After another big overnight journey we made it to Puerto Madryn. Despite the tiredness we walked to our hostel and after a tea and coffee ventured out for a walk along the seafront to the site of the Welsh settlements. The weather was a complete surprise, blue skies and high temperatures, vastly different to our time in Bariloche.

The next day we woke early to do a tour of Peninsula Valdés. We saw so many animals. From the minibus window we watched guanacos (similar to llamas and alpacas) and a rhea and chick crossing the road. Our first stop was to see huge elephant seals lazing on the sand, we also saw a sea lion having a slow swim in the ocean. On another stop we saw the cutest little Magellanic penguins napping in their burrows. After an impromptu stop to watch mare from the window and a quick armadillo sighting we made our way to our boat trip to hopefully spot whales.

We were so lucky as we spotted several southern right whales, one as it breached. We also witnessed a mother and calf gently swimming by the boat, I'll never get over how beautiful and majestic these creatures are.

The following day was a relaxed one, we spent the evening chatting to fellow Brits George and Rosie, swapping travel stories and laughing a lot until the early hours.

As we didn't have any plans for the next day, we were invited to join George and Rosie on a road trip to see a huge penguin colony at Punta Tombo. The drive was a little long through quite desolate landscape but it felt so great to have the freedom to drive where we wanted and George and Rosie were excellent company.

We arrived at the colony and were overwhelmed by the amount of penguins, they were everywhere! Walking on the pathways, dozing in their burrows and generally milling around making noise and mess! It was a joy to see so many of them, particularly the ones swimming in the ocean.

The following couple of days were spent deliberating about what to do next, going for walks along the beach and watching the sunset from the pier. We still weren't feeling 100% and so a little down time was much appreciated. While Craig got some rest I spent hours drawing in the hostel kitchen, eating apples with an ocean view. Our next stop would be El Calafate, home to Los Glacieres National Park and where we'd finally see some real wild Patagonian landscapes.

🎥 Argentina - The North video:

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