Sarmiento and the Bosque Petrificado

Built in a fertile valley formed by the Río Senguer and its two interconnected lakes—Lago Musters and Lago Colhué Huapi—Sarmiento is a green oasis in the middle of the hard Patagonian steppe. This town of 13,000 is relatively new—founded in 1897—and lacks the colonial architecture that might make it more attractive. Yet Sarmiento has its own charm—it's undeniably and unpretentiously the "real Patagonia." Although the lakes and river, petrified forest, and paleontology park are great attractions, and the rolling farmland outside of town—with tall windbreaks of Lombardy poplars usually twisting in the strong wind—is beautiful, relatively few foreign travelers come here.

Fair Time

One of the region's best local fairs, Sarmiento's arts, crafts, and food fair is held every Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 8 year-round, right across from the tourism office at Avenida Regimiento de Infantería 25 and Pietrobelli. Here you can find jams, preserves, honey, woolen garments, and other crafts produced at local chacras.