Los Esteros del Iberá Park (Ibera Wetlands) is one of my favorite places in Argentina. This beautiful landscape is full of life, wildlife that is. From the abundant capybara and caiman to deer and monkeys. And a whole lot of different bird species. Los Esteros del Iberá is a paradise for every nature and wildlife lover. It’s (still) an off-the-beaten-track destination, so traveling here is a little less straightforward compared to other more popular places in Argentina, but with this Esteros del Iberá travel guide, you’ll have all the information you need to explore this incredible place.
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Table of Contents - The complete travel guide to los Esteros del Ibera
Money in Argentina – While things seem to have improved slightly, Argentina‘s economy is still very unstable. Inflation can appear at any time and in any degree. On top of this Argentinians tend to “speculate”, meaning that prices can increase only because they think the peso’s value will go down and want to keep the same price in USD. This however increases the price in USD as well. Take prices in this article as an indication only and keep in mind prices can increase suddenly. I will provide links to pages with current prices where I can.
What is Los Esteros del Iberá Park
Los Esteros del Ibera is a protected area in the North of Argentina. Esteros is Spanish for wetlands and that is exactly what this is. The protected area consists of a National Park, a National Reserve, a Provincial Park, and a Provincial Reserve. People often refer to the whole park as “Iberá National Park”, but this is not correct and technically only refers to a part of the park.
The difference between these different areas is who is responsible for the protection (province vs country) and the level of protection (National Park vs Reserve). And whereas the National Park is free, the Reserve requires an entrance fee.
Where is Los Esteros del Iberá Park
Los Esteros del Ibera is located in the province of Corrientes, in Northern Argentina. It’s very close to the border with Paraguay. Like in Paraguay, the indigenous culture here is Guaraní and you’ll hear locals speaking this language. The name of the park is also in Guaraní: Iberá means “shining water”.
When to visit los Esteros del Iberá
Los Esteros del Iberá can be visited year-round. We visited mid-May and it was perfect. A little chilly at night, but when the sun came out during the day it was very pleasant. Note that it can get hot in summer (December – February) with 30 – 35 degrees. January and February are high season, so on top of the temperatures, it will also be quite busy in the park. October to December are the wettest months.
Note that the animal behavior is regulated a lot by temperature. So when we visited in May, we started our hikes normally between 9-10 am since that’s when the sun came out and the animals would be more active. If you’re visiting in summer, the animals will be more active earlier in the morning since it will be warm already and get too hot later in the day.
How to get to Los Esteros del Iberá
This is probably the most important section of this Esteros del Iberá travel guide. Getting to Los Esteros del Ibera is a little complicated if you don’t have your own transport and you are traveling on a budget. While this can be a little frustrating when trying to get here, it is part of the charm of this area. It’s also one of the reasons it’s so well protected and there are so many animals around. So keep this in mind when planning your trip here. 😉
The first step is getting a bus to Mercedes. There are direct buses from Buenos Aires (overnight) and the province’s capital city Corrientes.
Next, you’ll need to get a combi to Colonia Carlos Pelligrini. The park has several access points (portals), but this is the best one. It’s the only one with direct access to the park, has the best infrastructure, and offers the best possibilities to see wildlife.
The combi goes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 pm (at the time of writing, confirm with your accommodation). If you can’t make this one, it’s possible to arrange a transfer for 80.000 ARS (at the time of writing, about 80 USD/EUR. Hitchhiking in the low season is rather difficult (yet not impossible), but you might be luckier in the high season.
This is the only way to get to Colonia Carlos Pelligrini since the road between Posasas and Colonia Carlos Pelligrini is in very bad condition.
Returning from Carlos Pelligrini to Mercedes – The van leaves Carlos Pelligrini at 3 am Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, arriving in Mercedes about 6.30 – 7 am. It leaves at this time since it’s meant as a transport for locals, who need to go to Mercedes for appointments, groceries, etc. If leaving at 3 am doesn’t convince you, you can ask at your accommodation if they happen to know about a transfer heading back. Sometimes they offer cheap rides back to Mercedes since they need to go anyway.
Where to stay in the Iberá Wetlands
As mentioned above, the best town to stay in is Colonia Carlos Pelligrini. If you’re on a budget, there is a campsite right at the entrance of the town. But I recommend splashing a little and staying at the Ecoposada del Iberá. This is definitely the place to stay when visiting the Ibera Wetlands. They do packages that include accommodation, food, and guided activities. They also have their own private reserve where they will take you for kayaking, canoeing, hiking and/or horseback riding. The staff is amazing and the food is absolutely incredible. The Ecoposada was really a part of our incredible experience in Los Esteros del Iberá.
