Ibera Wetlands & Iguazu Falls Road-Trip

DAY 1:WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

Posadas, capital city of Misiones province, only one and a half hours away flight from Buenos Aires is the most important comercial city of the region for which it has both the aspect of the country side big city but also vibrant and modern. A nice riverside drive and walk, just across from Paraguay, yes… Misiones is very narrow and compressed between Paraguay and Brazil, so you can understand the cultural melting pot this area is. You will pick up your car upon arrival and have the opportunity to check into your accommodation or even start doing visits right away. 

Driving north on national road number 12 and for about one hour or so, on the left side the town of Santa Ana will come up and the ruins of the mission to the right hand side of the road. As UNESCO World Heritage site quotes: “The ruins of San Ignacio Miní, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria la Mayor, are the impressive remains of Jesuit missions, built in the land of the Guaranis during the 17th and 18th centuries. Each is characterized by a specific layout and a different state of conservation.”

Protected since 1983, these missions are the standing proof of the Jesuit evangelization in South America, and religious or not, they are an impressive piece of history worth a stop, a walk, a tour and a read. A few kilómeters separate Santa Ana from San Ignacio (the largest standing) and Loreto.

DAY 2: IBERA NATIONAL PARK

Today we drive southeast towards the Ibera National Park, a drive of 210km. The Park has become since 2018 one of Argentina’s largest National Parks, and for that, now there are more places to visit, the only question you should ask yourself is where to start. The different gates, or entrances form a ring around the wetlands, each a few hours away from each other, for which having your own means of transportation will be very useful to go from one to the other.

DAY 3: IBERA WETLANDS

We will stay at a ranch, an “Estancia”, where gauchos dealt daily with the flooding and droughts of the different seasons of the wetlands on the southern border of the 18000 hectare wetland reserve, home to an abundance of animal life, among birds, mammals and amphibious species. Not many places in our continent, o r even in the world have the biodiversity found here. And even though tourism has increased, Los Esteros del Iberá is still comparatively unspoiled.

DAY 4: RANCH LIFE AND SAFARI

Fauna sightings and safaris both during the day and night, searching for ostriches, foxes, capybaras, brocket deer, marsh deer, monkeys, anteaters (including the largest of them all, the Giant Anteater) and viscachas are some of the species that can be spotted, besides the over 350 bird species like the strange-tailed tyrant, the yellow cardinal, the crowned eagle, the southern screamer or the jabiru storch.

Also horse-back riding, bicycle rides, boat trips, kayaking, getting up close to the unique water vegetation and caimans, spotting caybaras swimming or just enjoying a sunset from the water level are some of the many activities that the Park offers to its visitors.

DAY 5: YERBA MATE

Today we departure Iberá Wetlands and continue our journey north. The flat pampas have turned into a hill like landscape with more and more vegetation in our background. We will drive back to national road 14 and drive alongside Uruguay River, but now to our east the river becomes the natural border with Brazil, since Uruguay was left to the south. 

The north of Corrientes province and the whole of Misiones province (it’s northern neighbor) is where there are the most important “mate” and tea plantations in Argentina. We will drive for 350km today, all paved, much of if on highway and along the way you will probably see hundreds of trucks going north and south, since this is the most important commercial corridor between Argentina and Brazil, two long standing very important commercial partners. You might even try brazilian cuisine on the road, small restaurants made for truck drivers, if you dare!

We have entered the Yerba Mate land for sure and you will have the opportunity to visit large historic companies, like Las Marias or Playadito, but also new small family owned artisan yerba mate establishments like La Gran Comision or Chamarra. We will arrive at Apóstoles, the National Capital of Yerba Mate and although you might not see many tourists around, during the first week of november, this event will host thousands of visitors at the same time for over 60 years now.

Visiting the Mate House, a plantation and understanding the value of this drink for the argentinian culture, will be a unique invaluable experience.

DAY 6: IGUAZU FALLS

Only 212 km separate us from Puerto Iguazu, our final destination of this, one of the best road trips in Argentina. Approximately 3 hours drive going north to the northeastern corner of Argentina, bordering at the same time Brazil and Paraguay, so much that could stand in one of the three and watch over the other two countries from a lookout point. But of course that lookout is not the reason for the trip, it’s one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, the Iguazu Falls.

On the way to Iguazu, Wanda is a small town with semiprecious mining that has small yet interesting mines to be visited if you are keen on it. At Puerto Iguazu, the town near our hotel, you will have the unique opportunity to try different dishes of Argentina, of course, but also Paraguay and Brazil, don’t miss the opportunity!

DAY 7: NATURAL WONDER OF THE WORLD

The Iguazu Falls are inside a bi-national protected area of two adjacent national parks, one in Argentina and one in Brazil. To get to the entrance of the park we will have to drive for about 40 minutes from our hotel and from the parking lot of the Argentinian Parque Nacional Iguazu you will have trails and also an electric train to reach the furthest part of the park, the Devil’s Gorge. The reason why this falls are so famous is one because of the accessibility that allows millions of visitors to arrive each year, another the fantastic natural background where it’s located, the Paranaense Jungle and third it’s because of the width of the falls, that stretches across 2.7km and along has 275 falls that come down at different altitudes and that can be seen from different perspectives.

Taking a full day to see the park is recommended (Some people even take two days) since there are many trails and no rush… the falls keep providing it’s magic as the light changes. Also recommended to arrive early so at least get one hour of peacefulness (keep in mind during high season this park can be visited by 10 thousand people at a time), and also might have a better chance to spot wildlife, like the Toco Toucan or the smaller Araçari Toucans.

DAY 8: FAREWELL IGUAZU

Reaching the Brazilian side of the falls requires you to go to the border and leave the country which is in no way an issue, just takes some extra time. From the border to the Brazilian park, 30 minutes drive and similar to the argentinian park, a parking lot and trails plus a bus tour the visitors around the smaller area yet different from the argentinian park since the perspective is completely the opposite, more panoramic.

Also, helicopter flights are available at this park and just as well as in Argentina, you can also go on a boat tour to reach the falls from underneath. Next to the National Park in Brazil, there is Bird Park where many of the protected species of the continent can be seen, since they have been sheltered from illegal trafficking or else.

After returning your vehicle, you will be ready to fly either to a Brazilian city (São Paulo, Rio, Brasiliat, etc) or to Buenos Aires to continue your journey somewhere else or simply head back home.