Mburucuyá National Park

Mburucuyá protects a stretch of central Corrientes where several landscapes meet: caranday palm savanna, chaco woodland, marsh and lagoon, and the wet grasslands that link the region to the Iberá wetlands further south. The park exists because of Troels Pedersen, a Danish-Argentine botanist who lived on the estancia here for decades, collected thousands of plant specimens and left the land to the state in the 1990s on condition it became a national park. His house and the estancia buildings survive within it. Wildlife is abundant and easy to see: capybaras, marsh deer, howler monkeys, caimans and more than three hundred bird species, with trails, boardwalks over the marsh and a campsite.

What you actually see

• The palm savanna - caranday palms standing across open wet grassland.
• The marsh boardwalks - raised walkways over lagoon and reed beds.
• The estancia buildings - the botanist's house preserved inside the park.
• The wildlife - capybaras, marsh deer, howler monkeys and abundant birds.

When to go

April to October, the drier and cooler months, when tracks are passable and insects fewer; summer brings heavy rain, heat and mosquitoes. Early morning is best for wildlife and howler monkey calls. Rain can close the unpaved access road.

Honest expectations

This is a little-visited park with basic facilities, no shop and no fuel nearby. The final road is unpaved and difficult after rain. Ticks and mosquitoes are a genuine nuisance, and trails can be muddy for long stretches.

Nearby

Mburucuyá town is the gateway; the Iberá wetlands lie south.