From Buenos Aires to Iberá

This is the departure point of this amazing circuit that combines nature, relaxing, beaches, history and cuisine. In the City of Buenos Aires, you can visit Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, the largest green space in the city, boasting 350 hectares. With trails for walking or cycling, viewpoints in the shade of cockspur coral trees and sweeping views of the La Plata River, this is a great haven to spend the day away from the concrete and discover a wide variety of birds and turtles, coypus and lizards. If you already know this place, you can choose to visit Lugano Lake and Costanera Norte reserves. Once you have set out on your trip, you will find lagoons and wetlands just a few kilometres away.

Buenos Aires also offers tours to visit historical buildings and heritage value, as well as countless neighborhoods with their own cultural identities. There are museums, theaters, cinemas, notable bars, bookstores and tango shows - a hallmark of Buenos Aires culture, which together with the art of filleting, make up the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Argentina.

More information at https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar

Ten kilometres away from the city of Escobar, on the banks of the Luján River, this 60-hectare biological corridor is a conservation space to protect the Paraná Delta environments. Its flora includes cockspur coral trees, river alders and curupi trees (Sapium haematospermum). This is an ideal place to spend the day or go walking or cycling along its over 6 kilometres of trails.

This is the closest national park to the City of Buenos Aires. Its emblem is the marsh deer, the largest species of deer in South America. Focus your gaze and, with a bit of luck, you may see them running along the paths towards the Paraná de las Palmas River. This is a great place to spend the day, have a picnic and walk along short and accessible trails. Even though the park does not have a camping area, there are camping and lodging facilities in Campana, the nearest city.

A 30 km long complex that connects Buenos Aires and Entre Ríos through two bridges that cross the Paraná de las Palmas and Paraná Guazú rivers. At the bridgeheads and along its main span, there are recreation facilities, campsites and fishermen’s clubs.

Provincial Route 45 leads to the town of Ibicuy, which offers various accommodation options and complete services. Around it, there is a network of rural roads along which Ibicuy Grasslands, an important bird-conservation area, stretch. This area features natural grasslands, dunes, large wetlands and small lagoons and streams. Landscapes featuring poplars and willows, gallery forests, vines, ferns and lichens frame the views of the Ibicuy River. There are tour operators that offer boat rides, horseback riding experiences, outings to the countryside and sport fishing activities.

This village, featuring streams and islands of the Lower Delta of the Paraná River, lies just 22 kilometres off National Route 14. Its wetlands are home to an immensely rich biological diversity. Visitors can enjoy fishing, hiking, cycling, photographic safaris and boat and kayak rides. This is another great place for bird watching. From here, you can reach Island 9 by raft (with car) to spend the day exploring it and driving along its local roads. The village has campsites and recreation and lodging facilities.

Ceibas is a must for birdwatchers, who usually visit it accompanied by professional guides. Almost 300 species can be discovered by walking along its local roads, amidst forests, wetlands, grasslands, lagoons and streams. Seedeaters, crakes, plovers, hummingbirds and woodpeckers stand out, but saffron-cowled blackbirds and straight-billed reedhaunters are the true stars of the place. Along its trails you can find some of the main fauna species in the area, such as foxes, turtles, coypus and capybaras.

This is a city that invites you to relax and enjoy its hot springs, natural areas and river beaches. The Termas del Gualeguaychú complex is located 3.5 kilometres away from downtown Gualeguaychú, on Provincial Route 42, to the east of the city. The surrounding areas feature several municipal and private nature reserves that invite visitors to do ecotourism, bird watching, photographic safaris, hiking and other activities while in contact with nature.

This is another great city with beaches and islands that invite you to relax. Some of its most traditional beaches are Banco Pelay, which spans more than 5 km along the Uruguay River and features excellent facilities; Paso Vera, with complete services and a campsite with grills; and Cambacuá Natural Island, amidst the Uruguay River, which can be reached by catamaran (departing from the city’s port). Palacio San José is another of its great attractions. It is the most important historical building in Entre Ríos, where you can learn about its architecture and gardens, as well as the history of the region. This palace was the personal residence of Justo José de Urquiza, the first constitutional president of Argentina. Guided tours are offered during the day and at night.

Colón is a city that boasts great beaches where you can spend the day or go kayaking, sailing, windsurfing and water skiing. As the waves are calm and the Pájaros Pintados River drags sediments, there are almost 10 km of freshwater beaches and resorts. The city also has hot springs with excellent services and amenities.

This small city is an important site of interest for understanding the history and working culture of immigrants, especially the first settlers (Swiss, Savoyard and Piedmontese). You can visit Molino Forclaz, an icon of Entre Ríos, declared a National Historical Monument and Cultural Historical Heritage of the Province. The Molino Forclaz museum offers traditional guided visits as well as dramatized and night tours. Check the schedules and booking options at the San José tourist office or on social media.

This route includes a 15 km diversion to the west to discover the town of Villa Elisa. Apart from its charming hot springs, Villa Elisa offers visits to rural tourism establishments. In the nearby towns there are traditional countryside grocery stores that keep alive their culinary roots by combining European recipes with the flavours of the Entre Ríos countryside. The oldest in the province are El Francou in La Clarita (Colonia El Carmen) and Don Leandro (Colonia Hocker). These are great places where to have lunch, tea or savour a variety of traditional cold meats at sunset. You can also buy preserves, cold meats and pickled food products.

