Viaggio attraverso i Parchi Nazionali dell'Argentina: Rio Pilcomayo.

We continue our journey through the National Parks of Argentina.

It is noteworthy that, as is customary in most of the parks and natural reserves of Argentina, admission is free and free, every day of the year.

Sunset in the Rio Pilcomayo National Park

The Río Pilcomayo National Park.

The Río Pilcomayo National Park preserves a representative sample of the Eastern District of the Gran Chaco, characterized by a large plain covered with estuaries and lagoons, palm savannahs, mountain islands and riverside jungle.

The climate is temperate subtropical, with an average of 1,200 mm per year of rainfall that floods the extensive grasslands with the exception of the highlands.

The average temperature is 23º C. In summer it exceeds 40º C and in winter with several days of frost, temperatures drop below zero.

Hidden cameras are an excellent way to record the night life of many animals.

Fauna.

The fauna is adapted to this climate and stands out for its great diversity: about 322 bird species, 80 fish species, 32 amphibian species, 50 reptile species and 90 mammal species.

The emblem animal of the park is the aguara guazu, in danger of extinction. No more than 900 copies have been surveyed.

The aguará guazú is the largest of the South American foxes.

The Rio Pilcomayo National Park has the task, not only of protecting the vegetation that grows there, but also of the fauna that inhabits and feeds on it.

We find throughout the park yacarés, the boa curiyú, the monkey carayá, fishing bats, capybara, aguara popé, aguará guazú, coati, tapir, puma, mountain fox, river wolf, ocelot, the big anteater, and other difficult figurines.

The Río Pilcomayo National Park presents a very rich fauna

We can also count (eye to the photographers) more than 300 species of birds, storks, herons, roseate spoonbills, ducks, straw-headed woodpecker, ñenday parrot, tuyuyú, the yabirú, ñandúes, groups of red-legged chuñas and many more.

The collared yetapá was declared an animal of provincial interest to protect it.

Of particular beauty, the Collared Yetapá (Alectrurus risora) is undoubtedly one of the most attractive grassland birds

Flora.

The great environmental diversity supports a varied flora, which, favored by the subtropical climate and abundance of water, develops exuberantly. In the open areas covered with Palmares de Palma Blanca, we will find a dense and continuous herbaceous cover forming beautiful grasslands.

Basketry with palm leaves is one of the artisan activities of the park

Adapted to withstand floods, they are made up of grasses such as Espartillo, which grows to 50 cm in height, the Yellow Straw and the Boba Straw.

The latter generally grows in fields covered with termite nests, known locally as "tacurúes". The high mount islets are made up of stout trees.

Examples worth mentioning are Lapacho, with beautiful pink flowers, Quebracho Colorado Chaqueño, Guayacán, Urunday and Espina Corona, among many others. Bordering the course of the Pilcomayo River, we find the Forest in Gallery.

Densely covered with vines, lianas and epiphytes we will observe enormous trees, up to 20 meters high, such as the Tarumá and the Higuerón, accompanied by Sauces Criollos, Alisos de Río and the Ingá, which vegetate on the banks.

The great environmental diversity supports a varied flora, which, favored by the subtropical climate and abundance of water, develops exuberantly.

Aquatic environments support an abundant flora, which varies in terms of its composition in spices, as we move away from the shore towards the center of the body of water.

We will first meet dense communities of Guajó, (the Guajozales) and Pirí (the Pirizales), which cover the edges of the lagoons, sometimes reaching two meters in height.

They are accompanied by Totora, Achira and Paja Brava. Towards the center of the lagoon we will find an enormous variety of floating plants such as the well-known Camalote or Aguapey, Repollitos, Helechitos and Lentejitas de Agua.

In the lowlands the estuaries extend and in the highest points, the mountain islands.

The National Park has two areas of public use for the visitor, Estero Poí and Laguna Blanca. Both have ideal conditions for recreation and recreation throughout the year. It is recommended as the best time of year to visit it from March to October.

We visited the two and we went on to tell them the most salient aspects of each.

Highlight "Estero Poí".

The most characteristic environment of the National Park is the savanna with palm trees, here the view is lost in the immense plain of green pastures dotted with caranday palms and the large termite mounds where anteaters find their food.

Its landscape is shaped by the alternation of fires and floods, from where the mountain islets emerge, patches of forest that you can enter through the trails and observe the plant species of these environments such as the red quebracho, the urunday and the guayacán, among others.

The more than 300 species of birds that the protected area houses make up one of the main attractions of the Park. They coexist with other, somewhat more elusive mammals, such as hoopoons, fur bears, bush foxes, lipped and collared peccaries, carayá monkeys and mirikiná monkeys.

The mirikiná monkey is a typical species of the Argentine northwest.

Highlight "Laguna Blanca".

Another point of great scenic beauty is the Laguna Blanca, a large 700-hectare water mirror, which is accessed through a system of walkways, from where you can enjoy spectacular sunsets that color a landscape featuring guajós, camalotes, pirís, and some yacarés that appear from the water.

