a pleasure to read your review. It sounds like a truly memorable day on the water, with wildlife encounters that made the experience feel both special and intimate. We’re glad the organization, timely pickup and the guide’s insights helped the day unfold smoothly, and even more so that you could enjoy the whales up close. Thank you for recommending it so warmly. Warm regards
The trip to Peninsula Valdes was amazing, especially the whales, but it was quite expensive and very crowded.
Hi Sharon! Thank you for your review. We’re happy to know you enjoyed the beauty of Península Valdés and the incredible whale sightings. It’s a truly special experience. The whale watching navegation's price is largely our control and we understand than sometimes crowds can be a bit much in some dates. We apreciate your feedback, it really helps! Best regards
It was amazing, every animal they said we would see we saw. We saw hundreds of whales with their babies, sheep and their babies, ostriches, horses, llamas, elephant seals, birds, maras, and more! It was incredible. We visited a tiny town too which was fun. We speak English and he made sure to repeat everything to both Spanish and English speakers and help us order at the restaurant and cafe. Thank you so much for this incredible experience
Hi Gabriela! Thank you so much for your review. We’re thrilled to hear you had such an incredible experience, spotting all the animals. We’re glad the bilingual guide made everything easier and more enjoyable for you. We hope to see you again on another adventure!
Everything worked out wonderfully - the punctual pick-up at the hotel, the Spanish/English language changeover from the guide, the pleasant transfer in the minibus, the timing of the day! We had a great driver Miguel and a great guide Fernanda who provided us with so much information about all possible occurring animals - that was really fun. Thanks for the great day!
Hallo! Vielen Dank für Ihre Bewertung. Es freut uns sehr zu hören, dass alles reibungslos verlaufen ist und Sie den Tag in jeder Hinsicht genießen konnten. Schön, dass Sie sowohl die Organisation als auch die Informationen während der Tour als bereichernd erlebt haben. Herzliche Grüße
Nice trip with a good guide, Selva, that told us a lot about the region, the area and the species in English, French, Italian and Spanish. It was not whale-season, but we saw other sea-animals and birds and animals on the ground. In total more than 10 different species. Thanks to the driver, Pablo, who kept a good lookout and stopped for taking photos.
It was the best experience to see the amount of Patagonian fauna in its natural habitation and the hand of an excellent guide , very grateful
Tour Guide Valeria and driver Rouen did their respective jobs very well. About five minutes after our boat left Puerto Pyramides we saw a mom with baby South Right Whale. Over the course of the 90 minute boat ride we saw about six more, as well as a fabulously large colony of Sea Lions. Orca came at high tide! Lunch there was quite good: Langostinos and salad with langostinos😉… Magellan Penguin colony consisted of about 15 individuals, very cute, nesting. Van was comfortable. Tour is recommended!
An exceptional day - no wind! We saw whales not above the surface, but underwater. In Caleta valdez there were very few elephant seals because not many had arrived in September.
The day was really well organized with Vanessa our guide for the day, Claudio our driver and Stephen for the our guide for the whales watching tour. We enjoyed every moment of it. We got plenty of explanation along the day and all our questions were answered. Travelling with our 2 teenagers, they enjoyed the tour as we did. Many thanks for this beautiful day with loads of fantastic whales and their babies.
Hola, OLIVIER_S! Thank you so much for leaving your review! We are very pleased to hear that you had an amazing experience on this tour and everything went smoothly with it. It's one of our favourites destinations to visit! Our main goal is to always offer the most memorable experiences for our passengers & your opinion also helps us to keep improving our services. We can't wait to have in Argentina again! Warm regards, Cecilia.
They were great. The bus was clean and they were so informative. I booked through get your guide and was really happy with the service. We also booked another tour via Viator to Punta Tombo and it was awful. Luckily, we took this the day before and learned everything we needed about penguins. Book this tour!
