North of Resistencia

Formosa

Formosa is the capital of its province and the only Argentine port of any note on the Río Paraguay. Oppressively hot from November to March, the city is the base for boat trips along the rivers in the eastern part of the province during the winter, when the weather is mild. It's also a possible stopover on the way to the Parque Nacional Río Pilcomayoor the Bañado La Estrella, and it's close to the Paraguayan capital, Asunción. From the town's small port, boats cross the river to Alberdi (only if you have a multiple entry visa).

Parque Nacional Río Pilcomayo

This park, 162 km north of Formosa, covers 48,000 ha of Wet Chaco environment bordering Paraguay on the southern bank of the Río Pilcomayo. The lower parts may be flooded during the rainy season and the resulting lakes and esteros, or marshlands, create the park's most beguiling landscapes. The rest is grassland with Carandaypalm forests, where rheas can be seen, with some Chaco forest in the upper lands, habitat of three monkey species and several types of woodpecker. Due to its significance as a natural wetland, the park is a Ramsar site with diverse birdlife, including herons and three different species of stork. Anteaters, capybaras, coatis, two species of yacarés and aguará guazu are on the list of animals protected within the park.

The park has two entrances leading to different areas. The most visited and easier to reach if you are on foot is Laguna Blanca, where there's an information point and a free campsite with electricity and cold water. From there, a footpath leads to the Laguna Blanca, the biggest lake in the park where you'll spot alligators among the rich aquatic plant life. The lake is not recommended for swimming, since the resident piranhas have a penchant for human toes. The second of the entrances, leads to Estero Poí, another information point and a campsite without facilities. Here take the 1200-m footpath, which has informative signs on the botany of the upper areas of the park. A vehicle road goes into the park up the Río Pilcomayo and the international border, but can only be used with special permission.