Location: 8 km from the town of Laguna Naineck.

Services: Information office. Camping with electric light and plugs. Bathrooms with showers enabled for people with disabilities. Picnic tables. Steakhouses. Wash basins. Catwalks. Supply of treated water (non-potable).

By the beginning of the 20th century, virtually all forests suitable for the bird had disappeared.

How to access.

By vehicle: from the city of Formosa on the RN 11 to the city of Clorinda. From there, take RN 86 and travel 50 km to the town of Laguna Naineck or 60 km to Laguna Blanca. From the RN 86, which joins the two towns, 6 km and 8 km local roads depart, respectively, to the entrance gates to the National Park.

Public transport service: from anywhere in the country to the city of Formosa or Clorinda. In both places, a combination can be made towards the towns of Laguna Naineck and Laguna Blanca by the Godoy Company, Norte Bis and Flecha Bus. The buses do not reach the protected area but to the closest towns (Laguna Naineck and Laguna Blanca); Once there, you can take a taxi to reach the protected area.

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Viaggio attraverso i Parchi Nazionali dell'Argentina: Los Cardones.

Continuing with our tour through the National Parks of Argentina, today we stop to visit Los Cardones National Park in the province of Salta.

Salta is the province with the most national parks. We have already referred to the El Rey National Park enclosed by mountain ranges that gradually descend to the central valley, forming an immense amphitheater of singular beauty and to the Baritú National Parkdedicated to preserving a sector of Cloud Forest that has remained practically virgin due to its inaccessibility and its relief, since the rugged landscape made logging difficult.

Los Cardones National Park.

Its beautiful and high cardonal stands on the slopes of the hills.

They tell the legends of the ancient settlers, who are indigenous people who watch over the valleys and mountains in the presence of strangers.

Precisely these specimens of Cardones (Trichocereus pasacana), beautiful desert lookouts, give the National Park its name.

The cardon.

A route winds between cardons and amancay flowers. It is the path that anticipates the rugged simplicity of the Los Cardones National Park, in the Calchaquí Valleys.

There, erect cardons guard the roads of the ancient Inca Empire and the unique Enchanted Valley, which keep the vestiges of its rich past.

The predominant plant species in the area, and which gives its name to the park, has adult specimens that can reach 3 meters in length, between 250 and 300 years old.

They were in danger of extinction due to the irrational exploitation that was made of their wood, now the National Park Law protects them, since 1996, in this magnificent area that encompasses four different natural environments.

Flora and fauna.

The flora and fauna show characteristics as unique and rugged as the landscape that shelters them. In addition to touring the desert beauty of the National Park along a route in good condition, you can take photographs, go hiking, hike and observe flora and fauna.

The cardons in their arid silence, impress with their firm bearing on the ground.

hey will always be there, to delight the view in a different landscape. Although its felling is prohibited, it is possible to have a souvenir of its wood, because the park guards collect the dried specimens and give them to the artisans in the area, so they can make real works of art.

A diverse and austere flora can be seen throughout the Los Cardones Park, distributed in four distinct environments.

The first environment of the reserve is that of the Puna, whose height of between 3500 and 4500 meters above sea level distinguishes it with almost zero humidity and temperatures that make it shiver with cold at night.

The typical species are tola, añagua, rica-rica, cortdera, muña-muña and grasses. In the prepuna the heights drop to 2200, here the churquis reign, forming small forests known as "El Churcal".

The third of the environments is the western forest, where the cardons abound, the jarillas -of great importance, since the cardons are born and grow under the protection of this shrub until reaching a suitable size- and the yellow flowers of the amancay, which onl.

They grow in rainy seasons and cluster at the foot of the slopes of the Tin Tin hill and the Quebrada de Cajoncillo. In more open and desert sectors are the typical breas and we challenge, which are bushes that do not exceed one meter in height, with green stems and yellow flowers.

Guanacos, red foxes, gray foxes, chinchillones, pumas, Andean pericotes and the small quirquinchos walk through the vast territory.

Owners of the desolately beautiful environment of Los Cardones, birds such as the Andean gull and the cardon woodpecker also live in this extensive region, but the first mention is taken by the condor, whose sighting at first sight provides pleasure and admiration.

Los Cardones with its clearly arid climate, with precipitations that do not exceed 200 millimeters a year and average temperatures of 11 ° in winter and 18 ° in summer, protect endangered species such as vicuña and taruca or huemul from the north.

They say that if you remain silent in the middle of the cardonal and wait for a few moments for the wind to blow, you can listen to music, or at least a piping sound like a deep, eternal whistle, which floods the space and reaches the sky.

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Viaggio attraverso i Parchi Nazionali dell'Argentina: Copo.

Geographically, the Copo National Park is located on the border with the Chaco and is one of the most unexplored national parks in our country.

