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#081308
August 13, 2008 
PRODUCT UPDATE
Esteros del Ibera
Argentina's Undiscovered Wetlands
Esteros del Ibera Gauchos  Esteros del Ibera Capybara  Esteros del Ibera bird
 
 
 
You've heard of the Pantanal in Brasil. That's the seasonal wetlands made famous by a Brasilian soap opera about the inhabitants - man and animal - living in harmony. It's a popular wildlife venue in southwestern Brasil, best in June-July-August when it is home to many migrating bird species such as the Roseate Spoonbill.
 
But I bet you have not heard of Esteros del Ibera. This is Argentina's wetlands, often called the "Pantanal of Argentina" and hailed by Moon Travel Handbooks as the "Serengeti of the Americas".  Here the wetlands and plains are surported almost entirely by rain and are year-round home to its wildlife.
 
Located in northeast Argentina, the saying "getting there is half the fun" is definitively applicable.
 
It's a scenic all-day overland journey from Iguazu Falls, via the Jesuit ruins at Posadas or a half day overland trip from the airport at Posadas. From Posadas the road is paved for 45 minutes and then it is gravel-dirt-mud-sand-bumps and certainly rutted. But along the way you begin to see birdlife, grand sprawling flatland vistas and gauchos (real-life, honest-to-goodness authentic gauchos) working the cattle ranches.
 
Why make this journey? Because Esteros del Ibera is a huge breathtaking wetland with lots of wildlife. And better still, it's undiscovered and untrammeled. Here in large numbers is the carpincho (called a capybara in the Pantanal), the largest rodent on earth.  The tiny marsh and pampas deer, howler monkey, two species of caiman (yacare) and 250 to 300 species of birds are only a few of the native inhabitants.
 
At the end of the long drive and in the heart of the wetlands is Rincon del Socorro, a 12,000 hectare former cattle ranch converted into a nature reserve with the long term goal of returning this area to its original pristine state and re-introducing one native inhabitant, the jaguar, and of course, his food-chain.
 
The estancia has only six rooms and three small bungalows, a main lodge with multiple sitting areas, bar and dining room, a quincho (BBQ house) and swimming pool. There is a state-of-the-art organic green house, a resident scientist, a one-room school house for the kids of those who work at the estancia and in the reserve and horse stables.
 
Esteros de Ibera Rincon del Socorro pool   Esteros del Ibera Rincon del Socorro DR   Esteros del Ibera Rincon del Socorro room
 
Rincon del Socorro is small, intimate, upscale and a personalized experience. Activities include horseback riding and hiking in the reserve; boat trips through the lagoons for wildlife viewing and, of course, birdwatching. And true to the goals of the reserve, an eco-learning immersion. You will come away with a better understanding of the fragility of not only this ecosystem but nature in general.
 
Fly fishing and an authentic working cattle experience are available at a sister estancias that are reached by small plane from Rincon del Socorro's private airstrip.
 
The next time you think of Argentina, remember Esteros del Ibera. Including it along with Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires, the Wine Country, the Lake District and Patagonia, will give you all the superlatives of Argentina.
 

LADATCO TOURS