In season, southern right whales approach the promontory of this emblem of ecological commitment, a luminous “Magellanic” structure crowned by a tower that yields views of distant Península Valdés across the Golfo Nuevo. It’s the work of a nonprofit institution striving to bring environmental education, research, and the arts under the same roof.

As a maritime-life educational center, the Ecocentro has superb displays of South Atlantic fauna, including birds, seals, and especially whales; one of the finest is a living tidal pool. Even the surrounding gardens serve a didactic purpose—instead of planting water-hungry lawns, the directors have chosen to preserve the native coastal desert flora.

Close enough to Madryn for a mountain-bike excursion, Punta Loma

Coastal Patagonia’s top destination, the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve of Península Valdés is the place where the great southern right whale arrives to breed and birth in the winter months. Protected since 1935, the ballena franca occupies an almost unique position as a “natural monument“—a designation normally reserved for territorial ecosystems—within the Argentine national park system.

Many visitors book excursions in Madryn, but day trips are too brief for more than a glimpse of the peninsula’s best—especially if the operators spend too much time at lunch. Staying at Puerto Pirámides and contracting tours there is especially good for whale-watching, as you have the flexibility to pick the best time to go out.

Established in July 2003, named for a Chilean author who chronicled the southern seas, this 67,000-hectare maritime park is the result of five years’ biological investigations that pinpointed the area around Isla Carlos III, in the southwestern Strait of Magellan, as summer feeding grounds for the southern humpback whale. In addition to the humpbacks, which migrate the length of the South American coast from Colombia, the park’s seas and shorelines are home to breeding populations of Magellanic penguins, cormorants, many other southern seabirds, fur seals, and sea lions. Orcas are also present.

The road may be paved and fuel much easier to come by than in the early days of peninsular travel, but Baja California remains a classic route for travelers who enjoy the thrill of a long road trip. All you need is ample time, a reliable vehicle, and an ability to cope with unpredictable situations.

Sergio’s Sportfishing Center (tel./fax 646/178-2185, U.S. tel. 800/336-5454, www.sergiosfishing.com) offers four- to five-hour whale-watching trips late December–late March for US$25 per person (US$15 for ages 11 and under). Sergio’s needs a minimum of 15 people to run a trip—usually not a problem on weekends.

Gordo’s (next door) offers similar trips at similar rates.

During the season, January–March, Laguna Ojo de Liebre (also known as Scammon’s Lagoon) offers several whale-watching options. Local tour operators take small groups of up to 10 people for US$40 per person, which often includes a box lunch.

Southeast of San Ignacio on the Pacific coast lies a large bay used by calving gray whales January–March every year. The grays are closer to shore here than at Laguna Ojo de Liebre to the north or Bahía de Magdalena to the south and seem to exhibit friendlier behavior here than at other calving lagoons.