The Monte Leon 4x4: Sea Lions and Penguins tour offers a unique opportunity to explore from El Calafate this national park which combines the sea, the coast and the steppe with a landscape full of Patagonian fauna. You will walk among penguin nests while trekking to a viewpoint from where you can see the cliffs of the first national park with a sea coast, visit the famous Lion's Head and walk along the beach with its natural caves formed by sea erosion.
The tour begins when you are picked up at your hotel in El Calafate at 7:00 a.m. and head to Monte Leon National Park. Crossing the Patagonian steppe from west to east, you will travel along the gravel Provincial Route Nº 9 that runs along the Santa Cruz River and from where you can appreciate magnificent views of its valley while encountering native Patagonian animals such as guanacos, foxes, choiques and even, on occasion, pumas. Stops at panoramic points will be made and you will be able to go up to the lookout point of our Overland 4x4 vehicle to contemplate the spectacular views that this valley offers.
Around 11:30 a.m. you will enter Monte Leon visiting its interpretation center, the former shearing shed and the museum, and then head towards the marine coast where the protagonists of the excursion are located: the Magellanic penguins.
Very close to the coast, you will go on a 1.5-hour, low-difficulty trek along the penguin colony trail, where you will walk among penguins and their nests and observe the entire colony from the viewing point. Monte Leon has one of the most important colonies of this species in Argentina.
The excursion continues in 4x4 towards the Loberia and Lion's Head trail, where you can reach the edge of this imposing cliff that resembles a reclining lion and gives its name to the national park. Here you can observe colonies of one-haired sea lions and, occasionally on the coast, cetaceans such as whales, dolphins or the black and white tonina overa.
The next stop of the tour will be at the Monte Leon Island Lookout, from where you can observe the enormous colonies of cormorants and other species of seabirds characteristic of this environment.
To finish the tour, you will visit the beaches located at the foot of the cliffs, where you can walk over 200 meters of them when the tide is low.
You will return to El Calafate along the same gravel road, arriving at approximately 8:30 p.m. after having visited the only national park in Argentina with sea, coast and Patagonian steppe, which allows to observe birds and animals that are very difficult to see in other places.
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