El Calafate Trip Overview
Walk through a lunar landscape strewn with petrified logs and dinosaur fossils on this El Calafate day trip to La Leona Petrified Forest. During an easygoing 7-mile (12-km) hike, learn about the area’s unique geological features from a knowledgeable guide. Beforehand, visit the historic Hotel La Leona, where mountaineers and bandits like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid once stayed. Enjoy air-conditioned coach transport between destinations and soak up views of Argentino Lake, Santa Cruz and La Leona rivers, and Mt Fitz Roy along the way.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 hours
Starts: El Calafate, Argentina
Trip Category: Outdoor Activities >> Hiking & Camping
Explore El Calafate Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina
Walk through a lunar landscape strewn with petrified logs and dinosaur fossils on this El Calafate day trip to La Leona Petrified Forest. During an easygoing 7-mile (12-km) hike, learn about the area’s unique geological features from a knowledgeable guide. Beforehand, visit the historic Hotel La Leona, where mountaineers and bandits like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid once stayed. Enjoy air-conditioned coach transport between destinations and soak up views of Argentino Lake, Santa Cruz and La Leona rivers, and Mt Fitz Roy along the way.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: El Calafate, El Calafate, Province of Santa Cruz, Patagonia
After hotel pickup in El Calafate, travel with your guide by air-conditioned coach for an approx. 21-mile (33-km) drive along Route 40, which offers breathtaking scenery.
Stop At: Lago Argentino, El Calafate Argentina
Admire Argentino Lake, Santa Cruz and La Leona rivers, and sweeping views of the impressive Andes mountains, including the snow-blown jagged peaks of Fitz Roy, the highest mountain in Los Glaciares National Park.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: La Leona Petrified Forest, El Calafate 9405 Argentina
Make a brief rest stop at the historic site of Hotel La Leona, built in 1894 by Danish immigrants. Hear about the mauling incident that earned the area its name, La Leona, meaning the lioness, and find out which famous characters passed through this hotel and rest stop, including Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and his wife, Ethel Place.
Continue by coach along the southern bank of Lake Viedma and disembark near the slopes of Cerro Los Hornos. After a safety briefing, follow your guide and begin your easy 7-mile hike (round-trip) to the Petrified Forest of La Leona.
About an hour into the hike, stop for a break and dig into your box lunch including a veggie tart, ham-and-cheese sandwich, fruit, candy and bottled water. (Vegetarian meals are available upon request; please indicate any dietary restrictions at time of booking.)
Duration: 5 hours
Stop At: El Calafate, El Calafate, Province of Santa Cruz, Patagonia
Walk back to the starting point and return to El Calafate by bus, making a stop in La Leona before being dropped off at your hotel.
Duration: 1 hour
