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This is a very common question, but incorrect. Whale watching embarked only from Puerto Piramides, a small town of 500 people within Peninsula Valdes, 100 km from Puerto Madryn.
Puerto Madryn is a city of almost  123.000  inhabitants and concentrates the largest number of hotels and travel agencies that sell the destination as if whale watching were done from there, but nothing more unfortunate, a tourist industry focused on communicating that Whale watching is from Puerto Madryn. That is why it is important to understand that if you stay in Puerto Madryn you will spend a large part of the day traveling by bus, or another land vehicle, on a tour to see whales in another location. Of course, the final price is higher and you will be going from one place to another without time to enjoy the incredible experience of getting in tune with the whale and its atmosphere.

The city of Puerto Madryn and the tourist village of Puerto Piramides

To enjoy the incredible adventure that is sharing a moment with the whales, the largest animals in nature, I recommend you analyze this information.
You could live a very intense trip, if you choose to sleep in Puerto Piramides, with all the time to enjoy and observe the hordes of tourists coming from Puerto Madryn or Trelew, arrive and after 2 hours get back on the bus to continue “knowing Península Valdés. .. “, while you live the relaxation of not being part of the herd.
But if you want a city with many services, an infinite variety of cuisine, cinema, supermarkets, shopping, and a large shopping center, the option of Puerto Madryn is the best.

Puerto Madryn boardwalk near the port

The coastal sightings can be done in the entire coastline of Peninsula Valdes, but in El Doradillo beach, 10 mi ( 15 km ) from Puerto Madryn, the distance of the whales to the coast is so close that sometimes it reaches 15 or 20 meters. It is possible to see between 20 or 30 whales that swim calmly, enjoying the peace of the place. Mothers with their babies born this year, teach you how to behave in the sea. Thanks to the calm waters of this sector of the Golfo Nuevo, the calves learn to breathe and swim and play as well. It is important to keep in mind that there is no bus line to get to this beach, you can only access it with your own vehicle or excursions.

Coastal Whale Watching in El Doradillo Beach

Going back to the whale watching, there are only 6 Whale watching companies and they are all in Puerto Piramides. They have boats specializing in nautical tours and prepared with a trained crew to approach the whales and understand their behavior.
Regular departures of whale watching on board, have schedules that depend on the companies located in Puerto Piramides, it is essential to be in advance at the boarding offices, at least 30 minutes before.

Whale watching on board, only from Puerto Pirámides

The departure times of the boats start at 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. As of September, some companies add two departures, one at 8 and the other at 6:00 p.m. The values ​​vary by the age of the passenger and if the season is low or high:

The Yellow Submarine is the first semi-submersible ship of the Argentine industry

On board the Yellow Submarine, passengers can move freely and observe the whales on the surface from the upper deck as in a traditional outing, or from the underwater cabin to see the whales as if they were diving alongside them.

Courtesy Yellow Submarine

The value of the low season for whale watching is from June 1 to August 31:

$ Argentinian 25,000 older
$ Argentinian12,500 children under 12 years of age
Children under 3 years free of charge

The value of the sighting embarked on the Yellow Submarine low season:

$ Argentinian 50,000 older
$ Argentinian 25,000 under 12 years of age
Children under 3 years free of charge

VIRCH – Valdés residents in the Yellow Submarine low season:

$ Argentinian 25,000 older
$ Argentinian 12,500 minors
Children under 3 years free of charge

The value of the high season for whale watching, that is, between September 1 and December 15:

$ Argentinian 38,000 older
$ Argentinian 19,000 under 12 years of age
Children under 3 years free of charge.

The value of the sighting embarked on the Yellow Submarine high season:

$ Argentinian 70,000 older
$ Argentinian 35,000 under 12 years of age
Children under 3 years free of charge.

VIRCH – Valdés residents in the Yellow Submarine high season:

$ Argentinian 35,000 older
$ Argentinian 17,500 under 12 years of age
Children under 3 years free of charge

Undoubtedly the best whale watching occurs at sunset, the experience of sailing among these enormous marine mammals and seeing the sun hiding in the sea horizon is incredible. These sunset outings are my favorites and they consist of special outings to see whales with the sunset in the sea, they last 2 hours, they leave from September and the price is a little more expensive, but the feeling is incredible , especially since it is carried out with few passengers, if you are one of the lucky ones who can afford it, do not hesitate.

Due to inflation and other factors, it is impossible to keep the price list updated, here are the data from the Puerto Piramides Tourism Office, the only town that has the port enabled for embarked whale watching:

Tourist office
First Descent to the Sea (9121XAQ)
Puerto Piramides, Chubut

Phone: (0280) 449-5048
Email: turismo@puertopiramides.gov.ar

Sunset Whale watching, are my favorites and consist of special trips to see whales with the sunset at sea, the last 2 hours, they leave from September and the price is a little more expensive, but the feeling It is incredible, especially because it is done with few passengers.

Whale watching excursion at sunset. It costs a little more but it’s great – Puerto Piramides

If you hire whale watching excursions in Puerto Madryn you will have to add, the entrance to the Peninsula Valdes reserve (cost that you would have to pay if you stayed in Puerto Piramides), the transfer service to Puerto Piramides that includes a stop in El Doradillo, a museum at the entrance to the Peninsula Valdes and a tour of another 95 mi ( 150 km ) within the reserve, knowing Caleta Valdes, Punta Norte or Punta Delgada, depending on the tour you hire and the time of year. You would have a day of 220 mi ( 350km ) of travel half by gravel. Without a doubt, if you choose to stay in Puerto Piramides, you would have a more relaxed experience.