Argentina Guide
The Litoral and the Gran Chaco
Posadas
If you arrive in Posadas expecting your first taste of the jungle, you'll be sorely disappointed: the provincial capital sits on a rather bare patch of land bordering the Río Paraná, which – bar the red earth – has more in common with northern Corrientes than with the luscious emerald sierras of central and northern Misiones Province. Thanks to the construction of a road to Paraguay via the Puente Roque González de Santa Cruz in 1980, and the town's proximity to the massive Yacyretá Dam, Posadas' population has dramatically swollen and some local people lament the increase in crime, though it remains relatively safe. In addition to the road crossing here, Posadas is also one of the few places you can get across to Paraguay via the river.
With over 300,000 inhabitants, Posadas is Misiones' most important city and is indeed an important urban centre for a large hinterland of neighbouring Paraguay and Corrientes Province. Not exactly postcard-worthy, it is primarily a stopover city and appears to do little to reap any benefit from the modest but nonetheless steady stream of tourists who pass through.
Estancia Santa Inés
Address: Just off RN-105 (Km8.5) towards San José
Telephone: 03752/156-39670 or 155-01941
Price: Prices range from $60 for an afternoon visit, including tea (or mate), to $270 per person for full-board accommodation, activities included
nannymisiones@hotmail.comEstancia Santa Inés, 20km southeast of Posadas, is run by descendants of Pedro Núñez, a partner in the Núñez y Gibaja shipping company, one of the pioneers of navigation on the Upper Paraná at the beginning of the twentieth century. The outbuildings near the entrance and majestic tree-lined drive testify to the scale of the operation: over a thousand workers were employed, primarily in the cultivation of yerba mate, and a private railway line connected the estancia's extensive lands. The casco appears modest on the outside, though it has a lovely, old-fashioned interior, displaying a marvellous collection of silver mate paraphernalia, but the estancia's trump card is its exotic setting: there is a mini-jungle of luxuriant vegetation just outside the front door. A small pool near the house is partly shaded by araucaria trees but, 5km away along dirt tracks (best negotiated on horseback), a huge outdoor pool made of stone blocks is fed by a natural spring. You can also wander among the mate plantations on horseback, or visit the family's private chapel, containing handsome Jesuit carvings. The four daily meals (breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner) are absolutely delicious and the wine flows in abundance. For those without wheels, bus #30 from Posadas will leave you at the well-signposted entrance, 2km from the casco – you can arrange for someone from the estancia to pick you up from here.
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