Los Esteros del Iberá, Corrientes Day One

I am currently in the city of Santa Fe, in the Province of Santa Fe, which is about 550km south and a little west of Corrientes. I am on the return leg, heading towards Buenos Aires. But first, let me tell you about my 36 hours in Los Esteros del Iberá. I know little, if anything, about wildlife, so please forgive my ignorance!

19 July 2006

The ride to Carlos Pellegrini, the little community on the edge of Los Esteros del Iberá was slow going and a bone shaker. Pellegrini is only 120km from Mercedes, but road is not paved. The driver was a young woman, who could not have been more than 20, her recently born baby and her mother. She seemed to struggle with first gear, grinding it often. I sat in the back, so I probably got the worst of the bumps. (I was later informed that the road was recently renewed and has never been better.) Also in the minibus were an older Australian couple from Melbourne, two French women from Chamonix and an Argentinean family. We left Mercedes shortly after 1300 and arrived at 1630.

My accommodation was in a new lodging built by the lake called La Casa Luna del Iberá. I paid US$100 for an all inclusive (meals and tours), two night package. It turned out the the French women and I were the only ones staying at the Luna. The others had not booked accommodation and went off to see what they could find (something I thought of doing and in retrospect should have).

We hardly had time to drop our bags when we were told that the boat tour was leaving. "Why could we not do it tomorrow?" I thought. We would not get much light. As there was no one else staying at the Luna, it was just the three of us and our guide, Fabian. And I soon realised that this was the probably the best time of day to see and hear the wildlife in the wet lands.

We climbed into the boat, which had enough room for at least 15. We first passed by the "guarda parque" (park ranger) to check in. It was good to see that they control the number of boats going into the wetlands. Once we had crossed the lake and reached what looked like some small islands, Fabian shut off the motor and proceded to push us along with a long wooden pole.




With great excitment we soon spotted some yacaré (caiman - members of the alligator family), and then more and more. Everywhere we looked were yacaré, laying completely still, catching the last few rays of sun. Fabian told us that they were not aggressive towards humans unlike their saltwater cousins, and live on fish like piranhas (not tourists). Not dangerous? I remained skeptical. These were yacaré negro.



Being close to sunset there was a great deal of animal activity and noises. The reserve is a bird lovers paradise with over 300 species of water and land based birds. And they were certainly making their presence known. Every so often we would catch sight of a carpincho swimming between the islands. The carpincho (capybara) is a semi-aquatic mamal and the largest member of the rodent family. They graze on the lush vegitation found in the wetlands. Their toes are slightly webbed allowing them to swim. We were also very lucky to see some marsh deer that inhabit the wetlands. Male deer are a lot more difficult to see, but I did spot one swimming between islands. Unfortunately my camera was unable to record this sighting.

It was a most special experience to float along with just the sounds of the wildlife all around as the sun set. There were a few other boats out and often they were not quite so sparing in their use of their motors. But we hung around after the sun had set and the other boats had returned to Pellegrini. Then Fabian landed the boat on of the islands. The French women and I looked at each other, not quite sure what he was doing. When I set foot on the island I experienced one of the strangest sensations. The ground gave way slightly. We learned that these islands were in fact floating. The closest thing I can comapre it to is walking on a mattress. It was springy. I also saw two yacaré laying by the water a couple of meters away. They did not appear to care about our proximity. Fabian left us alone for a moment to go for a quick pee in the bushes. "Only men's toilets available," he joked.

We climbed back in the boat and headed back to terra firma. I understand now why Los Esteros del Iberá cannot be missed. But, when you do come, bring lots of good mesquito repellent - they had a feast!

More photos from Iberá and Colonia Carlos Pellegrini can be found here.