Argentina Mirador de Pingüinos, Valdés Peninsula

In the cliffs near Caleta Valdés, the relatively small Magellan penguins have a colony. Practically right in front of our feet they were standing and laying here, looking at us and not being disturbed.

The entire Valdés Peninsula is a nature reserve. The only exceptions are the access road and the village of Puerto Pirámides. Up to there, the road is asphalted, the other routes are gravel roads. At the entrance to the peninsula, there is a checkpoint where the entrance fee must be paid. Foreigners pay several times what Argentines pay.
The visitor centre (Centro de Visitantes) is 22 km further on. It is only here that I learned that of the few road connections, two major stretches were not usable or even closed.
Free overnight stays are not allowed on the whole peninsula, so the only place left is the local campsite at Puerto Pirámides.
Valdés is deserted. There are a few estancias, of which little can be seen. Apart from the coasts, practically everything is hot, barren bush steppe, a little grass steppe and salt lakes. These are not accessible, they are off the roads.