Finally, the natural and cultural heritage of Iberá is protected for future generations in a tourist attraction of international level.
The Iberá Wetland is the second largest of South America, with an extension of 12.000 km2 that keeps great biodiversity and a rich cultural heritage.
After a long time, in December 2018, the National Congress in Argentina approved the creation of the Iberá National Park in Corrientes, aiming to expand and upgrade conservation protections for land within the Iberá Provincial Park. The result: a natural park of 712.800 hectares that hosts 4000 species of flora and fauna in its wetlands, pastures, spinal forests and small jungles.
This was one of the focuses of the Conservation Land Trust Argentina (CLT), created in 1992 by the late entrepreneur and ecologist Douglas Tompkins and his wife Kristine, for which the NGO donated the lands for.
The CLT is dedicated to the creation and/or expansion of national or provincial parks to ensure the perpetuity of their ecological and evolutionary processes with the strongest long-term protection guarantee possible. Also, it supports programs for the protection of wildlife, reintroduction of locally extinct species, land restoration and programs for local development, normally involved in ecotourism, sustainable farming and environmental education.
In the new national park there are ten reintroduction projects for local species already: the yaguareté, the deer of the pampas, the anteater, the tapir, the collared peccary, the great red macaw, the muitú, the giant otter, the aguará guazú and the chuña with red legs. According to CLT, it is “the largest project of reintroduction of locally extinct fauna of America, and the only one in Argentina of this magnitude”.
In 2007, the first release of anteaters was made, a species that had disappeared throughout the province. And in 2012, with the support of the provincial government and other foundations and companies, a breeding program for yaguaretés began on the island of San Alonso -for which the Yaguareté Reintroduction Center was created. In June 2018, the first two specimens were born after decades of absence of the species in the province.
The CLT offers the possibility of becoming a part of their projects of ecosystem restoration by discovering and experiencing the Iberá through any of the selected accommodations available: Rincón del Socorro Lodge, San Alonso Lodge, Iberá Lodge and Uguay Lodge.
Because of the unique character of each one, and the wide array of rates they offer, these options complement each other well and may also be combined during a single stay for a varied, colorful experience.
All the accommodation options offer not only very comfortable and warm lodging facilities surrounded by nature, but also meals and activities to discover the wetlands. Boat rides, horseback riding, guided hiking, kayaking…fauna sightings guaranteed!
One of the benefits of Iberá, is the possibility of visiting the wetlands for a few days. Three to four days of stay are enough to enjoy this natural environment and participate in the activities offered.
We invite you to visit this new attraction in Argentina, a unique place to be more in contact with nature than ever.