Kayaking with Sealions...

On the second day of our whirlwind tour of Puerto Madryn we got up bright and early to go kayaking with Sealions. It was brilliant! Matt and I shared a two man kayak and after some teething problems worked quite well as a dynamic duo. The trip was brilliant. We were right up close to the sea lions, I mean this close.

It was a bit disconcerting at first as the guide had mentioned that on occasion they tried to jump up onto the kayaks and could tip them over. The males also look pretty bloody big when they're right next to you in the water. After a while you got into the rythym though and it was just magical. At one stage Matt and I were only about 2 metres from one of the colonies and a few of the curious females decided to play around us for a while and check us out. I could have patted one if I was quick (and brave) enough. Just amazing!

Day three was all about dolphins and penguins. The bus trip down to Punto Tombo (Penguin colony) was a little grueling but well worth it. After a couple of hours we stopped near Trelew to see the world's smallest dolphins, they are black and white, and look a little like very miniature killer whales, and they're so fast! We jumped on a speed boat to see them, and they kept up and played along with us almost the whole time, jumping in the waves created by the boat and zooming around and under us. I wished we could have stayed for longer.

Next we were off to see the penguins at a massive colony at Punto Tombo. There were so many of them and they wander right across your path, very cute! It was only a few months after breeding season so we saw babies and adults, and in some ways the countryside was almost as beautiful, deep reds, greens, greys, blues and yellows. I don't think the photos will do it justice but it was pretty cool. Even filmed our own mini march of the penguins up from the beach.