Since we survived the car rental in Punta Tombo, we decided on the same plan to explore Peninsula Valdes, this time with guest drivers from Switzerland and Spain.
The peninsula is a national park filled with Sea Lions, Elephant Seals, Whales (in season), Guanacos; and with luck, Orcas can be seen. March is prime time for spotting the Killer Whales, because the recently born Sea Lion pups are learning to swim. They waddle and hop around, occasionally making their way into the surf... every so often, an Orca will propel itself up onto the beach to devour an easy lunch.
High tide is feeding time so we hung around the Elephant Seals as we waited for the water to rise. The massive balls of blubber are a boring lot, although very entertaining when they rouse themselves to jiggle their bodies across the sand. I can't imagine how long the Nat Geo crews must have to wait to actually catch Elephant Seal "action shots."
Next we settled in by the much more active Sea Lion colony. Adults wrestle over a good spot to lay out and occasionally let loose a roar; little pups roll around, hop after seagulls, and splash in the water's edge. They're such cute creatures, but there we sat hoping to see an Orca make lunchmeat out of them.
Unfortunately (depending on your perspective), the Killer Whales stayed away for the day. Nature sided with the Sea Lions.
Survival is cool too.
Survival is cool too.
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