It is ideal for everyone who wants to hike. You cannot transit coin vehicles. There is no signal for cell phones.

The wild nature appears in all its magnitude.

The park has a biodiversity rich in birds, shrubs and quebrachos, it has the anteater and the white-collar quimile pig as protagonists.

The emblematic animal of the park (and the one we see reflected in the entrance sign) is the quilted pig.

The white-collar quimile pig is the emblematic animal of the Copo National Park and is also called Taguá and the lone wild boar or Chaco peccary, among others.

The fauna in the Copo National Park.

The fauna that houses the Copo National Park is very valuable both for the number of species and for their conservation status, since many of them are threatened, one in critical condition and others are in very few national protected areas.

There are many examples of fauna that we have seen in our tour and that we have also found in other parks such as the woodpecker, hawks. hawks, pigeons, hornero, etc.

The cockerel cock is a kind of forest, where it prefers arid shrubs and hills.

The musician thrush receives this name because when they perch in the trees they all sing together, with sounds of different notes, resembling an orchestra rehearsal.

Another very beautiful bird is the little fire flame. It has a striking bright red semi-hidden pompadour, and a reddish chest and belly, darkening on the head.

A very special mention in terms of fauna is deserved by the tatú carreta (or tatú guazú in guaraní), an endangered species.

Other specimens are the corzuela or brown corzuela, the collar or choker peccary, the lipped or majano peccary and the mataco, majano or ball tattoo.

Among the felines are the Moorish or yaguarundí cat, the common wild cat and the puma.

There are also pampa foxes and wild foxes (Cerdocyon thousands).

An absolutely unexplored national park.

Touring the Copo National Park is a challenge for nature lovers.

Located in the area known as ‘el impenetrable santiagueño’, it is one of the lands least explored by man.

Another important exponent of the Copo National Park is the *quebracho colorado.

It is their last refuge. As a result of indiscriminate deforestation in the Chaco, its natural habitat has ended up taking refuge in this corner of the Santiago del Estero province.

However, the Santiago red quebracho is still the emblematic tree of the Chaco ecoregion, which predominates in the Copo mountains.

Its magnificent specimens, large in size and straight trunk, have a very hard and heavy wood, which was traditionally used to make railway sleepers and extract tannins with which leather is tanned, in addition to being used to make posts and coal.

The best time to visit the PN Copo is between April and November; during the summer temperatures are usually too high and the rains can make access difficult.

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Viaggio attraverso i Parchi Nazionali dell'Argentina: Calilegua.

Argentina has a system of national parks designed to protect the country's natural and cultural heritage throughout the length and breadth of the territory.

I have visited some of them several years ago. I have visited others more recently.

Calilegua National Park is one of the most important yunga reservoirs in the entire country.

The Calilegua National Park was created in 1979 in order to preserve a representative area of ​​the Tucuman-Oranense jungle, also known as "yungas". It constitutes the most biodiverse environment in the country along with the Parana jungle, in Misiones.

Calilegua is the only national park in the province of Jujuy and its area of ​​76306 hectares makes it the largest protected area in our country dedicated to the conservation of mountain rain forests. Access is free.

The park has a great scenic beauty that can be appreciated in all its splendor when traveling along Provincial Route No. 83 that runs through it. Along the way, three distinct environments can be identified: the Pedemontana jungle, the montana jungle and the montane forest.

Birds and mammals in Calilegua park.

Each one of them presents a characteristic vegetation and it is possible to see certain species of birds and mammals in particular, which makes this site an ideal place for wildlife observation, especially birds, since 270 species have been surveyed and it is estimated that they could inhabit the park about 230 more, which would make Calilegua home to 50% of the bird species that inhabit our country.

As for mammals, the presence of the largest predator in America, the Yaguareté, also known as "the tiger", should be highlighted. Other cats such as the yaguarundí, the ocelot, the pajonal cat and the puma inhabit these forests.

The tapir or anta is the largest of the yungas mammals and it is possible to observe its imprints imprinted in the mud of the banks of rivers and lagoons.

The observation of footprints is a way of verifying the presence of the fauna of the park, being recommended the identification of the same with park guides.

One of the most varied and important ecosystems northwest Argentina.

Close to the entrance access, is the rugged Aguas Negras campsite. It is possible to camp there, after registering with the park ranger section near it. There are toilets but the facilities lack hot water and it is also recommended to bring a supply of water, since that obtained from the taps is not drinkable.

Yungas landscape.

A wide network of trails offers different alternatives to appreciate the beauties of the yungas landscape and offer the possibility of entering the depth of the jungles, being able to spot birds and with luck some of the elusive mammals, such is the case of monkeys, acuties , washing bear or mayuato, river wolves and peccaries.

Although the signage is good, it is always highly recommended to walk the trails with guides authorized by the National Parks Administration, since frequent fogs and the absence of clear references in a fairly homogeneous landscape can make orientation difficult.

There is also a circuit enabled for cycling, making it an unforgettable experience.

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