Safari to Ibera

an major conservation project

Set in the northeast of Argentina, roughly halfway between Buenos Aires and the Iguazú Falls, Iberá is a large wetland area.

These marshes previously covered an area roughly 200km (120 miles) in diameter, about half the area of the better known Pantanal area of Brazil.

It’s a place of diverse natural ecosystems, including permanently flooded marshes, seasonally flooded grasslands (malezales), groves of Caranday palm trees, open savannas, espinal woodlands and gallery forests.

The area is naturally home to a high level of biodiversity, including 66 species of mammals, 125 species of fish, 40 amphibians, 63 reptiles and 347 birds.

This area has, however, been heavily affected by human settlement, with vast areas having been tamed and drained for farming and ranching, with local wildlife having been severely hammered, leading to the localised extinction of many species.

Conservation and rehabilitation efforts are now well underway, centred on the Iberá National Park which, at 1835 square kilometres (710 square miles), is a decent sized patch of land, about a fifth of the original size of the wetlands. This core area is surrounded by an increasing network of regional conservation areas.

Animal reintroduction programs are well underway, including swamp deer, pampas deer, aguará guazús (a type of large fox), river otters, giant anteaters, collared peccaries, tapirs and scarlet macaws. There are also plans to reintroduce jaguars and giant otters.

The present state of play is that, whilst the wetlands remain a pleasant and pretty place to visit, the chances of significant wildlife sightings are very low. If you are lucky you may get to see capybaras, marsh deer, brocket deer, black howler monkeys, foxes, viscachas, rheas, caimans and anaconda.

But if you want to reliably encounter jaguars and giant anteaters, then you need to head to the Pantanal instead.

The main reason to visit this area is to learn more about these ambitious re-wildlification projects, for which you need to stay at the beautiful Hosteria Rincon Del Socorro, which has been at the heart of these efforts, through the work of American philanthropist and conservationist Douglas Tompkins.

Ibera lies south of the Iguazu Falls, from where it can be reached by road in 4-5 hours.
It is also possible to charter flights in from Iguazu and Buenos Aires.

accessed by road from Iguazu