The only portal in the Iberá where you can swim with horses through the wetlands
190 km from Corrientes via RN12, RN118 and RP6 to Concepción de Yaguareté Corá. From Concepción, 27 km of gravel and dirt road.
It brings together the natural beauty of the National Park and the Provincial Park, wildlife and culture in their purest form.
Free camping with four shelters with grills, tent platforms, and bathrooms with hot-water showers. There is no drinking water.
Activities: wildlife-watching walks, horseback riding, pole-driven or horse-drawn canoe, kayaking, boating, cycling, traditional meals and snacks at sunset, stargazing, swimming on horseback through the wetlands, and overnight stays at the Lechuza Cuá Refuge.
How to get there
From Corrientes (190 km): RN 12 + RN 118 + RP 6 to Concepción del Yaguareté Corá (paved). Then 27 km of gravel to the portal.
What to do
- 🐴 Multi-day horseback rides
- 🌊 Swimming with horses
- 🎣 Fly fishing
- 🚣 Kayaking and crossings
- 🛶 Pole-driven canoe
- 🐎 Horse-drawn canoe
- 🚴 Cycling
- 🥾 Hiking
- 🦜 Wildlife watching
- 🌙 Stargazing
- 🍽️ Traditional meals at sunset
What to see in Concepción del Yaguareté Corá
- 🚴 Bike rides
- 🐴 Horseback rides in the village
- 🏛️ Free museums
- 🗺️ Iberá interpretation center
- 🧭 Cultural guided tours
Wildlife you will see
- Jaguar
- Giant Anteater
- Capybara
- Caiman
- Marsh Deer
- Maned Wolf
- Waterbirds
Where to sleep and eat
Concepción del Yaguareté Corá (27 km), a nominee for the world's Best Tourism Village (UN Tourism). Eateries with traditional dishes and quick meals, around 200 beds across family-run lodgings and hotels.
Featured places to stay
- Cabañas Areruroga
Cabins in the Carambola portal.★ 5.0 - Don Oriol - Cabins & Excursions
Cabins and excursions with Don Oriol, a local baqueano. An authentic gaucho experience in the Carambola portal.★ 4.9 - El Tránsito Hotel Boutique
Boutique hotel in the Esteros del Iberá, in Concepción del Yaguareté Corá. Designer rooms, a pool and a privileged natural setting.★ 4.9 - La Alondra’i
Boutique hotel in Concepción del Yaguareté Corá. Careful design, signature cuisine and personalized service, in tune with the spirit of the historic La Alondra in Corrientes.★ 4.9 - Cabaña Puerto Iberá
Cabin in Concepción del Yaguareté Corá, steps from the center. Equipped cabins, wifi, covered grill, pool and excursions.★ 4.8 - Camping Carambolita
Carambolita municipal campsite, in Concepción del Yaguareté Corá. A camping spot beside the marsh, an ideal base for the portal's excursions. Bicycle rental available.★ 4.8
Best time to visit
April to October. Horseback riding is more comfortable in the dry season. The nights from May to August are ideal for Starlight stargazing. Fly fishing peaks in autumn and spring.
No light pollution. The guided night outings pair telescopes with Guaraní tales about the constellations.
The portal in photos
Portal Carambola: the wildest Iberá, and the only one where horses swim
Concepción del Yaguareté Corá is the only municipality in Argentina that carries the jaguar in its official name. That is no coincidence: Portal Carambola, 27 km from the town along a gravel road, is part of the Great Iberá Park territory where the jaguar has been reintroduced since 2021. Today there are dozens of individuals living free across the Iberá system. Seeing one is an enormous stroke of luck, but knowing they are there changes the way you navigate the marsh. Portal Carambola is the wildest Iberá in the system, and palpably so.
The portal's most singular activity is not the jaguar but swimming with horses in the marshes. Its baqueanos have spent years crossing the Paso Carambola swimming alongside their horses, the animal treading the bottom and pushing on through the water hyacinth. It is an experience that exists at no other portal in the system, and it combines with canoe excursions, horseback rides through the palm groves and campfires with typical Corrientes food.
The portal has a free campsite with four covered BBQ areas with grills, tent platforms and hot showers. What it does not have is drinking water: it is best to come in with enough for the whole stay. The general store only opens at weekends and on public holidays. Concepción del Yaguareté Corá was selected to represent Argentina in the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages programme, has a dozen canteens with typical Corrientes food and a diverse range of lodging that runs from family guesthouses to boutique accommodation.
What to prepare for Portal Carambola
The recommended minimum stay is two nights, enough for at least one excursion through the marshes and one night of astrotourism. The portal has one of the cleanest skies in Corrientes, with zero light pollution and a Starlight declaration. The guided night outings, which combine telescopes with Guaraní stories about the constellations, are one of the best astrotourism options in northern Argentina. Bring warm clothing for winter nights, repellent and waterproof footwear.
Other portals of the Iberá
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