If neither of these options call to your attention, don’t worry. There are plenty of other options available in Colonia Carlos Pelligrini.
What to do in los Esteros del Iberá
The main activity in Los Esteros del Ibera is wildlife watching. There are several trails you can do, with or without a guide. Other options to explore the wetlands are boat tours and horseback riding. Renting a bike in Carlos Pelligrini is also possible. This helps you to get to the different trails faster.
Iberá Wildlife
The most common ones are caiman, capybara, and different types of birds. Woodpeckers, southern screamers, herons, kingfishers, Wattled Jacana and Great Kiskadees are some examples of species that are very common. If you’re visiting the National Park area, you might be lucky enough to see the emblem of Iberá Park: The Strange-tailed Tyrant.
Besides these, it’s also common to see deer, foxes and howler monkeys, and many other birds. Rarer animals include the Pampas deer, maned wolf, armadillo, and constrictors.
*this is only a fraction of the animals we saw. As a matter of fact, we saw so many, that I haven’t gotten around to going through all of them. 🙈 But don’t worry, I will add the rest later.
How about jaguars?
Well, jaguars have been hunted out of this area years ago. The area has been used extensively for cattle and rice farming and the jaguar formed a danger for the farmers. The projects Rewilding Argentina and Thompson Conservation are now reintroducing them. Thompson Conservation is a project started by the late Thompson, the founder of Northface, and his wife. It’s not easy reintroducing species and it takes several generations before the first ones can be released. The good news is that the first ones have now been released. They were released in the area close to the rewilding center though, which is on the other side of the Ibera Wetlands. Other rare species like the Giant Anteater are also being reintroduced in this area and it is unlikely you will see them from Colonia Pelligrini. At least at this point.
Trails
- Sendero Carayá – This 1k circular trail in the reserve goes through the forest. It’s the best place to look for Howler Monkeys as they often hang around here (no guarantees though!) Brown Brockets like to stay in the forest as well.
- Boardwalk – The most scenic trail in the reserve. The boardwalk is 500m long and goes over the edge of the water. Here you might be able to see caiman, capybara, marsh deer, brown brocket (also called grey brocket, a small deer), and waterfowl like herons.
- Sendero de los Montes – This is the longest trail in this area. It’s 2 k long if you walk the main trail, but there are several small detours you can take. The trail might be short, you’ll probably need longer than you think taking in the peace of this beautiful place and looking for wildlife. You’ll likely see many birds, and if you’re lucky you can spot howler monkeys and brown brockets here too.
- Sendero del Cerrito – This 350m trail connects the entrance to the Sendero de los Montes. It’s an alternative way to walk back if you don’t want to walk the whole Sendero de los Montes for example.
- Sendero Lobo Cua is the main trail in the National Park area of the Iberá Wetlands. It’s a 2.5k circular hike (from the parking lot) but they are working on extending the trial and doubling its size. The landscape in the National Park is called “pastizal” which means grassland. You’ll notice the grass is generally very dry here. This area has suffered a lot of damage from the farming industry and is now slowly recovering. This area is full of capybara and caiman and if you’re lucky you can see the iconic strange-tailed tyrant. It’s more likely to see this bird between the Provincial Route 40 and the Parking area than in the park itself though.
Boat tours
While you can see a lot on the trails as well, a boat tour on Lake Iberá is a must when visiting Los Esteros del Iberá as well. It’s the best way to see the caiman, capybara and many of the birds Iberá is so famous for. Marsh deer are also easier to spot from the boat since they are often found eating in the water.
Tip – Try to book your boat tour right before sunset, since sunsets on the lake are absolutely stunning.
This was: The complete travel guide to los Esteros del Iberá
The Iberá Wetlands are a beautiful and interesting place. It definitely deserves way more attention than it currently gets. Don’t let the fact that you don’t hear a lot about it from other travelers scare you off. It’s just not on the typical tourist trail, which makes this place even more special. Plus with this Esteros del Iberá travel guide, you’ll have all the information you need for an incredible experience.
For more information about this natural area and how people are trying to restore it, check out this YouTube video or visit the rewilding website to learn more about the work they do.
If you want to see more amazing places in Argentina to see wildlife, check out El Palmar and Peninsula Valdes as well.
