Argentina Guide
Patagonia
Bosque Petrificado Sarmiento
Two kilometres from the centre of town, a clearly signposted dirt track off RP-20 leads 29km to the BOSQUE PETRIFICADO SARMIENTO (daily April– Sept 9am–6pm; Oct– March 9am–9pm; $10). Here, perfectly preserved 65-million-year-old trunks are randomly strewn across a near-lunar setting with a stunning purple-and-orange cliff backdrop.
The petrified forest – formed by mineral-rich water permeating the wood over hundreds of thousands of years, effectively turning the trees into stone – has parallels with the Monumento Natural Bosques Petrificados in Santa Cruz Province, but its bands of "painted desert" soils are more striking and erosion processes are much more visible here. Traversing the two-kilometre circuit is rather like walking around a sawmill, the ground covered by splinters of bark and rotten wood that chink under foot, except that these woodchips are Mesozoic. The guardaparque can take you to see the famous chunk of hollow fossilized log ($25; 30min).
Remises from the bus terminal will run you to the park and back for $70 including an hour's wait, although locals prefer that you go with a guide from the tourist office ($25, including transport), as visitors often stray from the paths, damaging the terrain. There are no services in the park. In bad weather or strong winds, check at the tourist office in Sarmiento that the park is open.