Argentina Tours & Travel | El Palmar National Park
The 21,000-acre El Palmar National Park was established in 1966 to protect Argentina's largest remaining concentration of Yatay palms, giving the park its name. Until the 19th century when most of these unique palm savannahs were converted to farming, ranching and forestry, Yatays grew widely over Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Corrientes provinces, stretching into Uruguay and southern Brazil. The park is located in Entre Rios Province on the western bank of Rio Uruguay, Argentina's border with the country, and is a pleasurable stop on Argentina tours for those who wish to see this unique palm.
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With its distinctive yellow tufts, the Yatay reaches up to sixty-six feet and has leaves up to eight feet long. Most trees in the park are no older than 200 years old. The park also contains gallery forests and bank jungles along the Rio Uruguay for travelers on Argentina tours who wish to explore.
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Between the jungles and pastures are forests inhabited by the boisterous rufous cacholote, a bird that builds huge intricate nests with prickly branches, and monk parakeets, a species of woodpecker that builds large shared nests spanning six feet. Lizards frequent the park by day and chinchilla-like vizcachas by night. The river is home to the capybara, caiman and the highly venomous yarara pit viper. Visitors on Argentina tours may also observe the large rhea, cormorant, egret, heron and stork as well as smaller bird species in some areas of the park. Non-native species such as the European wild boar have damaged areas of the park, destroying bird nests and eating Yatay seeds.
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El Palmar contains archeological sites of the area’s first inhabitants, a hunter group that lived here 1,000 years ago. From 1650 to 1767, a lime quarry operated on this land, using the river to get its product to Montevideo and Buenos Aires. Today the ruins of the Calera Barquin factory are a historic site in the park and an interesting place to visit on Argentina tours.
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The park's Paseo Arroyo Los Loros offers hikers and bicyclists the best place to observe wildlife, and there are plenty of places along the Rio Uruguay for swimming. For those who wish to camp out on their Argentina tours, camping is allowed at Los Loros, where you'll find a campground with showers, public telephones, grocery store, cafe and bicycle services with a visitors' interpretive center nearby.
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Weather here is warm and humid in the north and mild and dry in the southwest. The park is located midway between the cities of Colon and Concordia. The nearest town is Ubajay.
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For more information on visiting El Palmar National Park when you travel to Argentina, email elpalmar@apn.gov.ar
