The Monte León 4x4: Sea Lions and Penguins excursion offers you a unique opportunity to explore this national park from El Calafate.
The experience combines the sea, the coast, and the steppe with a landscape teeming with Patagonian wildlife. It includes a hike among penguin nests to a viewpoint overlooking the cliffs. In addition, you will visit the famous Lion's Head and go sea lion watching.
The tour begins when an Overland 4x4 vehicle picks you up at your hotel in El Calafate starting at 6:30 a.m. to head to Monte León National Park, the first national park with a coastline. Along the way, you will cross the Patagonian steppe from west to east on the gravel Provincial Route No. 9, with views of the Santa Cruz River and its valley. You will also have the chance to see native Patagonian animals such as guanacos, foxes, maras, and sometimes even pumas. You will make stops at scenic viewpoints and will have the opportunity to climb to the viewpoint equipped with our 4x4 Overland vehicle to take in the spectacular views of this valley.
At around 11:30 a.m., you will enter Monte León and head towards the coast, where you will find the stars of the tour: the Magellanic penguins.
Very close to the coast, you will go on a 1.5-hour, easy hike along the Penguin Trail, where you will be able to walk among penguins and their nests and observe the entire colony from the trail's viewpoint. Monte León is home to one of the largest colonies of this species in Argentina.
The excursion continues by 4x4 to the Lobería and Cabeza de León Trail, where you will be able to reach the edge of this imposing cliff that resembles a reclining lion and gives the national park its name. Here, you will be able to observe colonies of South American fur seals and, occasionally off the coast, cetaceans such as the southern right whale, the Peale's dolphin, and the white-headed dolphin.
The next stop on the tour will be at the Monte León Island Viewpoint, from where you can observe the island's huge colonies of cormorants and other seabird species typical of this environment.
Finally, you will return to El Calafate via the same gravel road, arriving at approximately 9:30 PM after having visited the only national park in Argentina that encompasses the sea, the coast, and the Patagonian steppe, offering the opportunity to observe birds and animals that are very difficult to see elsewhere.
