Puerto Madryn - Punta Loma

With the delayed docking, this meant a lot of shore excursion cancellations as most of the wildlife to be found here was a 2.5-3 hour drive away. I had to make due with an off-the-cuff, off-the-pier, tour that took us around town and out to Punta Loma where there is a protected reserve for a sea lion colony (and lots of birds), which can be observed from two points. Puerto Madryn is not large, but it is the last city of any real size we will see for more than a week. The wind here is constant and just a matter of degree. I saw a lot of wind surfers and not a lot of folks braving the water on the beach. The drive was nice though and I am grateful that the wind died down enough that the captain was eventually able to dock and we got to get off the ship for another sunny (if windy) South American day.

The sea lion colony was interesting. I was very glad to have my 100-500 lens as they were quite a distance from the viewing platform on the cliffs. The boys are significantly larger and have harems of females. Birds aren't really my thing, but the shags nesting on the cliffs were interesting and there was some scuffling between them and the cormorants the beach. The gulls mostly just minded their own business. The nearest penguins were too far to reach during the time we had left ashore, but I did spot a penguin sculpture, so that's something I suppose.

Here's hoping we get to drop anchor in Port Stanley (another notoriously windy port.) But we've got a sea day next so another restful day of learning and napping, and looking out for whales.Read more