October 27
Hello everyone!
Buenos Aires is a huge city. Whilst it does have many parks and tree-lined streets, at other times it can have the feel of being in an architecturally interesting concrete jungle. Luckily for the locals known as porteños, there is a haven a little bit to the north…
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| Tigre, in Buenos Aires Province |
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| Paraná Delta |
This area is known as the Paraná River Delta. It’s one of the largest delta complexes in the world, and the only major delta that doesn’t flow into a sea or an ocean. Instead, it exits into another river, the Rio de la Plata or River Plate.
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The water is brown due to sediment deposited from the rivers that join the delta |
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The estuary is over 200 kilometres wide. For context, Wales from north to south is 270 kilometres. |
There are many ways to get to the delta from Buenos Aires. We had opted to travel by boat. This meant hopping down to the capital’s arguably most expensive neighbourhood of Puerto Madero. What used to be a rundown, disused industrial port has been modified and gentrified in recent decades to become one of its more attractive areas.
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The Industrial Revolution allowed ports to ship Argentine beef and
other products to Europe, resulting in an economic boom for the country |
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Boats also go to neighbouring Uruguay |
Probably more attractive in the sunshine. This wasn’t that day, the weather instead being overcast and chilly. I genuinely think that this 11°C day is the coldest I have experienced in 2025. Kayaking in the delta had been discussed: I’d probably still be shivering if we had opted for that.
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The historic minimum and maximum temperatures in Buenos Aires
in October are 10°C and 21°C. So this day was at the lower end… |
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| Red: Tigre. Blue: first section of Paraná Delta. Uruguay is on the right. |
Soon after bumping along in the mouth of Rio de la Plata - the river with the largest mouth in the world - we reached the ‘First Section’ of the Paraná Delta. This section is relatively small, at only 221 square kilometres, yet by far the most affected by human traffic.
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| It was a little over an hour by boat from the big city to the delta |
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| Boats are the main mode of transport up here |
As you move out of the Plata and into the delta, shacks on houses start to emerge on the banks of the river. Many of these initial homesteads are off-grid and look a little bit ramshackle, though this changes as you progress through the delta.
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| Some places still don't have electricity |
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| Some boats have fared better than others... |
About 4,000 people live in these initial islands in the Paraná Delta. Almost everything is done by boat. ‘Boat buses’ transport people to different areas. There is a school, which children get to and from by boat. Groceries are delivered by boat on large private vessels.
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| Not likely to be my next teaching post... |
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| Key supplies. Like Coca-Cola. Lots of Coca-Cola. |
The water seemed pretty high, with wakes from the bus boats in particular going quite close to the more elegant houses found deeper in the delta. We were told that the level can change quite radically depending on wind direction, and that it was at its top level.
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| When the water is lower, that will look more like a bridge |
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| Houses are raised on stilts to prevent surge damage |
Of those more elegant houses, one in particular stands out for its eccentricity. It belonged to Argentina’s seventh president, Domingo Sarmiento. He became known for his work in the country’s education sector, including driving teacher training and guaranteeing schools being free. After leaving the presidency, he lived in this house in the later part of the 19th century. The house is historic but a bit of a relic; it now sits in a glass case to protect it from the elements.
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| He also opened many free libraries |
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| The house became a National Historic Monument in 1966 |
Eventually the mainland side of the river morphs into the city of Tigre, a city with more than half a million residents. It was named by Spanish colonisers because they saw an animal that they thought was a tiger. It wasn’t. You don’t get tigers here. It was more likely a jaguar, but the name - Tigre is Spanish for tiger - stuck.
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Jaguars inhabited the delta area until the
beginning of the twentieth century |
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| Tigre is also easily reached by car, bus and train |
The city is a popular weekend getaway from the big smoke of Buenos Aires. We didn’t go on a weekend, so didn’t see it at its most vibrant. There is a large market and the city hosts some interesting buildings, many of which are connected to rowing.
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Tigre's Art Museum is a spectacular building that
wouldn't be out of place in Las Vegas or DisneyWorld |
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Rowing is huge here, with the number
of clubs in double figures |
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The Italian organisation was where we
stopped for these delicious empanadas |
I can see why Tigre and the Paraná Delta are advertised as escapes from the hustle and bustle of Argentina’s capital. Trundling through the delta on the river felt a world away from the traffic and construction in Buenos Aires.
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| The tiger / jaguar |
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| Moody Monday weather in Tigre |
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| Chilly but lovely day! |
Love you all,
Matt
