PARQUE NACIONAL RÍO PILCOMAYO

Nudging the Paraguayan border in the humid eastern Chaco, 47,754-hectare Parque Nacional Río Pilcomayo is an internationally recognized Ramsar wetland whose centerpiece is the shallow Laguna Blanca, but there are also major marshes, gallery forests, and grasslands.

Parque Nacional Río Pilcomayo is about 45 kilometers west of Clorinda via paved RN 86 and a dirt road that leads to Seccional Laguna Blanca (do not confuse this with the park’s administrative headquarters at the town of Laguna Blanca, another 11 kilometers west on the paved highway).

Río Pilcomayo’s flora and fauna resemble those of Parque Nacional Chaco, though the distribution of the various environments differs—Pilcomayo has far larger stretches of open water, for instance. Still, visitors will see many of the same birds, mammals, and reptiles that are so abundant to the south.

From the Laguna Blanca campground, the Sendero Laguna Blanca is an elevated pasarela (boardwalk) leading to the lakeshore over marshy ground to an even higher mirador (overlook) that offers panoramic views across the lake; there are also three shoreline platforms for sunbathing and swimming (the smallish yacarés, while they may float ominously on the lake surface, do not attack humans). Capybaras wallow in the marshes along and beneath the boardwalk.

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Practicalities
At the park’s Camping Laguna Blanca, the free facilities include picnic tables, firepits, and toilets with cold showers. Note that the campground is closed to motor vehicles; campers must carry their tents and supplies from the nearby parking lot. Limited supplies are available just outside the park entrance, but it’s better to purchase them in the nearby towns of Laguna Blanca, Clorinda, or Formosa.

At the town of Laguna Blanca, Hotel Guaraní (San Martín and Sargento Cabral, tel. 03718/470024, US$5/8 s/d) is the closest regular accommodations.

Rangers at Seccional Laguna Blanca, near the campground, will provide information and advice. The APN’s Intendencia Parque Nacional Pilcomayo (Pueyrredón s/n, tel./fax 03718/470045, pilcomayo@clorinda-fsa.com.ar) is in the town of Laguna Blanca.

At Laguna Naick-Neck, on RN 86, Godoy and Don Carson buses from Formosa and Clorinda pass a well-marked turnoff to Seccional Laguna Blanca. From the turnoff, though, it’s necessary to hike, hitch, or hail a remise for the last five kilometers over a dirt road. Minibuses from Clorinda also pass through here.