Puerto Madryn – Argentina

Sealions, Elephant Seals, Armadillos!

A young elephant seal at Punta Ninfas. “It’s salt officer, honest.”

After beating a hasty retreat from the relentlessly dull Esquel, we stepped off a bus in Puerto Madryn on the Atlantic coast. As well as boasting a decent, and seemingly endless, sandy beach it is also the sea life capital of Argentina, and probably the whole of South America.

The largest, and most famous, national park in the area is Peninsula Valdes. It’s fame stems from the fact that, in addition to an impressive array of wildlife both marine and land dwelling, it is the only place in world where Orcas beach themselves to catch sea lions. Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for the sea lions, this is a very rare occurrence, and happens for only a few days each year. There was, however, still more than enough wildlife to be seen.