A week in Argentina in July (1 Viewer)

[Jacana]

My partner will be in Buenos Aires for a conference in July and I'm tempted to join and make a trip of it. If it happens we will have a week in the capital (conference) and then have a week elsewhere. What sort of recommendations would people have?

It would preferably be somewhere with non-birding interest too but with plenty of avian diversity. Misiones obviously appeals but I also can't escape the lure of Patagonia, even though I don't expect much diversity there in July!

Thanks in advance!

 

[SlowLowFlyingTurkey]

The wetlands and scrub of Ibera National Park is probably the best birding spot north of BA if you have a car. It can be reached without one but it's a bit of a faff (I had to hire a driver and car to get there, and catch an early morning bus to leave). Colonia Carlos Pellegrini is a good place to base yourself. I can give you some tips on where I found stuff like Strange-tailed Tyrant and Yellow Cardinal nearby if you need it.

El Palmar National Park is also good and easy to get to - mid way between Ibera and BA, near the border with Uruguay.

Further north, the ruined Jesuit missions of Missiones are interesting to visit and they're set amongst bird-filled woods. If you want to go further, Iguazu Falls are spectacular and also have some good woodland birding trails away from the falls (and all the tourists). They are worth visiting twice - get your ticket stamped on the way out and you can visit again next day for half price. The town of Puerto Iguazu has an excellent hummingbird garden that opens in the afternoons.

Visiting all of these in a week might be a bit of a stretch due to the driving distances.

I went to Patagonia on the same trip, around the Peninsula Valdez area and as far south as the penguin colony at Punta Tombo, but it might be better to hold off until you have more time.

In BA itself, Costanera Sur is amazing for an urban wetland, and is right in the centre of the city. Ribera Norte was also very good and Vicente Lopez looks good but was shut on the day I tried to visit. Ribera Norte and Vicente Lopez are quite close to each other (I walked between them) and can be reached by local train from the centre of BA.