Come along with us to discover the wonderful world of petrified forests and gigantic dinosaurs that inhabited this area millions of years ago! This excursion, which takes us on a journey through a fantasy landscape, takes places on an estancia (ranch) half way between El Calafate and El Chaltén, just off a section of the mythical Route 40. It allows you to spend a day on the Patagonian steppe and is designed especially for those who enjoy being in contact with nature and want to experience unique places.
We depart El Calafate at 9 am for the 100-kilometre drive. During this journey we travel around the edge of the gigantic Lake Argentino, with views of the hues of ochre across the immense Patagonian Steppe, with imposing Mount Fitz Roy as a backdrop.
We make a stop for about 15 minutes at Hotel La Leona (historical site). From here, we take a dirt track, as far as the slopes of Mount Los Hornos (Estancia Santa Teresita), where we arrive at the palaeontological site.
The next part of the tour takes us on foot into a deep depression in the ground, where 70 million year old petrified tree trunks can be found and from where we begin our adventure among the fossils. During the walk it is possible to see an infinite number of petrified tree trunks lying on the surface, some with diameters of up to 1.20 m, bearing witness to times gone by when the climate was very different and supported abundant large-scale flora. Fossil remains of various different types of dinosaurs are occasionally uncovered.
We make a stop for lunch at the halfway point of the walk.
The return bus leaves at approximately 2 pm and there is another stop at Hotel La Leona, from where transport will take you to El Chaltén, El Calafate or the airport (FTE), arriving at all of these destinations at about 4.30 pm. If your flight leaves after 6 pm, you can take advantage of this activity before catching your plane.
This excursion is perfect for you if you want to know what exists between El Chaltén and El Calafate and make the most of the journey between the 2 towns. So it’s the perfect ending to a stay in El Chaltén; to visit en route back to El Calafate or on to Calafate airport.
– Lunch box included.
