Penguin viewing
 

My husband and I are planning a trip to Argentina in October 2007. We have 3 days to spare, during which I would like to see penguin colonies and get up close and personal with them (or as close as possible). Are we better off doing this in southern Chile or Argentina? I haven't found huge amounts of info here on penguins specifically and would very much like to hear opinions of Fodorites.

Can we fly from Buenos Aires to either location? Any recommendations on lodging, and whether or not to rent a car? Many thanks - Claire

Punto tombo is the place to go. It's about 2 hours by plane from Buenos Aires. You will walk among the
penguins and be up close and personal as you watch them leave the sea and go to their nesting places. They begin arriving in early September and by early October there will be at least 100-200,000 penguins at the rookery. You will love it and it will be en experience you will never forget. Contact any travel agency in BA and they can arrange a hotel and guided tour for you. Suggest you do a private tour to the rookery rather than a group tour. While in that area, you should also go see the whales in Puerto Madryn. Another wonderful and unforgettable experience.

JerryS - Thanks for your reply. I don't generally use travel agents but instead book myself. Are there any guides in particular I should line up in advance? What is the closest town with accommodations? If I don't line up a guide in advance, can our hotel there help find us someone? Finally, do you recommend that we rent a car there? We are planning on 3 nights in that area, so a whale watching would be perfect for the 2nd day. Claire

Claire, You fly into Trelew from BA. The area to be covered is vast and some of the roads are gravel so I do not recommend renting a car. You will find it much more comfortable to let someone else do the driving. We went for 2 nights (3 days), arriving in the late afternoon. We stayed in Puerto Madryn on the water and enjoying strolling around the rest of the day. Our first full day was a whale watch (you will see many dozens of whales with their babies), a visit to the sea lions and the Valdez Peninsula. We were in the bus for a total of 4 hours, coming and going. That gives you an idea of the distances to be covered. On our second full day, we had a private driver and guide and went to the Penguin Rookery (at least a 3 hour drive from Puerto Madryn) and after that you could go to Gaiman and then to Trelew for the flight home. I strongly recommend that you use a travel agent; they will arrange a driver to pick you up at the airport, recommend hotels and arrange all of your tours. It may even be less expensive when booking through them.
The Penguin Rookery is closer to Trelew while the whale watching is closer to Puerto Madryn. I would recommend staying in Puerto Madryn. It is certainly more attractive than Trelew and more interesting.
Suggest you foogle "Punto Tombo Penguin Rookery" - it will lead you to much information.
Have a wonderful trip.

Ditto Punto Tombo. We saw penguins at Punto Tombo and at Haberton Estancia near Tierra del Fuego. Lots, lots more at Punto Tombo and the walkways go right next to them but Haberton was more my childhood vision of where penguins should live. (Punto Tombo was hot and dusty when we were there with guanacos in the middle of the penguins.)

Reiterating what Jerry said - If you go to Peninsula Valdez in whale season, taking the boat trip in the bay should be a top priority. Absolutely magical and I doubt there is another place that can top Puerto Madryn for whale viewing - mothers and calves all around your small boat. Just blew us away.

Jerry and Kensington - Thanks so much for this invaluable info. Indeed, the whale watching sounds terrific as well. Is it far too early now to start trying to book for October? Any local airline you recommend? We'll also be flying within Argentina to Salta and the falls; am hoping to be able to connect those 2 latter cities w/out having to fly back to BA in between. Flying from the falls to Trelew directly would be great, but I assume it will involve a plane change in BA instead. Claire

We are planning a trip to Argentina to visit some special friends in 2008. Last time we went to Iguazu, this time I think I will ask to see the Penguins and whales. That sounds wonderful!

Claire, It is probably a bit early to book hotels, tours and airline tickets for an October trip although the flights to Trelew can be busy that time of year. Again, I suggest you contact a travel agent in BA. They will provide invaluable assistance. We are independant travelers and found that using a travel agent in Argentina saved us much time and some money.
We flew from BA to Iguazzu Falls and stayed for 2 nights, then flew to Trelew (had to change planes in BA, but that was no problem). I believe that the only airline that flies from BA to Trelew is Aerolinas Argentina, but you can verify that with an agent.

Jerry,
Just caught the posting. Any suggestions for a travel agent in BA for the Falls? We will be there in either January or February. Is that a good time for the Falls?
Also, any suggestions for reasonable hotels? We have been to BA before (cruised BA to Santiago end of Feb./March and not too many penguins left by then) and had a very reasonably priced hotel, but of course have misplaced the info. as I have a new computer. However, always ready for new ideas anyway.
Thanks!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone on advice re using TAs in Argentina. I posed the same question in a different post, but is this something Wow-Argentina could line up for us? Claire

Philbill and Claire, We used Mercedes at Argentina Escapes and were very satisfied with her arrangements. However, Cintia at WOW gets excellent reviews on this Forum and I am sure she would also be very good. As for accomodations at the Falls, I forget where we stayed but your agent can recommend lodging in all price ranges. As for BA, we stayed at the Art Suites in Recoleta. I recommend it very highly - great location, spacious one bedroom apartments, continental breakfast delivered to your room, wonderful people at the desk, great price. You can book it through an agent or directly ( and maybe save a few dollars).