North and Northeast Argentina Birding and Wildlife Tour: Ibera Marshes and Atlantic Forest (with Iguazu Falls).
PBNAR3_11 days/ 10 nights.
This is a tour which comprises some of the best birding destinations of north and northeast of Argentina. For practical reasons, the tour is divided into 2 stages, which are connected together as follows:
Stage 1: Iberá Marshes
Ibera Marshes constitute an enormous wetland located in northeast Argentina in the center of Corrientes province, and is one of the wildest areas in southern South America.The marshland habitat hosts a remarkable variety of birds, many of them mainly found in this part of the world, including a newly described species: Ibera Seedeater. But Ibera is not just about marshes; other important ecoregions are found in the surroundings. The subtropical grasslands are the marshes' main counterpart in the region, giving refuge to some of the most endangered bird species of the area, such as Strange-tailed Tyrant, Saffron-cowled Blackbird and Marsh Seedeater, threatened mainly by habitat loss. The Espinal Forest is found south of the marshes, adding a high diversity of furnarids (oven birds) and one of the most sought-after species: the endangered Yellow Cardinal. Finally, the Humid Chaco Forest to the west and the Atlantic Forest to the northeast of the Ibera Marshes add their strong influence to the area’s biodiversity in the scattered patches of forest naturally found in the region. The combination of all these ecoregions and their bird species makes Ibera Marshes an outstanding birding destination.
Stage 2: Iguazu Falls and Atlantic Forest
The Atlantic Forest (subtropical forest of Amazon domain) is one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems in South America with about 60% of its vertebrate fauna being endemic. Several different forest assemblages are found within it, each one of them having its different bird repertoire, which makes it one of the world’s top birding destinations. Once covering most of southeast Brazil, east Paraguay and the northeast tip of Argentina, nowadays less than 10% of the original territory still remains as a forest. The Argentine province of Misiones has the world’s largest continuous area of Atlantic Forest, and most of it is formally protected as national and provincial parks (such as Iguazu National Park, Urugua-í and Cruce Caballero Provincial Parks). Most of its original fauna is still well-preserved, with over 500 species of birds (including toucans, puffbirds, antbirds, manakins, tanagers and more) and many of South America’s iconic neotropical mammals, such as jaguars, tapirs, peccaries, anteaters, monkeys, agoutis and many others.
This stage comprises some of the best birding areas and the most beautiful landscapes within the Argentine Atlantic Forest and it’s ecotone with the Campos Grassland, and Humid Chaco in an ideal amount of time that includes a visit to the spectacular Iguazu Falls.
Tour details
- Length: 11 days
- Species on the trip: 600 Number of bird species expected: 260 – 320
- Tour Pace & Walking: Some long drives, mostly relaxed with some night drives and walks.
- Focus: Bird and wildlife observation
- Recommended season: From July to October.
- Suggested extensions: Depending on the number of additional days you have and the species of your interest, we suggest that you observe our list of Regional Tours that are easy to connect.
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