Valcheta Petrified Forest

We will start our adventure from the meeting point at 9:00 am. We will leave Las Grutas behind to head along National Route 23 towards Valcheta. 

After an hour on the route we will arrive at town, Valcheta is one of those towns that go unnoticed but that have a million secrets kept , in the company of an expert historian guide, we will discover the mysteries of this area of Patagonia Argentina. 

First we will visit the picturesque local museum, known as Museo Provincial María Inés Koop, that works in the old power plant, it is a museum of history and Natural Sciences with a large number of pieces that will bring us closer to the past from another place, we will see powerful and ancient dinosaur eggs;  petrified palm shells with their fossil dates;  the bones of the Milodon;   geological stones of a beautiful variety;  ceremonial axes;   arrowheads; scrapers;  bone utensils and even the remains turned into stone of what millions of years ago were gigantic trees that gave shade and food to the saurians of the place, when The whole area was a tropical forest.

After the museum we will visit the petrified forest that will surprise us with its conifers and palm trees that exceed 30 meters in length , the paths we will walk will be surrounded by shrubby vegetation that, under their shadows, reveal branches, fruits and fossilized dates . The guides will tell us what Patagonia was like millions of years ago and how it has progressively changed to become what it is today, we will also learn about the fossilization process and why it occurred.

We will advance to the Valcheta Artisan Market, where we will have the opportunity to feel closely the Gaucho life of the Patagonia, and to buy matras , beautiful and colorful ponchos made of virgin sheep wool, handwoven by the women of the Mapuche community. Other handcrafted products from the area are: key rings, booties, scarves, blankets, table centerpieces, kettles and coats, all of unbeatable quality.

The last stop before lunch will be the Valcheta Train Station, inaugurated by President Figueroa Alcorta in 1910, where the telegraphs, the old magneto telephones and the salamander still work, will be a journey in time that accompa I add the state of the place, the furniture and its atmosphere show the respect of the locals for their heritage and history. 

To close this trip to the past, we will live a gourmet gastronomic experience. We will leave Valcheta towards the south along a gravel road towards Chipauquil, a small rural area located in the access north of the incredible Somuncurá plateau ( El Fuerte Argentino ). Right behind a fruit grove that breaks the wind we will find La  Estancia Sensoriel, a dreamy and green space crossed by the Valcheta stream, the hosts of French origin will be waiting for us to share a delicious gourmet meal that mixes traditional recipes from Avignon with the mysteries of Patagonia, we will share talks and good wines. After lunch if you wish, you can refresh yourself in the waters of the stream. 

Around 5:00 p.m. we will return to The Caves along the same path, the services will end with the drop off at the meeting point.