Trip to Ibera Parque in Argentina

Introduction

I have visited a lot of places in Argentina - from Mendoza, west to Iguazu, east and from Jujuy north to ... Unfortunately only to Rosario south, because my journey has been interrupted by the covid pandemic. I look forward to seeing Buenos Aires and Patagonia in the future.

Many places delighted me with views, local flora and fauna, traditions, and local food, but none stuck in my memory as much as Park Ibera.

Ibera is one of those places that are still the undiscovered diamonds. It's nearly impossible to find here any international tourists. When foreigners arrive in Argentina, they head to the capital, visit Bariloche, Perrito Moreno, Ushuaia, and the Iguazu Falls, sometimes Mendoza, Córdoba, and the colorful mountains in the north. Hardly anyone has heard of Ibera though and it's a pity because it is an exceptionally attractive place. I hope you will agree with me after reading this post.

Location under the link:
https://w3w.co/rings.inexpert.proclaims

Park Ibera - few words before we will start

The park is enormous. It's almost 1,400 km2 of swamps and pure nature with little areas where sightseeing is allowed. Most of the Park cannot be seen unless you work as the ranger and I love it that way. Nature remains untouched by human beings and its only inhabitants are animals and plants.
It is possible to visit some tiny zones of this heaven - places located on the outskirts of the park that benefit from tourism. In the post, I will focus on one of them, Colonia Carlos Pellegrini.

Stop in Mercedes for few nights

_{Mercedes city out of the centre}

To get to Carlos Pellegrini, first go to the city of Mercedes. The Mercedes itself deserves a few days of attention. It is a very small town, enchanting with its closeness to nature and ... unique culture. If Buenos Aires is the capital of tango, Mercedes is the world capital of Chamamé - music that I would call the country of the south, ballads made by real gauchos, which are very present here. Yes, in Mercedes it's still easy to find Gauchos crossing the city on horseback, in their freshly starched shirts, wide belts, surrounding their hips, and characteristic berets. Some tourists will certainly find it attractive to visit one of the many shops selling traditional gaucho products.

_{Chamamé music from Mercedes}

Besides the marvelous fauna, flora, and culture of the gaucho, it is worth going out for lunch to La Fonda restaurant and to try their degustation menu.

_{chapel next to the street dedicated to Gauchito Gil}

Religious tourists recognize Mercedes thanks to the famous Gauchito Gil sanctuary.
Gauchito Gil was the Argentinian Robin Hood - he was robbing the rich and helping the poor. The Vatican doesn't recognize him as a saint but many Argentinians do, especially in the north of the country. They build the chapels dedicated to that person and pray to him asking for help in difficult times.

Accommodation

We are budget travelers, so I cannot recommend you any of the exclusive hotels because I didn't visit them. However, if you are looking for a cheap place to sleep, I recommend one of the campings.

There are two campings in the area: the first one is in Mercedes, near the river, but I do not recommend spending the night there. It is close to the road and buildings and it's dangerous. When we stayed there, our cell phones and shoes were stolen. Moreover, there are no bathrooms there, only a place to make a BBQ. I assume it's a great place to make some picnic but not necessarily to sleep.

The second camping is in the nearby village of Pueblito de las Ratas. Harder to get there, it takes over one hour to walk there from Mercedes but the place is fabulous: it has bathrooms, showers, it's guarded, there are pools, a BBQ area, and the nearby river is inhabited by animals like otters. Watch out for spiders and snakes though. That bastards are there as well and I don't think it's a great idea to invite them to your tent.

_{Otter is eating the lunch}

_{snakes - lovely creatures as far aswe keep the distance}

Both campsites are free. For those of you who appreciate a comfortable bed, I recommend cheap hotels located behind the bus station in Mercedes.

Transport to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini

_{After some rainy days it's impossible to use that road}

Buses to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini leaves only once per day, in the early morning. Even though the village is located not so far away from Mercedes, the journey takes hours, because asphalt ends quickly and the bus traverses the rest of the time on a gravel road, occasionally blocked by capybaras or caimans.

