Carlos Pelligrini and Lago Ibera

February 14, 2016  •  Leave a Comment

One of the eco-tourist activities on the Lago Ibera is to search the floating islands for wildlife. 

We spent our last day in the Esteros del Ibera region in a small, dusty town called Carlos Pelligrini, about an hour and a half northeast along a dirt road from the Rincon de Socorro. This very humble village is on the shore of Lago Ibera, the largest water body in the whole of the Esteros del Ibera provincial reserve. We were told the town has about 900 residents, and we met five of them. The first three were the ladies who worked at the EcoPosadas Lodge where we had booked a room. The fourth, Roberto, was our good-humored guide who took us on a boat tour of Lago Ibera, and the fifth was Manuel in whose Nissan pickup truck we spent four bone-rattling hours traveling from the Eco Lodge to the city of Posadas on the Rio Parana in Misiones province. Our stay at the lodge was short; the highlight was a late afternoon cruise in Roberto’s sturdy motor boat to ply the smooth, almost horizonless expanse of the surface of this immense shallow lake. We crossed to one side of the lake to explore the esteros, floating islands of green vegetation are inhabited by many varieties of birds, most notable the screamer, as well as capybaras and the sinister-looking cayman, a small version of the alligator. Roberto kept us entertained with his humorous play on his Spanish language while we marveled at the immensity of the space we were in as well as the diversity of life it holds. It is encouraging that the consciousness of the importance of wild places like this is shared by both the local people and the government; perhaps it bodes well for all the natural areas of this country.

 

A walkway at the EcoPosadas Lodge where we stayed extends into the wetlands.

 

Another type of man-made "water effect" at the Eco Posadas Lodge that we couldn't resist making use of in the 90 degree heat.

 

Shelley and Bryna prepare for our evening boat tour of Lago Ibera with our guide Roberto.

 

The vast horizon at Lago Ibera where the sky meets the water 

 

Another eco-tour on the lake. Most of the tourists were Argentines - they bring in needed income for the locals and also learn the value of this unique ecosystem.

 

One of the first residents that we saw on the floating islands in Lago Ibera was this Crested Screamer. Because of their size, about as big as a turkey, and very loud screech, they were not hard to miss.

 

Floating on his solitary island was this Capybera.

 

The most interesting inhabitants of the floating islands are the Caymans, smaller relatives to the alligator.

 

Roberto, our boat pilot, liked to bring us up close to the action. This type of cayman is what the locals call a Yacare' Negro.

 

Blooming water hyacinth added to the magic and beauty of the place.

 

Another view of the mystical Lago Ibera

 

The sun sets on our final adventure in Esteros del Ibera.

 

 

 

 


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