The Río Uruguay divides Argentina and Uruguay.  We followed it from Buenos Aires to visit Argentina´s north east.  Fist stop Colon.  From Mercedes we caught a local bus to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini to visit the wetlands of the Reserva Provincial del Esteros Iberá.

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Further north in the province of Missiones are the Jesuit ruins of San Ignacio Miní, Loreto and Santa Ana.  Between 1603 and 1767, the Jesuits founded 30 missions in this part of South America (15 in Argentina, 7 in Brazil and 8 in Paraguay – 7 of them are World Heritage sites).  The missions were laid out around a huge central plaza, the church on one side and rows of long houses for the indigenous on the other sides.

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After crossing back into Argentina from Paraguay, we followed the Paraguay River south until it joined the second longest river in South America, the Paraná, near Resistencia (a big country town with big wide streets).  Corrientes, across the river, has a bit more to offer in colonial buildings. 

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Continuing south we made stops in Santa Fe and Rosario.  Santa Fe was originally founded in 1573 but was moved to the present site in 1653 due to constant flooding.  In Rosario we finally got to taste the delicious river fish.

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Unesco World Heritage Peninsula Valdés, in Argentina´s Patagonia, is one of the finest wildlife reserves in South America.  From June to December, southern right whales come to the sheltered waters of Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José to breed and bear their young.  The southern right whales, so named because they were the ¨right¨ whale to kill, were facing extinction but now over 1100 visit these waters each year.

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That is why we travelled 20 hours by bus (and back again) to Puerto Madryn.  The whales did not disappoint.  They can be observed from the town jetty and from other vantage points around the coast, frolicking with their newborns just metres away.  To see and hear these 20 meter, 10 tonnes animals so close to the shore you can almost touch them is really something.

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Also on the peninsula are penguins, sea lions, elephant seals and dolphins, but it was the whales we came to see.

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