Yes, that’s right, that penguin chick is only hours old.  We encountered this happy mom when we were touring Punto Tumbo in Argentina.  With a few others from our hostel we shared a car rental and drove to here to see the penguins as they hatched before continuing onto Puerto Madryn and Peninsula Valdez.

Our timing at Punto Tumbo could not have been better.  We saw nest filled with eggs, nests filled with broken shells who had just hatched, a few nests like this one and even a few where the eggs were rocking but the chick had yet to break through.  One of the people we shared the car with was an avid birdwatcher and he told us it can take some species all day long to hatch from their eggs.  With this little guy only a few hours old we kept a safe distance and didn’t linger for long.

IF YOU GO:  Peninsula Valdez is incredible but so is Punto Tumbo, a few short hours to the south.  There are several car rental agencies in town and if in a small group this works out loads cheaper than a full scale tour.  Base yourself in Puerto Madryn for exploring and plan to spend a night on the Peninsula as well.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.