Getting out of the village is even more difficult. You can go back to Mercedes the same way, but if nobody wanted to come to Carlos Pellegrini, the bus won't leave Mercedes and you will be forced to wait until the next day. If you are planning to go the other way, towards Posadas, the only way is to rent private transport which is incredibly expensive.

Of course, if you're going to visit Colonia Carlos Pellegrini in your own car, that shouldn't be a problem, but remember to check the weather. After heavy rainfall, the village is cut off from the rest of the world and it is not possible to travel to or from it.

_{road to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini}

Colonia Carlos Pellegrini

Colonia Carlos Pellegrini is a very small village with 900 inhabitants, with several restaurants, a cafe, a camping site, lots of rooms to rent for a night or two and of course a national park right next door.

We stayed at the camping which is private so we had to pay to pitch the tent. I must admit that Carlos Pellegrini is an expensive place. Prices of all services and products differ from prices elsewhere in Argentina. It's often two or even three times higher than in a nearby Mercedes. It's a good idea to do some major grocery shopping before coming to this town to save some money.

_{I strongly recommend kayaking between caymans}

In the village, it's possible to participate in many attractions. Some of them are free, others you have to pay for:

you can rent kayaks and take a trip on the nearby river
you can go on a horseback trip
you can visit the Park with a guide for free. A day and night tour is available. You can also visit the park on your own
a second, smaller park with many birds and Howlers, the loudest monkeys in the world, is available for free
you can make a boat trip and watch the sunset or sunrise from the river

The nearby Ibera Park is home to many interesting animals. You can easily observe here:

capybaras
caimans
roe deer
screamers
more than 300 species of birds
with a bit of luck you will see a Boa or a yaguarete

_{Look closely. There is boa on that photo}

Capybaras

_{Capybaras are my favourite animals}

These wonderful, lazy animals are the largest rodents in the world. They are not dangerous, but touching them is not recommended, as they carry numerous germs. Capybaras are not afraid of humans, they seem to ignore the presence of tourists, taking care of what they like best: mud baths, chewing grass, and ... sleeping.

_{Currently these animals are under special protection}

_{Before Park Ibera was founded, locals were hunting Capybaras for meat}

_{lazy like me. Now you know why I love them so much}

_{that bird is using Capybara as a taxi. Rodent doesn't care much though. He knows that birds will eat some parasites which hide in his fur and it's good for everyone. Full symbiosis}

Cayman

_{This guy didn't like me too much.}

Although they are usually not a threat to humans, keep your distance. Be especially careful when the caiman opens its mouth wide and points it towards you. In this way, animals signal a sense of danger and readiness to attack.

_{Caymans are not as big as crocodiles but they still could be dangerous}

_{That guy is sleeping. I really don't know why I'm making so many photos of sleeping animals...}

_{Crocodiles, Caymans, and alligators are as old as dinosaurs. It's the only archosaurs on the planet}

Marsh deer

A species of South American deer that is threatened with extinction. A very skittish animal by nature, but you will certainly be able to spot it. It is enough to go to one of the vantage points and sit down patiently for a moment to see them on the horizon. It is a good idea to take binoculars with you or a camera with a good zoom because the Marsh deer will not come as close to us as capybara or caiman.

_{very distinguish animals, unfortunately easy to scare off}

Howler monkey

The loudest monkeys in the world, whose screams can be heard even 5 km away. They are very intelligent creatures who don't like the presence of humans. Usually, they sit on the highest branches of trees. Be quiet, be patient and walk the trail with your head held high and you will be sure to see them. We managed to find the Howler family. The female, male, and kiddo, however, quickly fled from our sight, so the only photos we took are quite blurry.

_{not the best quality photo, as monkeys are smart enough to hide when they don't want to be seen}

The birds

_{Southern Lapwing}

Over 300 species of birds of various shapes and colors diversify our stay in Ibera not only with visual experiences but above all with colorful, intriguing singing. We were not able to identify all birds, but we recognized some of them, mainly thanks to the knowledge we gained from ornithologists we met elsewhere in Argentina.

_{Amazon kingfisher}