Colón

One of the prettiest towns on the river, Colón was founded in 1863 as a port for the Swiss colony of San José, 9 km west, and it's an excellent base for several very interesting places nearby, including the Parque Nacional El Palmar www.colonentrerios.com.ar/ elpalmar/. It is also linked by a bridge to the Uruguayan city of Paysandú, with its interesting old buildings . Colón itself has many well-preserved early 19th- century houses, and a beautiful riverbank with long sandy beaches and shady streets.

Sights

The most attractive part of town is the port district, next to the Plaza San Martín, with fine old houses on the plaza and nearby streets leading down to the riverside. The former passenger boat terminal, now houses the tourist office www.colonentrerios.com.ar.

At the corner of Avenida 12 de Abril and Paso is La Casona, (1868), where there's a handicrafts exhibition and shop. North of the port, Calle Alejo Peyret gives access to the balneariosand their sandy beaches on the river and Calle Belgrano leads to the Complejo Termal  where there are 10 thermal pools (ranging from 34-40°C), in an attractive setting, very popular for treating a variety of ailments.

Excursions

Arroyo Barú is a rural village whose inhabitants have opened their houses to visitors who want to enjoy the tranquillity of its small community. This place, together with Irazusta (west of Gualeguaychú), are both study cases for NGO research.

Parque Nacional El Palmar

On west bank of the Río Uruguay, the park covers 8500 ha of gently undulating grassland and mature palm forest, including Yataypalms hundreds of years old. These graceful trees were once found all over the pampas, until the introduction of cattle, who found the young seedlings irresistible. Growing in palmares, or groves, mature trees may reach 12 m in height, with fronds some 2 m in length. Along the Río Uruguay, and the arroyosstreams which flow into it, there are gallery forests of subtropical trees and shrubs. You'll find indigenous tombs hidden away on the edge of the Río Uruguay there are beachesand the remains of an 18th-century quarry and port. Look out for capybaras, foxes, lizards and vizcachas as well as rheas, monk parakeets and several species of woodpecker.

There are walks between 300 m and 1000 m and you are free to walk around the main roads, though there's little shade. The administration centre is the departure point for guided walks and cycle tours run by Capybara Aventura (English spoken).Visit at any time of year, but note that the park is very popular at weekends in summer and during Easter week. In summer there are more chances of thunderstorms and very hot weather.

Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Aurora del Palmar

More accessible than the National Park, the wildlife reserve of La Aurora del Palmar was created to protect a similar environment. It covers 1150 ha, of which 200 are covered with a mature palm forest. There are also gallery forests along the streams and patches of espinal, or scrub. There's lots of birdlife, but capybaras can also be spotted along the streams.