Bañado La Estrella

The Bañado La Estrella is formed where the Pilcomayo river, carrying enormous quantities of sediment out of the Andes, loses its channel entirely and spreads across the Formosa plain into a shallow wetland hundreds of kilometres long. As the water advanced over decades it drowned the dry forest, and the dead trees still stand, bleached white and draped in climbing plants that locals call champas, giving the wetland its unmistakable skeletal look. Birdlife is exceptional: jabiru storks, roseate spoonbills, herons, ibises and screamers in large numbers, with caimans, capybaras and marsh deer in the shallows. Causeways carry the road across the water, and boatmen at several points run trips into the drowned forest.

The landscape

• The drowned forest - bleached dead trees standing in shallow water.
• The bird colonies - storks, spoonbills, herons and ibises in large numbers.
• The causeway crossings - roads running straight across the wetland.
• The boat trips - runs into the champas and open water with local boatmen.

When to go

May to September, the dry season, when water is clearer, roads are firm and insects fewer; the wetland is fullest after the summer rains but access is then difficult. Early morning gives the best light and bird activity.

Before you go

Formosa is remote and services are sparse; this is a long drive from anywhere with limited accommodation in Las Lomitas. Boat trips are informal and need arranging locally. Mosquitoes are severe, and summer heat is extreme.

Nearby

Las Lomitas is the base; Río Pilcomayo national park lies far to the east.

Key facts