One of Argentina’s newest and least-known nature reserves

Mar Chiquita Lake is the biggest salt lake in South America, and the fifth-largest in the world. It has three of the four flamingo species found in South America.

And a large part of it is in Argentina’s Ansenuza National Park, which was only inscribed in June 2022.

Set between the cities of Cordoba to the west and Santa Fe to the east, along with the wetlands of the Rio Dulce, it is one of Argentina’s newest national parks.

Despite its vast size, most visitors explore Ansenuza from two small lakeside gateways in the southern area: La Para, slightly to the east, and Miramar, a former resort town that, after severe floods in 1977 and 1986, was moved to higher ground on the southern shore of the lake.

Stretching across a huge portion of north-eastern Cordoba Province, Mar Chiquita looks like an inland sea. Its saline waters fluctuate dramatically depending on rainfall and the flow of the Rio Dulce, which feeds an immense system of wetlands and marshes along the northern shore.

In dry years, the shoreline retreats, exposing wide salt flats and mudbanks where birds gather in enormous numbers as they rest during their migrations.

The spectacle is especially striking at sunrise and sunset, when the shallows glow pink with flamingos feeding in the water — binoculars are a must, as the shallow coastal waters are far from access roads.

But the park’s biodiversity goes well beyond these birds. The marshes and coastal grasslands shelter more than 300 species of birds, along with mammals such as grey foxes and capybaras, making Ansenuza a welcome addition to Argentina’s great wetland ecosystems, such as Ibera in Corrientes Province.

VISITING

+ The best time to observe migrating birds is between October and March, when the warmer weather brings the wetlands to life.

+ On the eastern side of the lake, the small town of La Para offers the easiest access to Ansenuza’s wetlands and birdlife.

+ Even with national park status, tourism infrastructure remains limited, especially given the enormous size of Laguna Mar Chiquita. For now, the Reserva Municipal Bahia de Ansenuza (about $3; WhatsApp +54 9 3575 410999), 12km east of La Para along RP 17, offers interpretative trails on elevated boardwalks for spotting coastal wildlife — especially flamingos, but also mammals like grey foxes and capybaras — open daily from 7am-11pm.

+ Inside the reserve, the interpretative centre Terraza Ansenuza features an exhibit, a cafe with an alfresco patio, and an observation platform on the third floor overlooking the wetlands.

+ There’s space for motorhomes and a campsite in a woodland by the laguna, making it possible to spend a quiet night surrounded by birds and the sounds of the marsh. The website municipalidadlapara.com has more information.

+ If you pass by the town, don’t miss the interesting Parque Pleistocenico La Para Megafauna de la Ansenuza, one of a kind in Argentina, featuring a dozen life-size fibreglass statues of pampean megafauna, including megatherium and a sabretooth tiger.

EXPERIENCES

If La Para is perfect for accessing Ansenuza’s wetlands from the shore, the town of Miramar, 25km to the west, offers the best chances to get on to the waters of Mar Chiquita and appreciate the vast scale of the lake.

Among the best boat operators is pioneer El Barco Pirata run by Franco Michelluti (@barcopiratamiramar, WhatsApp +54 9 3563 15 431530), with larger, more secure boats and multiple daily departures depending on weather conditions. One-hour narrated trips (in Spanish) cost about $15 per person and include a final photo session with pirate gear from a treasure chest stored aboard.

Out on the lake, the horizon seems endless, with birds gliding across the water and the shoreline fading into a patchwork of reeds and ruins of the old Miramar, including the Gran Hotel Viena, an eerie, allegedly haunted, hotel built by German immigrants.