Goya

Goya is one of the older river towns of Corrientes, a port on the Paraná that grew on tobacco and citrus and keeps a low-slung centre of colonial and Italianate buildings around a shaded plaza. Its national profile comes from fishing: the Fiesta Nacional del Surubí, held each spring, is one of the biggest freshwater fishing competitions in South America, with hundreds of boats working the river for the great whiskered catfish that can exceed fifty kilos, alongside music and a fairground on the costanera. The riverfront has beaches, a fishing club and boats for hire, and the surrounding wetlands and islands offer birdwatching. Outside festival week the town is relaxed and inexpensive.

History

The town began in 1771, when Gregoria Morales and her husband Bernardo Olivera bought land here, and it has no founding act; tradition says the name comes from her nickname, Doña Goya, whose store and fine cheeses were so popular with traders on the Paraná that by 1801 the place was known as Goya Port. It was informally established as a settlement in 1807, Camila O'Gorman and the priest Ladislao Gutiérrez sought refuge here before they were caught and executed in 1848, and the cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary was consecrated in 1884 (Wikipedia, Goya, Argentina).

The main sights

• The surubí festival - the spring fishing competition and its riverside fair.
• The costanera - river beaches, the fishing club and boats.
• The old centre - colonial and Italianate buildings around the plaza.
• The island channels - wetlands and birdlife reached by boat.

When to go

April to October for comfortable weather; the surubí festival falls in spring and books out the town. Summer is hot, humid and mosquito-heavy. River levels shape the beaches and the fishing.

Before you go

Outside the festival Goya has few conventional sights and is more a working town than a destination. Fishing requires permits and, realistically, a guide. Accommodation is limited and fills entirely during festival week.

Nearby

Corrientes city lies north; the Iberá wetlands are inland to the east.

Key facts