Rincón del Socorro Iberá Wetlands

Littoral safari

Arriving at Rincón del Socorro, the chic inn that offers a comfortable enjoyment of the "wetlands experience", is the work of chance. If every trip depends on the laws of destiny, here that maxim is fulfilled to the letter. There is no technology or foresight: in the swamps, nature imposes itself and only its inflexible rules apply. If you want to know more about the access to the portals, click on this link. 

Let's go back to Rincón del Socorro. We decided to invest heavily in order to guarantee the best comfort for those days of Dora the Explorer, in the middle of the wetlands where the mosquito is king and the heat its loyal squire.

The property is beautiful, with an authentic country style. Without being luxurious, it is comfortable and tasteful.

At the entrance, at kilometer 85 of Provincial Route 40, the welcome sign was overshadowed by the interaction generated by the family of capybaras taking their sun and mud baths, both on the side of the road and in the capybaras hole already inside the estate. A marvel!  They are called "carpincheras" to the holes that these peculiar little animals make in the ground, which are filled with rainwater, becoming a perfect natural jacuzzi for relaxation, protection and refreshment.

Once in the main house of the estancia, we checked into our standard room, the Timbó cabin.

Rincón del Socorro has an "all inclusive" regime (except alcoholic beverages); four meals are offered and two activities are programmed each day.

Upon arrival, we were given a tour of the facilities to learn about the history of the place and its alma mater, conservationist and philanthropist Douglas Tompkins and his wife Kristine. It was a prelude to the days ahead, in terms of wildlife viewing, especially native birds. In addition to the countless capybaras, rheas wandered through the gardens as well as curious little foxes that approached the dining room.

In the tajamar (artificial wetland) near the lodge, we saw the first marsh deer and chajás, the local, large, screeching bird, as well as a much smaller but equally friendly jacana, which walked on the floating vegetation with its young, moving among the plants as if it were dancing a typical Corrientes dance.

Then we visited the farm's orchard and fruit trees, where we were very friendly with a corzuela (a small deer). When we arrived at the second tajamar, at the end of the facilities, we were very surprised to see a large alligator, perhaps the largest we saw during the entire stay, which forced the guide to stop and return to the main house.

It was there that we were greeted by the first movie-like sunset. A ball of fire set on the horizon, among the tall trees and green grass, embellished by the singing of birds, capybaras, suris and corzuelas or guasunchos, which walked naturally through the huge garden, noting their empire and the fact that we were visitors.

Afterwards, we were invited to an informative talk about the conservationist activities and the rewilding of the native fauna that the foundation of the same name carries out.

The next morning, following a breakfast of juices and fruits and the usual chipa and m'bejú (a flattened cake of cassava starch and cheese), we set off on a walk through the gallery forest, also known as mogote, a walk that allows us to understand the characteristic flora of the area, in which Mariano, our guide, showed us the "malezal de pajas bravas", the dark ñandubay trees, as well as the carnation of the air that they house: they are epiphytes like orchids, which, unlike the parasite, only consume the tree's nutrients when they are born, then become independent and feed on rainwater. Fortunately, although spring had not yet formally arrived, many species were already in bloom, such as the air carnation, with its elegant pink hue. He also showed us the jasmine of Paraguay; the two types of palm trees found in the area (the Pindó, more untidy, and the Caranday, which forms a circle because it needs sunlight from all angles); the epiphytic cacti (from the air); the lichens, a symbiosis between fungus and algae that shows the purity of its environment, which seem soft but are very rough to the touch. He also showed us exotic bird nests and told us that those huge termite shelters we had seen on the road were called tacurú.

After lunch, it was time for the boat activity. We traveled about forty minutes to the neighboring estancia Iberá and, from there, we began a tour of the wetlands, spotting caimans that come out to sunbathe at siesta time, to navigate the impressive Fernández Lagoon, of about four thousand five hundred hectares.

The amount of birds we saw during this tour was indescribable, just a few of the birds we spotted: the cardinal, with red crest; the jabirú, a kind of monogamous stork, just like the chajá; the churrinche; the American stork, which sometimes feeds on small yacarés; the cutirí ducks; the calandra lark; the chingolo; the royal woodpecker, with red crest, and the country woodpecker, yellow; the kingfisher; the wagtail, black with white head; the pollona duck, among many others.

On an island formed by camalotes, Exequiel slowed down the boat and set up our snack, waiting for the sun to go down so as to achieve another perfect sunset before our return. The sun setting in the calm waters of the lagoon and the sunset among the grasses were as impressive as the army of mosquitoes that were preparing to attack. At the end, when it began to get dark, a number of light bugs were confused with the stars that were appearing. Quite a spectacle.

Dinner that night was in the quincho, a great lamb barbecue with a varied choice of vegetables to accompany it and some superb meat empanadas made by Luisa and Sofía, the local cooks.

The next day, it was the turn of the horseback riding, a small group of four people together with the guide who took us to the marshes. Capybaras, marsh deer, lots of birds crossing the sky and, in the distance, an almost unreal scenery of a beautiful palm grove, whose visit was -perhaps- our best experience. 

In the afternoon, we returned alone with our guide Victoria, for a short walk with many stories and descriptions of this environment of biodiversity among so many palm trees, especially caranday, which form a perfect circle. We saw an oasis of prickly pears and palm trees over a burrow of vizcachas. The wild verbenas were already in bloom.

The hike, in rain boots, included the exercise of splashing in the marshes, feeling the swamp at your feet. At that, we came across a distracted and docile marsh deer, which did not even flinch from our presence, so we could admire its beauty just a few centimeters away. Round clouds began to appear, setting the perfect stage for this huge and unforgettable sunset. It was colossal and we enjoyed it while we ate snacks and beer at a super chic country table that Victoria had prepared for us, almost without realizing it, right there, in that natural theater.

At dawn on our last day, we could only express our gratitude for such human warmth and natural beauty.

To say goodbye as we should, breakfast was late, with coffee, natural orange juice (exquisite) and many, many, chipas and m'bejú. As we left along provincial route 40, heading north towards Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, we were attentive as the caimans framed the red and cruel road, giving us the best farewell. Once in the town, after crossing the Iberá lagoon, by the famous Bailey bridge, we visited some artisans to buy the typical handicrafts of Corrientes, baskets of all shapes made of esparto grass, from the grasslands of the area. 

The best tribute after such a complete experience as the one lived in the Iberá marshlands was to honor its people by buying the authentic, even if we had to stop at every kiosk we found open, asking here and there, where we could find the Iberá handicrafts.