Discover La Leona Petrified Forest: Guided Hiking Tour
Description
Set out on an unforgettable El Calafate day trip to the captivating La Leona Petrified Forest, where you'll wander through a surreal lunar-like landscape adorned with ancient petrified logs and dinosaur fossils. Led by an expert guide, delve into the area's fascinating geological wonders during a leisurely hike. Before your adventure, explore the historic Hotel La Leona, steeped in intriguing tales. Relax in air-conditioned coach comfort as you travel between destinations, marveling at panoramic vistas of Argentino Lake, the Santa Cruz and La Leona rivers, and the majestic Mt. Fitz Roy.
Tour Options
Itinerary
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, immersing yourself in the stunning scenery that unfolds before you.
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.
We will make a stop of approximately 15 minutes in the Hotel La Leona, important historical site, where we can stock up and explore its small museum. We will continue our way along the south of Lake Viedma to the edge of Cerro Los Hornos to reach the Estancia Santa Teresita.
Here we will get off the vehicle to start our walk. We will trek through the depression of the land where we will find petrified logs that lie on the surface, some of up to 1.20 meters in diameter! We can also see fossil remains of different types of dinosaurs that inhabited the place. The duration of the trekking is 3 hours (time for trekking depends on weather conditions).
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.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The pick up transfer is only from selected centrally located hotels. If your hotel is outside the geographic area, we will confirm you the closest meeting point. Indicate the name and address of your hotel.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Minimum age is 6 years
- Not recommended for participants with back problems, heart complaints or other serious medical conditions
- It is recommended that you bring sunblock and wear comfortable clothes and shoes
- Seasonal tour operating October to April
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- IMPORTANT: If you wish to cancel your tour, please note that no refund will be granted from the 24th of December to the 02nd of January. All sales are final between those dates.
Reviews(22)
This hike is rated as a moderate hike and it is challenging for someone who doesn’t do a lot of hiking but wants to challenge themselves. The hike is over 3 hours and 3 km long, we stopped for lunch along the trail. There are spots where there are steps dug into the trail and ropes to hold onto. I would recommend using hiking poles if you’re not a hiker. The scenery was amazing and I couldn’t believe the amount of petrified trees and bones we saw. The last part of the hike is the most difficult because you go down into the canyon then pretty much straight up to get out. The guide did not push us to go too fast and was careful to not get ahead of any of us, she did a great job.
What a interesting and entertaining trip, we learned a lot and had fun. The included lunch was perfect and our guide gave us a lot of information and he really loves nature.
This place was a unique hiking experience. There is only one company who goes there and it was 6 of us and a guide. Quiet peaceful hike. The fossils and petrified wood are awesome and you can get up close and even touch them. The guide Pol was wonderful, knowledgeable, & friendly. The hike was about 2-2.5 hrs with lots of stops. Very windy like the rest of Patagonia but well worth a visit. Take water and a hiking pole to stabilize yourself from the wind. Beautiful.
The guide, Paull our driver were fabulous. We loved the fascinating terrain, the geology, and fossilised trees. The trek was well thought out, and care and safety from the guide was outstanding. The driver returned the items I accidentally left on the bus to our hotel afterwards. The tour was great. I highly recommend it.
The excursion, scheduled for 30 April 2024, didn't take place due to lack of numbers. I'm disappointed, but at least I was advised timeously and refunded promptly. From a traveller's point of view though, it begs the question: given how overcrowded some tours are (e.g Todos Los Glaciares, with a different tour operator), can't operators sometimes take a loss when their overheads aren't covered?
Hello, Thank you for sharing your experience. We are sorry you were not able to take this tour. It is unfortunate that such a beautiful place to visit at La Leona isn't more visited, which makes it difficult to find a minimum amount of people to go ahead with the tour, especially in the low season. We are currently working to promote it more and improve our service for this tour in particular. Best regards, Martin
Outstanding views! The long journey was made bearable by the excellent driver of our car. In addition he drew our attention to a variety of wildlife we had never seen before.
Amazing and seemingly underrated day trek. I don’t understand how this isn’t a more popular trek for people staying in El Calafate. We absolutely loved the hike - around 3 hours in total, and not too far from town. The petrified forest is an amazing canyon with fossils and petrified wood. A true geological wonder that doesn’t get enough attention. Leo was a fantastic guide and I would highly recommend this!
This was an amazing day. The less populated side of the Patagonian adventure is not one to be missed. The petrified trees and dinosaur bones in the midst of the barren yet magnificent landscape left us with the feeling being in a true adventure. I traveled with my wife and kids (7, 9) and all had a great time. The trek was easy for all to complete. Leonardo (guide) and driver were exceptional pair. Both were very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Highly recommended. Drive time was about 1:15 one way from el Calafate.
Very interesting place to visit. The trip was amazing, Recommend it to all. Thee tour operator nice and professional.
We were lucky enough to be able to do this activity "solo" with the guide. Indeed, we were only two + the guide and what a Service! Pick-up at the hotel and then we leave for the day in what looks like a Moon setting. Interesting guide (speaking English and Spanish) explaining the Geology and History of the places (+ of course the explanations on the Dinosaurs and the Petrified Forest). We can only recommend this excursion if you have a day to devote to it (return scheduled around 4:00 pm). Thanks to our guides for their sympathy, humor and professionalism:)
Nous vous remercions beaucoup pour vos commentaires au sujet de votre expérience, nous sommes ravis d'apprendre que vous en garderez un souvenir inoubliable! Nous sommes heureux que vous nous ailliez choisis pour parcourir et visiter les paysages de l'Argentine ! Et ce serait un honneur pour nous de vous conseiller à nouveau à l'avenir. Bien à vous;
