Colón, E.R.

I have had a very relaxed and pleasant stay here alter the crazy intensity of Buenos Aires. The main attraction of Colón is its proximity to the Uruguay River. It is more of a summer destination when the multitudes flock to its beaches. The river is known for its pure, crystal waters. Currently it is the winter school holiday in Argentina, and so there are a few people about. But the place is pretty quiet, which makes it a very peaceful place to explore.

On my first day, Friday 7 July, I took a 2 hour river safari with the very affable Charlie Adamson of Ita I Cora tours. Charlie is half Scottish, half Swiss German, but was born in northern Argentina. He runs all types of nature safaris in the area. His web site can be found at http://www.itaicora.com/. The river safari costs AR$30. We visited two islands in the Uruguay River, Isla San Francisco and Isla Queguay Chico, both of which are in Uruguay territory. Both are covered in dense rain forest. From the photos you will see that low water level has exposed some large sand banks crisscrossed by all kinds of animal tracks. Charlie prepared this little group photo of us on the bank of Isla San Francisco.

During the afternoon I lounged around in Colón’s thermal baths. The outdoor baths are a 15 walk north along the river from the town centre. There are various thermal springs in the region. These are nothing special.

On the walk home I bumped into Charlie who invited me to an asado (BBQ) at his house that evening. He mentioned that if I brought a bottle of wine that I should try to find one that was more than AR$5 (just under UK£1 or US$1.70). Good advice! The Danish couple from the river safari, Charlie, his wife Gaby and I dined very well while his three sons tore around the house. Charlie is definitely quite a character and speaks with what I would guess is a somewhat colonial British accent. Their two year old son captivated us all with this collection of polished stones. Though, it appeared that he was more fascinated by the young, blond Danish woman.

On Saturday 8 July I hopped on one of the long distance buses heading north and rode the 50km to the Parque Nacional El Palmar. The bus left me off on the main road across from La Aurora del Palmar (http://www.auroradelpalmar.com.ar), which is 1500 hectare preserve by the national park. You can visit for the day or stay in one of the site’s railway wagons that have been converted into cabins. I opted for a guided horse ride with Roco as my guide. You can also go canoeing and trekking in their 4x4, each costing AR$20.