The Esteros del Ibera: historical tours and rural

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The Esteros del Ibera

The Esteros del Ibera, are a large natural reserve, where the adventurous sports such as kayaking, come around here. Ibera Marshes are located in Argentina. It is the second largest wetland in South America, formed by an intricate system of lagoons and canals located in the Corrientes province of Argentina, a place little known even to themselves Argentinos, relatively inaccessible even today, where the creation of a provincial park and encouragement to tourism were able to save many species in the 80′s were on the verge of extinction.

The total area protected from the Esteros (Iberá comes from the Guarani Indian language, meaning “shining water”) is 1,300,000 hectares. Provincial Reserve was declared in 1983 and have 60 species of mammals, 50 reptiles, 35 amphibians and 110 species of fish. Not to mention the impressive figure of 350 species of birds, which can “hunt” with the camera.

Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the difficulty to access this area, which is recharged only rainwater, not groundwater or rivers, made it a place of refuge for animals and also some characters outside law, to the point that the legend lives on, and some say without doubt, still are “outlaws” who live in the more remote islands.

historical tours and rural

But the value of the leather of some species, especially the caiman (a type of alligator), of which there are two types, the overo and black (the most quoted by the leather), the river otter (similar to the otter), or the capybara, which is the world’s largest rodent, made depleted stocks very dangerous. So did the jaguar, an extinct feline species in the area, or the maned wolf (a canine long-legged and ungainly body), who were persecuted by farmers to protect their animals from their attacks.

As for the inns, all these are presented with a country style, surrounded by trees and some with pool for the hot summer, they offer boat rides, canoeing, horseback riding, or walking through the area. The relaxation is guaranteed, because there is literally nothing to do in between trips, but enjoy the surroundings and quiet, and the day is scheduled for the meals they offer accommodation and the output.

At night with flashlights should go not to be surprised to animals such as capybaras, which are close to the vicinity of the houses to eat grass, and to see the eyes of reptiles and amphibians who gather on the shores of the lagoon.

The best time to go is during the austral winter and spring (May to November), as summer temperatures reach 40 degrees mark in a wet environment and would have to live with clouds of mosquitoes. Important is to go well protected from the sun, even in cold weather.

One of the mysteries of the Esteros del Ibera are the reservoirs. It is named to the floating islands made of water hyacinth and other plants that were entangled with each other and forge a platform that can grow large plants, but in fact they do on land, but on islands with only a few centimeters or meters deep.

The animals are adapted to it and can walk without problems, but humans can be dangerous unless you know where to step. When there are storms or wind moving islands, forming new channels and changing the landscape ever, what he did in the past that we believe that the area was haunted. This is compounded by legends such as the Pombero, a small figure wearing a large hat and attacking those who would harm the birds.

Other attractive features are the howler howler monkeys or the swamp deer, the nice hares, weasels, the huge boa curiyú and poisonous viper, besides countless herons, ducks and cormorants.

During the trip arrival and departure by a gravel road to the nearby city of Mercedes (where you can access), the viscacha, rodents with black stripes as a mask, appears healthy from the doors of their burrows over the unknown, as if guarding a secret way into the depths of the lagoon.

Bon voyage!

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