Puerto Madryn Argentina
Without a call at Puerto Madryn, the ship would be at sea for two days. It is the northernmost edge of Argentinian Patagonia. We were the only ship in port, a good thing or we would have overwhelmed it.
Nearly everyone took a shore excursion hoping to get their first glimpses of penguins and other Patagonian wildlife. Sue and I took a tour to Peninsula Valdez wildlife reserve. It’s a Unesco site and home to elephant seals, whales pass by, guanaco (a type of llama), mara (looks like a rabbit but isn’t), armadillos, Magellan penguins and lots more birds and animals.
We, however, only saw penguins up close and not much of anything else. It was still worth it, the scenery once in the reserve was gorgeous. And we got our first taste of the extreme winds — at one point as I walked down to a lower viewing platform I had to hang onto a railing for fear of being blown off.
But it took two hours to get into and through the reserve, mostly on gravel roads. The terrain is very flat with only low scrub as vegetation. On the return trip I could hear snoring in stereo.
We’re now back at sea. The captain has already made a warning announcement that there are stiff winds and to expect a rough passage for the next day.