Argentina: Tango and Whale Watching
Travel Destinations: Argentina
8 Day Itinerary | Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn, Peninsula Valdes
A whale-watching tour in Puerto Madryn is waiting for you! Visit Peninsula Valdés, the most famous wildlife reserve in Patagonia, and enjoy whale watching in Argentina. Spend 4 days amongst Magellanic penguins, elephant seals, and whales, and explore their natural environments, the turquoise water of Golfo Nuevo and its cliff-covered coastline.
• Enjoy a whale-watching tour in Argentina. Get close to the stunning Southern Right Whales and learn all about these incredible animals.
• Explore Península Valdés Natural Reserve declared a UNESCO World Heritage.
• Go on a penguin tour and visit Punta Tombo the largest colony of Magellan penguins in South America.
Independent Travel
Independent trips are either entire trips you take privately or solo extensions to a group tour.
Adventure
Explore thrilling and challenging destinations, engaging in activities such as hiking, trekking, and adrenaline-pumping experiences.
Premium
Elevate your journey with style and sophistication, offering top-notch experiences without breaking the bank. Typically $500-$1,000 pp/day.
Flexible
With no pre-set departure dates, choose when you want to go and for how long.
At A Glance
Day 1 – Buenos Aires
• Private airport transfer
• Afternoon Recoleta walking tour
Day 2 – Buenos Aires
• Private city tour
• Dinner and a tango show
Day 3 – Puerto Madryn
• Airport transfer
• Fly to Puerto Madryn
• Ecocentro Museum of the Seas visit
Day 4 – Peninsula Valdes
• Snorkeling with Sea Lions excursion
• Transfer to Estancia in Peninsula Valdes
Day 5 – Peninsula Valdes
• Day at leisure
Day 6 – Peninsula Valdes
• Penguin colony excursion
• Patagonian barbeque
Day 7 – Puerto Madryn
• Sea kayaking and whale watching
• Transfer to Puerto Madryn
Day 8 – Puerto Madryn
• Airport transfer
• Depart at any time
Itinerary
Day 1 – Buenos Aires
Meet and greet by our English-speaking guide and private transfer to the hotel. Enjoy a 2 hour walking tour of Recoleta. This tour is an introduction to the neighborhood that best expresses the Parisian architectural patterns adopted by the local aristocracy at the beginning of the 20th century, wishing to imitate the splendor of the French metropolis and build a small-scale Paris in the heart of Buenos Aires.
Accommodation: Hotel
Day 2 – Buenos Aires
Kick your day off with a city tour! Buenos Aires is undoubtedly the Latin American city that most closely resembles the cosmopolitan and aristocratic atmosphere of the big European capitals. But Buenos Aires is also much more than that, combining the multi-colored tin houses of La Boca with the popular tango ambience that thrives on the streets of San Telmo. This is the blend that makes Buenos Aires a unique and irresistible metropolis. This tour highlights these aspects of the city, through its history and culture: the historic development, the immigration process, specific cultural topics (soccer, tango music), its architectural heritage, Peronism and other interesting features of Argentine society.
In the evening, enjoy a transfer to the Puerto Madero district. Here you will enjoy an intimate dinner followed by Rojo Tango, a sophisticated and avant-garde tango performance, truly different to the rest of the options in Buenos Aires.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 – Puerto Madryn
Meet your driver in the hotel lobby for a transfer to the airport. After your flight to Puerto Madryn a private driver will bring you to your hotel.
After you settle in, meet your guide for a private city tour and visit to the Ecocentro Museum of the Sea. Celebrating the area’s unique marine ecosystem, this masterpiece brings an artistic sensitivity to extensive scientific research. There are exhibits on the breeding habits of right whales, dolphin sounds and southern-elephant-seal harems, a touch-friendly tide pool and more. The building includes a three-story tower and library, with the top featuring glass walls and comfy couches for reading.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 4 – Peninsula Valdes
Get ready to swim with the sea lions! This is one of the most enjoyable experiences in the crystal-clear waters of Golfo Nuevo. Puerto Madryn has been appointed Argentina’s Diving Capital and is situated only 15 km /9 miles away, from Punta Loma, a Southern sea lion rookery. After a 20-minute ride we reach the diving area where we can snorkel or dive with the sea lions, and enjoy the breathtaking encounter with one the friendliest marine mammals.
A lunch in Puerto Madryn is the followed by a transfer to an exclusive estancia. Located in the southeast corner of the Península Valdés with sixteen kilometers of coastline along the Patagonian Sea, one of the richest marine areas on Earth harboring populations of right whales, elephant seals, sea lions, orcas -and other smaller dolphins-, penguins, and numerous species of birds and fish. For this reason, the site was declared “World Heritage Site” in 1999 and “Biosphere Reserve” in 2014 by UNESCO.
Accommodation: Estancia
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 – Peninsula Valdes
Take a full day to enjoy the activities of the estancia, already included in their full-board program.
Thousands of Southern elephant seals and South American sea lions have chosen its beaches for breeding and birthing; and Southern right whales, orcas, penguins and dolphins are sighted from the estancia’s 16 km of coastline. You can watch a wide variety of inland and coastal birds and see most of Patagonia’s native terrestrial mammals.
They offer wildlife watching explorations guided by bilingual biologists and naturalists to the various beaches of the property, off-the-beaten-path hiking trails of varying length and difficulty across the steppe and cliffs that lead to superb wildlife viewing spots, horseback riding, mountain biking, interpretation of native flora, birdwatching, visits to the ex-livestock facilities of the property, and walks in the dune fields.
Accommodation: Estancia
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 – Peninsula Valdes
Depart in the morning to the Estancia San Lorenzo, a traditional Patagonian sheep farm that shelters one of the world’s largest Magellan penguin colony. For lunch you can taste the renowned and tasty Patagonian lamb BBQ.
Then, you will visit the private penguin rookery located 4 Miles from the farmhouse. The colony of Magellanic penguins on San Lorenzo has been growing steadily ever since penguins started to nest here nearly 50 years ago. The average growth rate of this rookery has been estimated at more than 20% per year, showing exponential growth as from 1995. This makes San Lorenzo the world’s biggest Magellanic penguin rookery with around 600.000 penguins in the peak season. Magellanic penguins arrive every year early September and leave by the end of April.
Your next stop is the Wildlife Reserve Punta Norte, where depending on the time of year you can observe Southern Sea lions, Southern Elephant seals and eventually Orcas. Along the journey you will have good chances of spotting local wildlife such as guanacos, rheas, foxes, cavies, armadillos and skunks.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 7 – Puerto Madryn
The perfect introduction to sea kayak touring set in the beautiful Peninsula Valdes. Your day will begin with instruction on basic sea kayak touring techniques and on-the-water safety considerations. Once on the water we’ll make sure you are comfortable and secure before setting off. In the early afternoon you will visit a favorite beach, where you will enjoy a delicious box lunch. Along with an impressive amount of wildlife diversity makes the Gulf unique in their beauty and provides excellent natural history learning and photographic opportunities.
In the afternoon your guide will transfer with you back to Puerto Madryn.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 8 – Puerto Madryn
It’s the last day of your Argentine journey… we hope to see you back here soon! At the appropriate time, we’ll pick you up from your hotel and drive you to the airport to take your flight back home.
Meals included: Breakfast
Captivating Moments
Get captivated by a stunning collection of sample images from this trip.
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