Penguins are cute. 

That's an indisputable, undeniable, and universal fact. 

They are so adorable that the eleventh selection criteria for whether a site should be included in the World Heritage List should be, "Are penguins there?"

I travelled to Peninsula Valdes in early March 2025 and explored it for one day with a rental car.  Although Peninsula Valdes is in Patagonia, its landscape is not the one that most people picture of Patagonia.  There are no majestic mountains peaks, raging rivers, or striking valleys here.  But you don't come to Peninsula Valdes for the scenery.  You come here for the animals, especially the penguins, whales, elephant seals, and sea lions.

I understand that what animals you get to see, in what quantity, and where you see them are dependent on when you visit.  So, just be aware that your animal observing experience may differ from mine.

When I explored Peninsula Valdes, the only area where there was a substantial number of penguins, seals, and sea lions were near the Punta Norte area.  Conversely, there were only one-handful of these animals in the Caleta Valdes area.

Estancia San Lorenzo Nature Reserve, near Punta Norte, was by far the highlight of the peninsula.  Estancia San Lorenzo is a private reserve that provides guided tour of a beach where thousands of Magellan penguins congregate.  You can get very close to these waddling creatures, who are far more interested in catching the sun rays than to pay any attention to you.  I pause to remark that Estancia San Lorenzo is not a zoo and that you will also see plenty of dead penguins on the beach.

There are four tours per day at Estancia San Lorenzo, and I did not book ahead of time.  The price for a tour was 70,000 Argentinian pesos, which my Visa credit card converted to $90.68 Canadian dollars.  I think the tour was worth the price.  Please note that you cannot visit the penguin colony without a guide.

At Punta Norte, approximately 20 minutes drive from Estancia San Lorenzo, I saw approximately 150 to 200 seals and sea lions.  Unlike at Estancia San Lorenzo, you cannot go down to the beach, so you will have to admire the seals and sea lions from a respectful distance.  I did not witness hunting of seal pups by orcas when I was at Punta Norte.

During my time in Peninsula Valdes, I also saw guanacos, Darwin's rheas, Patagonia maras, armadillos, a burrowing owl, and southern dwarf cavies, in addition to the animals already mentioned.  But I am happy to mention the precious penguins again.