Don Enrique | trying to travel light

View from El Soberbio (Argentina) to Brazil on the other side of the river

Between Iguazu and going back to Buenos Aires is a little bit of a blur because I had to pick up the travelling pace somewhat and get a bit of a move on. My flight from Buenos Aires to Sydney was booked for the 24 January and I didn’t want to change it again because I needed a deadline. It would have been so easy to stay longer in Argentina, and especially Buenos Aires, but I knew if I stayed longer I’d have to cut short my stay in Australia and my travels in South East Asia and India.

Mocona Falls (difficult to photograph because they are so long and we were so close my camera would've got soaked)

Part of Mocona Falls

View as we were driving through the national park

After Iguazu Falls were so amazing, and after spending most of my time in Argentina in the cities, I decided that I needed more nature and waterfalls. I’d read an article in the Guardian at Xmas about places to visit around Iguazu and I decided that I’d like to visit Mocona Falls in Misiones Province and do another short stay in the jungle/rainforest. There also wasn’t much information about this part of Argentina in my guide-book, so I liked the idea of getting off the travellers trail for a few days.

I’d arranged to stay at Don Enrique Eco-Lodge for three nights but to save money I opted to travel there by public transport as far as possible. I got a bus from Puerto Iguazu to San Vicente and then I was collected by car for the drive to Don Enrique via Mocona Falls. It was a real treat to travel by car and the guy who collected me had his own tourist agency in El Soberbio and knew a lot about the area.

First stop was Mocona Falls on the Uruguay River because once you are at Don Enrique it’s too remote to leave unless you really need to. I joined a group of Argentinian girls and a couple of Brazilian tourists for the boat ride to see the falls. The boat ride was amazing and we got really close to the falls. The river has a submerged canyon beneath the water but this only becomes visible at Mocona Falls where the water runs over the rim of the canyon. Mocona Falls are the opposite of Iguzau Falls in that they are long and thin and only a few metres high. If it rains too much then the water level rises enough that you can’t see the falls. Given the amount of rain I’d experienced in the past few days, I felt lucky to be able to visit them.

I then went on a self-guided jungle walk in the Parque Nacional Mocona. I didn’t see any animals but I had the place to myself to enjoy the scenery and nature. After driving back through the National Park, drinking mate on the way, swapping the car for a 4×4 jeep and stopping to take photos on the way, we headed down the dirt road to Don Enrique and I understood why we needed the 4×4 and why it wasn’t possible to reach the lodge by public transport. I’ve never been on such a rough and bumpy road, especially in the pitch black dark. I was very glad to eventually reach the lodge and be shown to the most beautiful wooden cabin I will probably ever have the opportunity to stay in. I hadn’t realised quite how luxurious the lodge would be (though the price should have been an indicator) so I made the most of the next few days relaxing, reading, walking, swimming and taking pictures of the beautiful surroundings. There are only three cabins at Don Enrique – I was staying on one and then two Argentine families from Buenos Aires in the others. Luckily I spoke enough Spanish to keep up with the conversations and everyone was lovely in explaining things and including me in the meal time discussions. A nice touch at Don Enrique is that they serve amazing food around a communal table each meal time, so you get to spend time with the other guests. For me it was fascinating to spend time with two Argentine families, who each had two children (one teenage and one younger) to find out more about typical life in Argentina. As always, I think they thought I was a bit mad to be travelling on my own.

View as we were driving through the national park

My walking guide and my cabin

The walks were guided by locals and fairly strenuous because of the heat and all the hills. My efforts were rewarded though with spectacular views, lush green forests and beautiful waterfalls. I’ve also never seen so many butterflies in my whole life, and there were always birds singing in the trees. In between walks I lounged on the deck of my cabin next to the river or went for a swim.

During my stay I also had the opportunity to visit a Guarani community. Many of these local indigenous communities are closed to visitors but some have opened up to visitors as a way to earn some income and sell their traditional crafts directly to visitors. I am always in two minds about these types of visits as they can feel very voyeuristic and intrusive (and you often wonder who is benefitting) but after talking to the owners of Don Enrique (who work closely with the local communities) and reading a copy of a letter that the Guarani communities wrote to the government about their situation, I felt that I could learn more about the Guarani people and their current situation by making a visit. The letter I read was one of the most sincere and heartfelt letters I have read and in it the Guarani communities asked that they be able to lead their traditional life and for their land and the forest to be protected because it meant everything to them and their way of life.

After another ride on bumpy roads through amazing scenery in the 4×4 we arrived at the Guarani community. I was met by the cacique (head of the community) who totally looked like a South American crusty punk (shaved hair around the top with a long bit at the bag tied into a pony tail, old trousers and t-shirt (minus the punk patches) and bare feet). It was impossible to tell how old he was because he had a young face but there was something about him you could tell that he was older. The community was made up of some simple mud brick houses with thatched roof, including one temple, and an open shelter area used as a kitchen/communal area. There were several kids and woman about but they kept their distance. I did feel slightly uncomfortable at this stage as it was clear that there wouldn’t be any opportunity to talk to/interact with the women and children, and it was very obvious that they lived a simple life as subsistence farmers. Although I was told I could take photos during my visit, I didn’t feel comfortable about doing this, so only took pictures of the landscape.

One of many beautiful spots on the walks I did

A type of tree (sliced) at the Guarani community, though it's too fragile to use to make crafts

The cacique took me on a tour and explained in Spanish (with Guarani translations for the plants and trees) about their way of life, the forest and how the plants and tress could be used for foods and medicines. They also had some examples of traditional traps set up, with different ones designed to catch different types of animals – they looked very effective (if a little brutal). I also got to see the different types of crops grown by the community (enough to live on but not to sell) including yuca, corn etc. At the end I had the opportunity to buy some crafts made by the village and got myself a necklace and woven bowl. It was nice to know that the money went straight to the community that made the crafts.

My private, natural swimming pool

Walking, walking, walking...

: My not very healthy but vegetarian dinner in San Vicente

One of many amzing butterflies I saw

After three super relaxing nights of luxury at Don Enrique it was time to leave the forest again. I decided to get a bus from San Vicente to Corrientes and stay the for a night before heading off to Mercedes to visit the natural reserve of Esteros del Ibera. The road out of Don Enrique by day was spectacular with the red clay road contrasting against the lush green landscape. I was dropped off in San Vicente and my guide wondered what on earth I was going to do until by bus left at 11pm. His suggestion was to go to the Casino because it was air-conditioned and safe. I opted to take a long time eating another 1/4 kilo of ice cream, sit in the park (well, grassy area at the side of the road) reading my book until it got dark when I went to a cafe to get some food. There are not really any gringos in San Vicente let alone female ones sitting reading a book in the park, so I was somewhat of a curiosity. Finding something to eat was a challenge because the pizza place wasn’t serving pizza (the owners who could operate the pizza oven were on holiday so they were only serving burgers) and when I asked if there was anywhere I might get vegetarian food they all scratched their heads and told me it wasn’t possible. Eventually I found a cafe where I could get cheese empanadas and chips (not exactly a healthy meal but vegetarian) and the owner even called me a taxi to get the bus station. This turned out to be a total rip-off but it was dark and I didn’t want to walk.