On the banks of the Uruguay River, El Palmar is one of the most beautiful and popular national parks in Argentina. It protects one of the most important communities of yatay palms, a native species that lives between 200 and 400 years and reaches a height of up to 18 metres. El Palmar invites you to undertake exciting outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, canoeing, horseback riding, sport fishing and bird watching. Camping in this park is a unique experience, but if you are not into it, the neighboring cities of Colón, Ubajay and Villa Elisa offer several accommodation options.

Continuing along National Route 14, you reach this private reserve that protects 200 hectares of yatay palms. It is the only significant conservation area for this species outside of El Palmar National Park. Some of the exciting activities that can be enjoyed here are 4x4 safaris, hiking, horseback riding, canoe and bicycle rides, bird watching, photographic safaris and night excursions. The place offers accommodation and complete services.

This is a small and quiet town on the banks of the Uruguay River, which has ravines, gallery forests and a warm and wild natural environment. Its municipal campsite offers fishing activities and boat and horseback riding experiences.

Another small and quiet town on the banks of the Uruguay River. Its municipal campsite offers fishing activities and boat and horseback riding experiences

It is known as the national capital of citrus production and offers plenty of accommodation options and complete services. Five minutes away from downtown Concordia, you can visit Parque San Carlos Reserve, which is home to the ruins of the castle where French writer Saint Exupéry would have found much of his inspiration for some of his works. There is a beautiful sculpture of The Little Prince, a botanical garden, a lake and trails to see exotic and native species, as well as a gallery forest.

At this stop, you can find the Salto Grande artificial (man-made) lake, visit the Salto Grande Museum and Cultural Centre, explore the dam on the Uruguay River (which makes the operation of the Salto Grande Binational Hydroelectric Complex possible) and enjoy the ecopark, with trails for admiring the local birds and flora. There are three ports, from which boat tours depart, around the lake as well as campsites and cottages in the area.

This city, 18 km off National Route 14, boasts the first hot spring aquatic park in the country. Apart from enjoying its hot spring baths, the Museo de los Asentamientos de Federación is a not-to-be-missed visit to understand the history of the old city, which was covered by the waters of the Salto Grande hydroelectric works, and the creation of a new city on the other side of the river in 1979. On the waterfront and facing the Salto Grande Lake lies El Aromito Native Forest Reserve, which is a large botanical garden that protects hundreds of species. This place invites visitors to go hiking and cycling, and to enjoy a picnic under beautiful shade trees. Eleven kilometres to the south, you will find Chaviyú Multiple Use Reserve, which protects the lake, a large eucalyptus forest, wetlands, grasslands and jungle.

A colorful city with important citrus plantations and eucalyptus and pine forests. There are beaches and hot springs.

White sand beaches and warm waters. The town of Santa Ana is home to several beaches, including the Municipal Beach Resort on the waters of the Salto Grande Lake, with a campsite and complete services. The place offers kayak rentals, bike rides and fishing activities. In its surroundings you can visit production facilities and farms, and enjoy rural tourism activities.

Located on the banks of the Mocoretá River, which marks a natural boundary between the provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes, this reserve protects highly biodiverse native forests where more than a thousand animal and plant species occur. There are trails for flora and fauna watching and a camping area. This is a great place to spend the day, which can be reached from the town of Mocoretá, 3 km to the south.

Monte Caseros is the first town in this itinerary that is located in the province of Corrientes. It has 6 km long beaches of sand and colorful pebbles and hot springs with complete services. Several companies offer nautical tours on the Uruguay River, with some of them reaching the sand islet located near Correntina Island and the tripartite point between Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. For those who love sport fishing, Monte Caseros stands out for its dorados, bogas, catfish and sorubims. The town has campsites and different categories of accommodation.

This city offers varied cuisine and different types of accommodation, as well as a complete range of services. At a distance of 3.5 km from downtown Mercedes, you will find the 4-hectare Aká Pitá Urban Nature Reserve, an ideal place for hiking and bird watching all year round. From here, it is 120 km to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini (50 km by asphalt road and 70 km by dirt road), a gateway to the Iberá Wetlands, one of the planet’s largest wetlands and one of Argentina’s best places to see wildlife. It is important to refuel here as this is the last place with filling stations. Also, drive slowly as the final kilometres (on dirt road) cross the heart of the protected area and there are always capybaras, deers and other animals on the road. Go slowly and pay attention that the best is yet to come.

The route (at this point, a gravel road) leads to the Iberá Lagoon, one of the largest and most iconic in the wetlands. There is a park ranger post, an interpretation centre and a wooden walkway that runs along the shore of the lagoon where you can see marsh deers, brockets and yacare caimans. This is also the beginning of a trail that runs through a jungle islet, ideal for finding black-and-gold howler monkeys, the southernmost monkeys in the world. But most likely, before stopping here, you will continue on your way and cross the iconic wooden bridge that takes you to the charming town of Carlos Pellegrini, the heart of Laguna Iberá Gateway. With sandy streets and low houses, Pellegrini is the ideal place to stay for a few days and explore the wetlands by taking some of the excursions offered by local tour operators, such as boat and canoe rides in the lagoon, kayaking, hiking and night safaris, bicycle outings, horseback riding and bird watching. It has hostels, inns, campsites, varied cuisine and services.