PARQUE NACIONAL CHACO

West of Resistencia, but not quite to the “Impenetrable” of the mid-Chaco, Parque Nacional Chaco is a serene, little-visited haven of dense forest and scattered, bird-rich wetlands. Most but not all of the park avoided deforestation during the heyday of the tannin trade; some parts are recuperating.

Though not the equal of the magnificent Esteros del Iberá in Corrientes Province, the park’s verdant woodland footpaths more than justify a detour for travelers crossing the Chaco in either direction. Because mosquitoes are so abundant here, the dry and relatively cool winter is the best time for a visit.

In the humid eastern Chaco, 15,000-hectare Parque Nacional Chaco is 115 kilometers northwest of Resistencia via the trans-Chaco highway RN 16 and paved RP 9 to the village of Capitán Solari, where it’s another five kilometers to the park entrance on a dusty (in dry weather) or muddy (in wet weather) road. After really heavy rains, low-clearance vehicles may not be able to reach the park, but it’s possible to hike in or rent horses in Capitán Solari.

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Flora and Fauna
At first glance, the Chaco’s limited relief—it rises almost imperceptibly from east to west—seems to offer little environmental variety. Relatively minor changes, though, can mean dramatically different habitats.

As part of the Gran Chaco, extending north into Paraguay and Bolivia, the park comprises part of the “estuarine and gallery forest” subregion, but its marshes and gallery forests are only a fraction of the total area—though they are the richest biologically. Where the winding Río Negro has shifted its course, aquatic plants cover shallow oxbow lakes that are slowly becoming meadows and will eventually be forest.

Away from the watercourse, relatively large trees like the thorny algarrobo (Prosopis chilensis), lapacho (Tabebuia ipe), and quebracho (“axe-breaker,” Schinopsis lorentzii) form the forest canopy of the monte fuerte. In their shade grow smaller specimens of the same species which, when an older tree dies and topples, take advantage of the ensuing light gap to claim their place in the canopy. There are also many smaller shrubs.

Sparser scrub forests alternate with fan palm savannas of caranday (Copernicia prunifera) and pindó. Human-induced fires and grazing have helped create the savannas, but fire suppression and livestock restrictions are permitting more forest species to invade these areas.

In the park’s dense forests, mammals are likelier heard than seen—especially the howler monkey (Alouatta caraya). The some 340 bird species include the nandú (Rhea Americana, endangered in this area), jabirú stork (Jabiru mycteria), roseate spoonbill, various cormorants, the common caracara, kingfishers, and the like. The Chaco is a wonderland for entomologists—research scientists from the Smithsonian have ongoing projects here—but the common mosquito unavoidably attracts the most attention.

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Sights and Recreation
Hiking and bird-watching are the main activities, preferably in the early morning hours or around sunset. There’s a 1.5-kilometer nature trail in the vicinity of the campground, but the narrow grassy road that leads northwest from the campground area gets so little automobile traffic that it might as well be a foot path.

A short distance before the road ends, the signed Sendero Laguna Carpincho is a three-kilometer forest loop that also leads to Laguna Yacaré (both these marshy lakes are prime wildlife areas, with raised and shaded platforms that permit better viewing) before returning to the road. Mosquitoes can be overpowering in the humid summer and for some time thereafter, so bring repellent.

In Capitán Solari, Ñato Mendoza rents horses for about US$1.50 per hour. This is the best alternative for visiting some soggier parts of the park, where slogging through the muck on foot is less appealing.

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Practicalities
Camping is the only option at the park, where there are clean toilets, cold showers, fire pits, and collectable firewood; there is no charge, but a tent is necessary to keep out of the rain and insects, particularly the omnipresent mosquitoes. There are simple accommodations only, along with limited supplies, at Capitán Solari; it’s better to bring everything from Resistencia.

The APN (tel. 03725/496166, chaco@apn.gov.ar) no longer collects an admission charge at the park entrance, but the rangers are happy to provide information on park attractions.

From Resistencia, La Estrella has four buses daily, at 6:30 a.m. and 12:30, 5:30, and 8 p.m., to Capitán Solari (US$4, 2.5 hours); return buses from Capitán Solari leave at 5:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.