L  A   D  A  T  C  O     T  O  U  R   S
	HOME	South America	Falkland Islands	Antarctica	Unique Destinations	Unique Experiences	Newsstand	e-mail

About Estancia La Elvira - in their own words:
Estancia La Elvira is our place, birdsong our music, a twilight on the steppe our retreat, guanacos, Darwin's rheas and Patagonian hares our allies, and your visit our enjoyment.Therefore, we invite you to experience with us a stay full of adventures and activities so as to feel nature without boundaries and discover the astounding beauty of Península Valdés.

LOCATION:
Estancia La Elvira is situated on the open coast of Península Valdés, at Caleta Valdés, a coastal feature that lodges an important variety of mammals and sea birds. We are 180 km from the city of Puerto Madryn, a tourist reference to the Península; 80 km from the town of Puerto Pirámides, a well-known destination for being the place chosen by southern right whales in times of mating, and 40 km from the Punta Norte reserve.

THE COUNTRY HOTEL:
Situated in a superb location amid unspoilt countryside and furnished to very high standards, the Country Hotel offers eight double comfortable rooms with private bathroom and central heating. Exquisite decor details and comfort amenities make Estancia La Elvira a remarkable place to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of a secluded place. In the living room you can find a vast array of indoor games fit for all ages and preferences or enjoy one of the classical books available in the library. Seated in the garden, you will surely witness an upcoming twilight of the steppe unveiling its reddish and yellowish shades.

ACTIVITIES:
Estancia La Elvira offers you a wide range of outdoor activities so that you fully enjoy your stay and make contact with the environmentally sensitive Península Valdés and its astounding natural beauty.
Highly qualified bilingual (Spanish-English) tour guides will accompany you along the activities, which are programmed on a daily basis. Enchanting talks about our ancestors and their traditions along with the warmth of our personnel, constitute an added ingredient to make you feel a friend, not a passenger.

• Horse-riding.
• Photographic safari.
• Rides in horse-drawn carts.
• Mountain bike.
• Strolls along self-guided footpaths to observe regional flora and fauna, along the coast and within the establishment.
• Excursions to visit places of palaeontologist and archaeologist interest.
• Visits to the museum of regional objects.
• Sheep-shearing, handling of sheep with sheepdogs and the traditional earmarking.
• Watching of day-to-day farm activities.
• Observation of stars, with or without lecture given by astronomy professional.
• Bird-watching.
• Fauna-watching.
• Flora-watching.
• Diving at Puerto Pirámides. (*)
• Whale-watching. (*)
• Excursions to Punta Norte and Punta Delgada natural reserves.


* Optional visits. The cost of those tours is not included.

SHEEP RAISING:
In the beginning our establishment started up its activities with sheep raising. Nowadays, we continue with this activity and invite you to share with us the country day-to-day tasks made by our ancestors, as well as sheep-shearing, the handling of sheep with sheepdogs and the traditional earmarking which is carried out every year from September to November.

WILDLIFE:
Caleta Valdés, a Tourist Natural Reserve since 1983, lodges an amazing array of wildlife species both above and within the sea. Therefore, we invite you to discover the heart-stopping experience of watching the only continental rookery of its kind of the southern elephant seal, the swift flight of a kelp gull, the curious peep of an elegant-crested tinamou or the lovely presence of a family of Darwin's rheas.

FLORA:
The vegetation at Península Valdés' steppe is varied and its colours dye in different shades the twilights of the landscape. Some of the species that you can find include the thyme (Pleurophora Patagónica), "uña de gato" (Chuquiraga Hystrix), "senecio" (Senecio Filaginoides), "molle" (Schinus Johnstonii), "botón de oro" (Grindelia Chiloensis), "barba de chivo" (Prosopidastrum Globosum), "quilimbay" (Chuquiraga Avellanedae) and "flechilla" (Stipa Tenvis Phil).

FOSSILS:
Let yourself go back in time and discover marine fossils deposited millions of years ago, product of the wonderful geological evolution the earth underwent. Besides, visiting the places where natives ate and worked their weapons, you will be able to revive experiences, old customs and traditions lived by the old inhabitants of Península Valdés: the 'tehuelches' indians.