So, in exasperation, we pushed on more northwards, hoping to get a sizeable portion of road out of the way. We figured that the fishing village of Camarones and the Cabo Dos Bahias National Park were surely not affected by the rain. There, we were hoping to see a large colony of Magellanic penguins. But first, we came across a large group of sea lions on our way north, near Caleta Olivia- the males are particularly ugly in real life and make constant belching noises (just like my brothers) .
As we found out the next morning, the dirt roads to the Cabos dos Bahias were also closed. So we moved northward again. Luckily, the Punta Tombo National Park was close by (only 200 km), where nearly 1 million penguins come to nest and mate each year. There, we saw more juvenile Magellanic penguins since the parents had already gone off to sea for the season. The juveniles are on land until they finish molting, teaching themselves swimming and fishing techniques for their big 4 month swim at sea.
After hanging out with the animal life at Punta Tombo (rheas, llamas, armadillos, and other bird species were there as well), Cédric and I drove north to Puerto Madryn to check out the Valdes Peninsula.
For two full days, we traveled around the peninsula to see more wildlife. Because we were so inspired by the animal life and wanted to preserve the nature, Cédric even found time to rescue a llama that was stuck in a wire fence. In addition to more sea lions and penguins, the island is also a place where orcas, elefant seals, and whales are known to mate and feed. The second day on the peninsula, the wind was so strong that it ripped Cédric’s pants as we were exploring the pink salt flats.
Now with a lot of money on hand (we were prepared to pay the exorbitant entrance and ferry fees for the park), we moved down south to see the penguins on Isla Magdalena near Punta Arenas. There, we were able to get up close thousands of juvenile Magellanic penguins – the parents had already left for the season. Having seen flamingos off the side of the road just a few hours previously, we marveled at the juxtapositions of the southern most area of South America. That night, we treated ourselves to some local sea food after a day full of surprises.
The next day, we will be decided to head back north and check out the Pali Aike National Park just before the Argentinian border. Just before we reached the park, we happened upon an vast sheep farm that had been vacant for decades. A near by shipwreck also added to this place’s creepy appearance. The Pali Aike park was full of strange basalt formations and craters from volcanos occurring between 10000 and 1 million years ago- making our way through some of the lava fields really felt as though we were on a different planet.
Just before crossing the Argentinian border, Cédric and I also attempted to rid ourselves of the extra Chilean pesos by buying as many food supplies as possible (as with most everything, food was significantly cheaper in Chile). The border town was unfortunately too small for our big budget and we only managed to spend a third of the money.
