Tigre and the Paraná Delta

Tigre is the favourite escape of porteños, and it feels a world away from the avenues of the capital. The town sits about thirty kilometres north of the centre, where the Luján, Tigre and other rivers meet the vast delta of the Paraná, one of the largest river deltas in the world: a labyrinth of muddy brown channels, streams and low, wooded islands that stretches for many kilometres toward the Río de la Plata. Thousands of people live out on the islands, in wooden houses raised on stilts against the floods, with their own jetties, gardens and boats, and life is organised around the water. Lanchas colectivas, the long wooden passenger launches, work like buses, stopping at jetties to drop off schoolchildren and pick up commuters; the supermarket comes by boat; and weekenders paddle kayaks or sit on their docks with a mate. In the late nineteenth century Tigre was a fashionable resort for the Buenos Aires elite, and the evidence survives along the riverside Paseo Victorica: grand rowing clubs in British, German and Italian styles, where crews still train on the river, and the Tigre Club, a Belle Époque casino and hotel that now houses the Museo de Arte Tigre, with Argentine paintings in sumptuous rooms overlooking the water. The Puerto de Frutos, once the port where fruit and timber from the islands were landed, is now a sprawling market of wicker furniture, crafts, decoration and food stalls, and the Parque de la Costa amusement park attracts families. But the reason to come is the delta itself, and the best way to see it is by boat, gliding along the narrow channels past houses, gardens and wild riverbanks, with herons and kingfishers in the reeds.

Ways to do it: the linked Tiqets small-group boat tour is the easiest option, taking about five and a half hours from Buenos Aires with a maximum of fifteen people and live guiding in English, Spanish and Portuguese; check what is included, such as transport and the boat trip, when you book. Doing it yourself is also simple and very cheap. The Mitre railway line runs from Retiro station to Tigre in about an hour, and the more scenic Tren de la Costa runs from Maipú, in the northern suburbs, through San Isidro to Delta station beside the river; both need a SUBE transport card. In Tigre, catamaran companies near the stations offer sightseeing trips of an hour or two through the nearer channels, and the lanchas colectivas will take you deeper into the islands for the price of a bus ticket, letting you get off at a riverside restaurant for lunch and catch a later boat back.

When to go: weekdays are calmer; weekends bring crowds of day-trippers to the Puerto de Frutos and the riverside, which is fun but busy. Spring and autumn are ideal. Summer is hot, humid and buzzing with mosquitoes, so bring repellent, and the water level and colour vary with the tides and the season; the river is naturally brown with silt from upstream, which is no sign of pollution. Bring a hat, sunscreen and a light layer for the boat.

A good day: take an early train, walk along the Paseo Victorica past the rowing clubs to the Museo de Arte Tigre, take a boat trip in the late morning, have lunch at a riverside restaurant or on an island, browse the Puerto de Frutos in the afternoon and return by train before dark. History lovers can visit the island house of Domingo Sarmiento, the president who championed the delta, preserved under a glass case. For families, the boats and the market are usually a hit, and the amusement park is next to the station. Couples can stay overnight at one of the island lodges for a truly peaceful night on the water.