Outside of Buenos Aires: Peninsula Valdes

A peninsula on the Atlantic coast in the north east of Chubut Province, Valdes is one of the most important nature reserves in Argentina and since 1999 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At about 1,400 square miles and only one small human settlement, it’s coastline has become a safe habitat for thousands of marine mammals and birds. A visit to Peninsula Valdes is an impressive experience and well worth your time during one of the best tours to Argentina.

As the nearest larger town, Puerto Madryn on the mainland is the base for most visitors to the area. It’s reached by hourly buses from the nearest airport in the city of Trelew. Various agencies in Puerto Madryn offer day trips to Peninsula Valdes and the town has a good selection of hotels and restaurants as well as diving schools for those hoping to join the abundant sea life up close. If you want to get to the wildlife on the peninsula early in the day, before the crowds arrive, you should consider staying on Valdes itself in the hamlet of Puerto Piramides.

Whale watching tours are a popular attraction and Southern whales can be found in the Golfo Nuevo and the Golfo San José, protected bodies of water located between the peninsula and the mainland of Argentina. Whales come here between May and December, for mating and giving birth, because the water is quieter and warmer. Killer whales hunt off the coast in the open sea off the peninsula. They are known to beach themselves on shore to catch prey, making for an impressive spectacle if you happen to be there at the right time.

The inner part of the peninsula is inhabited by a wide range of birds. At least 181 bird species, 66 of which migratory, live in the area, including the Antarctic Pigeon. Nearby Punta Tumbo makes for a good combination with Peninsula Valdes on the best tours to Argentina and is home to a colony of many thousands of Magellan Penguins who come here between September and April to incubate their eggs.

The Hosteria del Nomade is an ecological lodge in Puerto Piramides that's a popular place to spend the night and for those looking to stay longer they also rent out some very nice apartments.

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Buenos Aires Travel Guide: Zoo

Dating from 1874, The Buenos Aires Zoo is a historic landmark in the Palermo neighborhood with the animal complexes scattered about beautifully designed gardens. A visit to the Zoo is one of the best things to do in Argentina for both children and adults.

Though originally conceived as a classical zoo with large areas for visitors and cramped spaces for animals and then left to deteriorate for many years by a succession of politically appointed managing directors (including at one time Evita Peron’s brother), the zoo was privatized and has since been converted into a far more modern operation largely succeeding in showing the animals in a more natural habitat.

One of these examples is the Elephant House where the new management managed to incorporate the spectacular original building resembling the ruins of an Indian temple in to a more animal friendly setup. Other modern additions have been a good sized aquarium and a Tropical Forest exhibit.

Apart from the aforementioned sights, the Zoo also has a petting zoo where children can pet and even feed smaller animals such as goats, sheep and ponies and a glass polar bear enclosure which allows the visitor to see them in action underwater as well. With more than 3 million visitors per year, it’s one of the more popular zoos in the world and a main attraction in Buenos Aires.

Should you long to see even more animals or want to see them in a more natural surrounding, Temaikèn Biopark, about 30 minutes north of the city, is the place to go to. With 178 acres Temaikèn specializes in native Argentine wildlife and exotic and threatened species and is the only zoo in Argentina recognized for its work on conservation by the United States based Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It’s popular both with locals and tourists and offers several packages including one taking you there from downtown Buenos Aires by touristic train and afterwards back to the city by boat down the river delta.

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