Only Whales, Onboard Sighting

Can you imagine having a face-to-face encounter with the Southern Frank Whales? We tell you that this experience is possible if you travel to Puerto Madryn, from where you can take the Solo Ballenas excursion, unforgettable onboard sighting! For which you have two alternatives: the traditional or submersible boat.

Whichever you choose has its special charm and we already tell you why. The first thing you should know is that this activity operates only from July to November. It is the time when these majestic cetaceans swim to the serene and deep waters of the New and San Jose Gulfs to carry out their reproductive process. That’s how you’ll experience a magical and unprecedented spectacle.

The adventure begins in Puerto Madryn, from where we depart for the Valdés Peninsula. It is appropriate that you know that the activity lasts between 6 and 7 hours. Although it seems a little shorter, we are talking about a full day. 

After approximately one hour of travel, we arrived in the picturesque village of Puerto Pirámides, the only place enabled to make these sightings on board and the only populated place on the Valdés Peninsula, so you will find a variety of restaurants and cafes. Lunch is free and is at the passenger’s own, to enjoy it we give you your time.

The route is 210 km and is done by a road that is fully paved, which means that the way back and forth is comfortable. The departure time of the tour is at 9 a.m., so you should prepare for it. But what boat to take? Open Boat or Yellow Submarine?

YELLOW SUBMARINE, UNDERWATER WHALE WATCHING

As we told you at the beginning, both options are fantastic. The difference between the traditional boat and the Yellow Submarine is that the latter gives you the opportunity to carry out the sighting open or underwater, after being a semi-submersible.

With capacity for 40 people, the Yellow Submarine has inside the same number of seats, each in front of the windows that allow sighting. However, it is not mandatory to be inside the boat. Passengers can go down or up during navigation, there are also seats above.

The only disadvantage is that this semi-expandable is very susceptible to climatic conditions, requiring a calm sea and enough sun. This means that the water cannot be cloudy for this sighting. If the conditions are not 100%, the ship’s captain can warn you –even an hour earlier– that it might not be possible to carry out the activity.

As for the safety of the Yellow Submarine, you can rest easy. This tour can be done from children, to older adults and people in wheelchairs. And it is that, in Puerto Pirámides there is no pier, so all the boats enter from the beach, by a ramp, through a tractor. Get to know more details in Puerto Madryn, Great with kids!

The truth of the case is that once you have done one of the two modalities of Solo Ballenas, onboard sighting, you will have a time to have a coffee, lunch or simply tour and enjoy Puerto Pirámides before returning. Consult with our travel specialists to hire or clarify any questions and doubts you have and do not forget that we provide advice on everything you need.

Hire the onboard sighting and experience the best encounter with the Southern Frank whales!