Located on the Parana River 485 mi/780 km north of Buenos Aires, Corrientes, Argentina, and its sister city, Resistencia, provide an appealing stop on the overland trip to Iguazu Falls. Corrientes was founded in 1588 and has an interesting museum, a Renaissance-style cathedral and a modern university. We enjoyed the annual Carnival festival (held in February).
The town is a natural departure point for trips to the Esteros de Ibera, an enormous area of marshlands that holds an incredible variety of flora and fauna, including capybara (the world's biggest rodent), yacare (alligators) and howler monkeys. The birdlife is spectacular, and there is a rewilding plan that aims to put jaguar, a native species, back into the area. Stay on an estancia (ranch) and explore the islands on horseback.
To the north is Paso de la Patria, at the junction of the Parana and Paraguay rivers, where anglers enjoy some of Argentina's best sportfishing (including the dorado, a tasty fish known as the "tiger of the Parana"). Another excursion goes to the nearby town of San Luis del Palmar to see Spanish colonial architecture, some of which dates from the town's founding in 1596.
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