Posadas and around

Posadas is the lively capital of Misiones, set on a bend on the southern bank of the Río Paraná, with excellent views over the river from its attractive costanera(riverbanks). It was founded in 1814, and developed after the War of Triple Alliance as a useful strategic post. It's a modern city, and though there aren't any particularly remarkable sights, Posadas is a pleasant place for a stop if you're on your way from the Esteros del Iberá to the missions or Iguazú. For information on the whole province, visit www.turismo.misiones.gov.ar (in Spanish).

Sights

The centre of the city is the Plaza 9 de Julio, with its French-style cathedral and government building, and several hotels. Two blocks southeast, there's a peaceful spot at Paseo Bosetti, a quiet plaza with mural paintings. There are a couple of rather old-fashioned museums near the Plaza, the Museo de Ciencias Naturales e Historia and the Museo Regional de Posadaswith the obligatory collection of stuffed animals. There's also a cultural centre and arts exhibition hall at Museo de Arte Juan Yaparí, and next door is Mercado de Artesanías, where Guaraní handicrafts are for sale, and the Museo.

Posadas' main feature is the long and attractive Costanera, extending northeast of the centre alongside the board river Paraná and a good place for a stroll. Avenida Andrés Guaçurarí(referred to also as Avenida Roque Pérez) is a pretty boulevard which becomes livelier by night with several popular bars. A few blocks northwest is the small Parque Paraguayo and the Museo Regional Aníbal Cambas. This is Posadas' most interesting museum with a permanent exhibition of Guaraní artefacts and pieces collected from the nearby Jesuit missions, including the façade of the temple at San Ignacio Mini.

The portlies at the eastern end of the Avenida Costanera and you can still see the two ferries, built in Glasgow in 1911, that operated the river crossing for train coaches until 1990. Nearby, the Mercado La, is a colourful market, its inner corridors buzzing with life, offering a great selection of intriguing goods for sale.

Around Posadas

The only real reason to stop in Posadas is to visit the Jesuit missions of San Ignacio Mini and two others. There is a marvellous traditional estancia nearby, Estancia Santa Inés, a traditional estanciaof 2000 ha, growing yerba mate. Activities include walking, horse riding and, between February and October, helping with matecultivation. However, if you're here in July, you might like to visit the Fiesta Nacional de la YerbaMate (matefestival) in Apóstolesa prosperous town 65 km south of Posadas, founded in 1897 by Ukrainian and Polish immigrants on the site of a Jesuit mission dating from 1633. The festival attracts folcloresingers to this town set in the heart of yerba mateplantations in a picturesque hilly region.

The Museo Histórico Juan Szychowski is worth a trip if you have a car. It displays tools and machinery invented by a young Polish immigrant, mills for processing rice, corn and yerba mate, and his hydraulic works, which can be seen in the grounds still amaze engineers. He was the founder of a yerba mateprocessing plant, La Cachuera  www.yerbamanda.com.ar, still operating, now under the brand name of Amanda.