El Calafate

Petrified Forest "La Leona"

Ideal excursion to enjoy outdoor activities and adventure, discovering new places with the views of the Argentino Lake, Santa Cruz River, La Leona River and its valley, Andes Mountains, and Mount Fitz Roy.

Full day excursion that includes transfer from your hotel to the vicinity of La Leona outpost, located half way between El Calafate and El Chaltén.
This excursion is aimed at all people who enjoy outdoor activities and adventure, willing to discover new places. You have to be moderate physically fit as the tour includes a walk of approximately 3 hours on irregular ground.
We leave from El Calafate heading east on route 45 for 33 km, and then north on route 40 for 57 km. During the trip you will see the Argentino Lake, the Santa Cruz River, the La Leona River and its valley, and you will have a panoramic view of the Andes Mountains, including Mount Fitz Roy.
After a 15-minute stop at La Leona Hotel (historical site) we continue traveling along the southern shore of Viedma Lake until we reach the slopes of Mount Los Hornos (Estancia Santa Teresita), arriving at about 12 pm.
We will look for the first time at the great depression of land where the petrified logs are situated and will start our trekking exploration among the fossils. Half way, we will stop for lunch.
Throughout the walk we will see lots of petrified logs lying on the surface, some with a diameter of 1.2 meters, evidencing that during ancient times the climate was very different from the current one and allowed the existence of abundant flora of big size. Occasionally, fossils of different types of dinosaurs are uncovered.
Our return begins at approximately 2 pm, with another stop at the La Leona Hotel, arriving to El Calafate at 4:30 pm.
This excursion is available every day with a minimum of two passengers but it is subject to weather conditions