Chubut
Puerto Madryn is a coastal city in the province of Chubut, in Argentine Patagonia, on the Golfo Nuevo. It was founded in 1865 when the first Welsh settlers landed there, it is the national capital of diving, and it is the main gateway to the Área Natural Protegida Península Valdés, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. The El Tehuelche airport is 10 km from town, and Trelew is 67 km away.
The animals set the calendar. Southern right whales arrive in the waters around the peninsula in mid-May, are most numerous in September and October, and have almost all left by late December. Magellanic penguins nest on the coast from mid-September to mid-April, elephant seals are present from July to March, and orcas hunt along the peninsula beaches in autumn and again in October and November.
Three protected areas are within reach. El Doradillo, a municipal reserve created in 2001, runs 25 km along the coast north of town, where whales come within metres of the beach. Punta Loma, a provincial fauna reserve since 1967, watches a sea lion colony from a cliff 14 km south. Península Valdés begins at the Istmo Carlos Ameghino, where an interpretation centre sits by the road; Puerto Pirámides, about 100 km from Madryn, is the only village on the peninsula and the only place where boat trips go out to the whales.
Most clients come for three or four nights between June and December: families on a Patagonia trip, couples and travellers who came for the whales, and proposals planned on the beach. Distances are long and roads inside the peninsula are gravel, so a session is usually tied to a single area per day.
Sessions
Family photographer in Puerto Madryn from $140. At El Doradillo, groups of more than 5 must enter with a licensed Chubut guide, so big families plan ahead.
Vacation photoshoot in Puerto Madryn from $110, planned around a whale-watching boat from Puerto Pirámides, the only place on the coast where boats can go out.
Couple photoshoot in Puerto Madryn from $120 at Cerro Avanzado, a beach under cliffs where fossil oysters show in the rock, 3 km beyond Punta Loma.
Drone photo and video in Puerto Madryn from $260. Drones are banned at El Doradillo, the whale beach, so aerials are flown on open coast outside it.
Proposal photographer in Puerto Madryn from $160 at El Doradillo, timed to high tide, when whales come closest to the beach at Las Canteras.
Locations
The best hour at each, and what a professional session there needs in the way of a permit — with the issuing authority and the date it was last checked.
Three kilometres of beach and promenade along the city, facing east across the Golfo Nuevo. In whale season, whales can sometimes be seen from the main avenues.
Source: turismo.madryn.gob.ar · Checked October 2026
A steep beach 19 km north of the city, inside the El Doradillo protected area, with an accessible walkway. From June to October whale mothers and calves rest a few metres offshore.
Source: turismo.madryn.gob.ar · Checked October 2026
The only village on Península Valdés, set on a bay of sand-coloured cliffs, and the departure point for boats to the whales from June to December. Punta Pirámide, nearby, has a sea lion breeding colony visible from December to March.
Source: turismo.madryn.gob.ar · Checked October 2026
A cliff-top lookout 14 km south-east of the city over the Golfo Nuevo, facing a colony of South American sea lions and cormorants, with a short interpretive trail through the steppe.
Source: turismo.madryn.gob.ar · Checked October 2026
Timing
Whale season shapes everything: from mid-May to December, peaking in September and October, with shore watching at El Doradillo from June to October and boat trips from Puerto Pirámides from June to early December. Spring, September to November, adds penguins and orcas and longer days; summer, December to March, brings warm beach days and penguin chicks but no whales after December. Wind is present in every season on the Patagonian coast, and heavy rain can make the gravel roads impassable.
Pricing
From $140
Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay.
From $110
Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay.
From $120
Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay.
These come under the Puerto Madryn rate: a photographer travels out at no extra charge, and the session is priced exactly as it would be in Puerto Madryn itself.
Guides
Southern right whales reach the Golfo Nuevo off Puerto Madryn in mid-May, are most numerous in September and October, and have mostly left by the end of December. Shore watching at El Doradillo runs from June to October, and boat trips from Puerto Pirámides run from June to early December.
Puerto Pirámides, the only village on Península Valdés, is about 100 km from Puerto Madryn by paved road. The rest of the peninsula, including Caleta Valdés and Punta Norte, is reached on gravel roads up to about 75 km beyond Pirámides, so a Península Valdés session takes a full day from Puerto Madryn.
Yes, seasonally. Magellanic penguins are on the Península Valdés coast from mid-September to mid-April, and a small colony near Caleta Valdés is present from about September to March. A penguin session from Puerto Madryn is a full-day trip on the peninsula's gravel roads.
Next step
Tell us the date and the kind of session. A coordinator replies within two hours with an available photographer who works in Puerto Madryn, and your exact price.