Parque Esteros del Iberá

This stunning 44,479-acre (18,000 hectare) wetland reserve is home to an abundance of bird and animal life, and is among South America's finest places to see wildlife. Although tourism has increased substantially in recent years, Los Esteros del Iberá remains comparatively unspoiled.

Donations of tracts of land by the late American conservationist Douglas Tompkins and his wife Kristine have seen the boundaries of the park expanded from the original provincial reserve to include four new national park zones to form the Gran Parque Iberá.

The main base for visiting the park is the sleepy village of Colonia Pellegrini, 74.5 miles (120km) northeast of Mercedes. With the creation of the new Gran Parque Iberá, which adds several stretches of national park to the existing provincial park, a number of alternative access points have been developed that offer differing landscapes and experiences. Rural estancias in the larger area also make enticing bases.