The Paraná Delta and Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay: 19th - 24th February

March 5, 2008 by Naomi.

After sadly leaving our beloved Palermo, an hour’s train journey took us north to Tigre from where we caught a lancha (boat) into the Paraná Delta, arguably Argentina’s answer to the Heart of Darkness. It is home to a number of islands separated by various branches and tributaries of the Río de la Palma. As you leave Tigre, you feel like you’re entering a wilderness of muddy water and wild jungle. However, the further you go, the more civilised things get and you realise the tributaries function like suburban streets; the river banks are lined with perfectly kempt gardens and lawns, and quaint little houses, each with its own ‘muelle’ (jetty). We visited this area during the week, as over the weekend the wealthier Porteños (those from Buenos Aires) flock to their weekend getaways and things get quite crowded.

We spent a very relaxing night at the Bosque de Bohémia, a sweet little hotel with a pool, and various walks into the wilderness. Paul, who usually doesn’t attract mosquitos, developed quite a fanclub on our little walk and got a few (surprisingly unitchy bites), unlike a rather smug Naomi, who was covered head to toe in hardcore DEET insect repellent and managed only one mosquito bite the whole trip. One night was quite enough in this ‘wilderness’, and the next day a rather longer boat trip, round the back streets of the delta, dropped us off at Tigre where we bought tickets for a trip to Isla Martin García the following day. After wandering along the waterfront and checking out the excellent art museum at the old Hotel/Casino Tigre (see photos), we both simultaneously realised that something we had eaten, somewhere along the line, was going to restrict our travels. Our bellies clearly did not want us to go anywhere far from a toilet, so the next morning we missed our trip to the island and laid low in our B&B, whose hosts were very friendly, hospitable and sympathetic. Although it was also here that we were introduced to the puzzling Argentine fondness for cold, hard toast.

We were not too sad to leave Tigre, having not accomplised much in the place. Once we got back to BA, we made our way to the port to catch our boat to Colonia de Sacramento in Uruguay, a UNESCO world heritage site just opposite Buenos Aires on the Río de la Plata. There we spent two days sight-seeing around the picturesque town, admiring the little museums and the lighthouse, watching lots of Uruguayans drink mate (ubiquitous tea in Argentina and Uruguay), and chatting to Elaine and Eric, a lovely fellow Scottish couple we met in our B&B (where we discovered that the rock hard cold toast was not necessarily an Argentinian predilection).

Another bewilderment was the shelf mounted a few inches above the bed, where our heads were supposed to be. The room had originally been designed for twin beds and the shelf served as a bedside table. With a double bed it served as little more than an obstacle threatening to bash your head in or knock an eye out sometime in the middle of the night. After a little bit of interior rearranging though we managed to sort out the health and safety issues and rested in peace.

After our relaxing weekend with the Uruguayans, and still not having tried maté, it was time to head back to Buenos Aires for a brief 12 hour overnight stay before heading South to the wilds of Patagonia.

Recommended after this visit:
Bosque de Bohemia - Paraná Delta
Casa Rosada B&B - (although not the cleanest of establishments)
El Drugstore (restaurant) - Colonia de Sacramento
La Pulpería - Colonia de Sacramento

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