Patagonia

In Patagonia, orcas hunt right at the beach. The region is also one of the richest in wildlife in the world. And one of the most spectacular .

Foto: Shutterstock

whales: Patagonia

On Valdes Peninsula in Argentina, you can watch southern right whales and orcas directly from the beach. The island is also one of the most abundant wildlife areas in the world: penguins, elephant seals, fur seals, guanocos, nandos and albatrosses live here. If you continue to the Chilean coast, you may also encounter blue whales.

Apart from the sub-Antarctic Crozet Islands, Valdes Peninsula is the only known place in the world where orcas can be observed engaging in a rather special hunting behaviour: Camouflaged by the surf, they intentionally strand to surprise seal pups lying on the beach. Almost nowhere else in the world do orcas hunt in this way.

The attacks are often coordinated in groups, with some attacking in the centre while others cut off their victims' path back into the sea at the sides. The orcas and their prey are then pulled back into the sea by the surf.

Although orcas are at home in the waters around Valdes Peninsula all year round, they can only be seen this close to the beach between February and mid-May, when the young seals are still mainly on the beach. The beach is best viewed from a slightly higher path at Punta Norte.

Occasionally, groups of orcas can also be seen that are not actually hunting, but are obviously training their hunting technique or passing it on to their young.

A right whale off the coast of Patagonia. Sometimes they hold their huge fluke in the air for so long that it is referred to as "sailing". Photo: iStock

Southern right whales can also be observed very well from land on Valdes Peninsula, as they come very close to shore, especially between July and September. Numerous providers also offer boat tours lasting several hours until November. The massive, playful southern right whales are the real attraction on this island. In September, the "National Right Whale Day" is celebrated in their honour in Punto Piramides.

Those travelling from the Argentinian Atlantic coast to the Chilean Pacific coast also have a very good chance of encountering blue whales: Between December and April, they give birth to their young in the Gulf of Corcovado. The area is one of the most reliable places in the world for spotting blue whales; nowhere else can they be seen in such large numbers as here at this time of year.

Photo: Oliver Dirr / Whaletrips

TO DO: Patagonia

If you are in Argentina, you cannot miss the surreal landscapes of Patagonia with Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy. A visit to the world-famous Perito Moreno glacier is also a must. On the Chilean side of Patagonia lies Torres del Paine, the most beautiful national park in South America.

Valdes Peninsula is a World Heritage Site as one of the most wildlife-rich places in the world. The entire island is rather remote and not particularly accessible, with guanocos and nandos living in the interior and elephant seals, fur seals, penguins and albatrosses on the coast. The circular route around the island is around 300 kilometres long, in the interior you drive on poor gravel roads through desert-like landscapes.

Numerous tours can be undertaken from Punta Piramides on the island and Puerto Madryn 20 kilometres off the island. 200 kilometres further south, Punta Tombo is home to the largest colony of Magellanic Penguins in the world – over 500,000 animals live here. The colony can also be reached via tours, including from Puerto Madryn. The best time to see penguins is between October and March, and between July and March for sea lions and elephants.

“The Navimag line takes you to the Gulf of Corcovado – one of the best places in the world to watch blue whales.”

If you are in Argentina, you cannot miss the surreal landscapes of Patagonia with their endless plains, steep mountains and beautiful lakes. The world-famous Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy are located in the northern part of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, the park is considered Argentina's mountaineering Eldorado, but there are also many easy three- to four-hour hikes, including guided ones. The starting point for most tours is El Chalten.

The second main attraction in Patagonia is Glaciar Perito Moreno, a gigantic glacier in the southern part of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares: 30 kilometres long, 5 kilometres wide and 60 metres high. Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers in the world that is still growing and not melting. The starting point is El Calafate, 80 kilometres away. You can hike along the glacier on footbridges, boat trips and guided hikes on the ice are also possible.

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Also in Patagonia, but on the Chilean side, you'll find Torres del Paine, which is considered the most beautiful national park in South America. The starting point for tours and hikes is Puerto Natales, from where guided tours into the park are possible. You should plan four to five days for your own hikes on the classic W route and seven to nine days for the Paine circuit – you can stay overnight in mountain huts (refugios, book in advance) along the way.

From El Calafate on the Chilean coast, the Navimag line offers multi-day cruises through the Chilean fjords, which are in no way inferior to their Norwegian, Canadian or New Zealand counterparts. The final port on this route, Puerto Montt, is located in the Gulf of Corcovado, one of the best places in the world to observe blue whales – they give birth to their young here from December to April.