Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
359
WINDSURFING
You can r ent a sailboar d and sail fr om the
Vernardino Club M ar,
Bd. Brown 860 (
&
2965/474289
).
PUERTO MADRYN AFTER DARK
This town is v ery subdued at night. B ecause most visitors rise at the crack of dawn to
head to the Península Valdés, Puerto Madryn shuts down early. The best place for a late-
night drink (and light snacks such as pizza and hamburgers for $5-$9/£3.40-£6.10,
served until 1am) is
Margarita Pub,
R.S. Peña 15 (
&
2965/450454;
daily 5pm-3am;
no credit cards), an attractive wood-and-tile lounge with a large bar . All the locals who
work as guides during the day come her
e on w eekends—this place is hopping fr om
midnight to 3am on Friday and Saturday.
2
PENINSULA VALDES
Most visitors to the peninsula come for the day on guided excursions, aboard small nine-
passenger vans. There is enough here, however, to keep you busy for 3 or 4 days. I f you
choose to drive on your own in a rental car, remember that the peninsula is very isolated
and barren, and the only gas station is in P uerto Pirámides. Sometimes you can go for
hours without seeing another soul. All r oads on the peninsula ar e gravel, and driving is
hazardous. Consider renting a 4WD truck for more comfort.
Península Valdés is not a national par k but a Natural Protected Area managed by the
Province of Chubut. Within its protected borders, families continue to r un the ranches
that they have managed for more than a century, although some are now turning to tour-
ism. Human activity is r estricted, and although tourism is no w the major play er, the
balance game between conservation and recreation is monitored closely.
At the park gates, foreign visitors have to stop and pay an entrance fee of $21 (£14)
per person (it 's good for the length of y our stay in the par k, be that an afternoon or 3
days). Just past the entrance to the national par k (which is about a half-hour 's driv e
northeast of P uerto Madryn), the ne w
Interpretive Center
makes a good consolation
prize if you don't have time for the ex cellent Ecocentro museum in Puerto Madryn (see
above). The Interpretive Center is open from 8am to 8pm daily. Admission is free. From
the park entrance, after driving east for about an hour on R uta 2, y ou'll reach the tiny
village of P uerto Pirámides (pop. 202), which is only 2 blocks wide. This is the main
launching spot for the whale-watching boats that depart from this area from April to late
December. Whale-watching trips cost $35 (£24) per person and last about 1
1
/
2
hours.
The rest of the y ear, warmer w eather transforms P uerto Pirámides (see belo w) into
more of a beach to wn, popular with v acationing Argentines on their summer holidays.
The Southern Right Whales that swim past here once verged on extinction (they earned
their name because they move slowly and float easily, making them “right” for hunters).
Today, these gentle giants gather to mate in these bays just off the peninsula fr om April
to D ecember. They each w eigh 35 to 40 tons and measur e about 17m long (56 ft.).
About 800 whales sho w up each y ear, after feeding in Antar ctica for 3 months. Whale-
watching trips almost always bring visitors within meters of these v ery social whales. It's
a rare and moving experience.
From Puerto Pirámides, if you continue east on Ruta Provincial 2, you'll reach
Punta
Delgada,
a stretch of beach fav ored by elephant seals fr om mid-June to late D ecember.
You can stop for lunch at the upscale Faro Punta Delgada hotel (see below) and also take
a tour of the lighthouse.
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