Argentina Guide
The Litoral and the Gran Chaco
The Esteros del Iberá
Covering nearly 13,000 square kilometres (one sixth of Corrientes Province), the delicate ecosystem of the ESTEROS DEL IBERÁ is a magical landscape that offers some of the best opportunities in the country for close-up observation of wildlife. A large stretch of these lands is protected within the Reserva Natural del Iberá, where birds and other fauna are so used to a benign human presence that viewing and photographing them is a piece of cake. An elongated sliver of land running through the centre of Corrientes Province, the esteros (marshes) are bordered to the north by RN-12, to the east by tributaries of the Aguaypey and Miriñay rivers and to the west by tributaries of the Paraná. The southern tip touches RN-123, which runs east– west from the border town of Paso de los Libres, joining RN-12 150km south of Corrientes city. In addition to the esteros that give the area its name, you will see a good many lakes, ponds, streams and wonderful floating islands, formed by a build-up of soil on top of intertwined waterlilies.
In the heart of the reserve, beside the ecosystem's second largest lake, the Laguna del Iberá, is the spread-out village ofColonia Carlos Pellegrini ("Pellegrini"). The main gateway to the esteros, though is Mercedes, a picturesque traditional town 120km southwest of Pellegrini. Buses go there from Buenos Aires, and there is a handful of good places to stay. If driving, note that the road linking Pellegrini to Posadas in a northeasterly direction is not always viable, especially after rain (in any case, best in a 4WD); whatever you do, enquire about its current state before attempting it.