Back to Peninsula Valdes

We were last on Peninsula Valdes in October.  We stayed about a week, and had a great time spotting lots of Southern Right Whales right off the beach,  along with a lot of other animals.

Now it's not whale season anymore,  so why did we go back? Because it's considered to be the best time to see Orcas (in English,  Killer Whales.... but since they aren't whales, it's a terrible name), hopefully (!) snatching baby seals from the beach (gruesome, but nature can be).

In October I got lucky and saw Orcas, quite unexpectedly,  from the coast.  This time H also got lucky,  and we both saw an Orca... Although the photos are very disappointing, and they were just swimming,  not snatching baby seals.

We also had a much improved experience of Orca spotting by the chance meeting of a young man from New Zealand who is quite fanatical about Orcas, studying them, and visiting Peninsula Valdes for the second year in a row. He told us where he was going to look for Orcas that first day,  and so we went there too, and by doing so saw the Orca. We tried again in the prime spot for possible baby seal snatchings on both of the following 2 days,  but had no luck. 

Sean (the young man from NZ) taught us a lot though, and he was also able to identify the 2 orcas I captured in my photo last year.  (Sean, if you read this,  sorry we didn't get to say goodbye,  I really thought we'd run into you in town.)

As you can see from the following photos,  the other wildlife was much more cooperative.  I especially liked how the armadillo appeared under the information sign,  it helped me check the facts.  The funny rabbit thing is a mara, or at least I think that's the name.  And the pengiuns...lots of them!  Last year while we were on Valdes they were laying eggs, now the chicks seemed about as big as the adults and shedding the last of the baby feathers.

We also returned twice more to the fisherman's village and bought more seafood,  they had remembered me as the woman who eats kangaroo in her country (we'd had this discussion when I'd asked if people ate Guanacos).

If we ever go past Peninsula Valdes again,  I definately want to return again.