Mercedes
In the province of Corrientes, Mercedes is a city with history, with customs and it is the gateway to visit Esteros del Iberá, located just 125 kilometers away.
Formerly known as Paiubre, the city of Mercedes has a vegetation and an animal life that can be seen in the hills close to the Río Miriñay, with its net of numerous streams and small rivers that represent the true appearance of the Corrientes landscape.
Mercedes is the largest Corrientes State and it is the traveler’s favorite place to stay and from here travel around Los Esteros, which is considered one of the world’s largest fresh water reservoirs.
The city’s tranquility is ideal to enjoy the Corrientes spirit and its people.
Delicias del Iberá, the hostel in Mercedes, is located a few blocks away from the Terminal and the main square, it is the starting point for adventure and to find peace and nature.
Where to Go:
The Esteros del Iberá is the entry point to the Sistema Acuífero Guaraní and it is the largest water reserve. The Acuífero is a system of underground water with around 1.200.000 square kilometers, 20% of them belong to Argentina.
The Esteros have become one of the world’s favorite places for bird watching, where an endless number of birds of all sizes and colors can be seen, besides its attractive and sonorous trills.
Finally, the mesopotamian vegetation complements the landscape and as if it was a painter’s palette, sprinkles with colors the water mirrors, producing some incredible tones and unforgettable views.
Other places to visit in Mercedes:
Casa de la Cultura: You will find this 1890 building at the Parque Mitre, it has been reconditioned and remodeled and it was definitely open in 1996. Here you will find many museums: the Histórico Municipal, the Colonial, the Bellas Artes and the Regional Mesopotámico and finally the Escuela Municipal de Arte e Idiomas and the Biblioteca Municipal.
Palacio Municipal: It is a historical building with a front that recalls the Casa de Tucumán and the first floor does to the Cabildo of Buenos Aires.
Teatro Cervantes: Or also known as Milán’s Petit Scala because of the resemblance with the famous Italian theatre, this is a place that can’t be missed.
Santuario del Gauchito Gil: The story tells that Antonio Mamerto Gil Nuñez refused to fight “against partners” during the political confrontations in the province of Corrientes in the middle of the 19th century. That is why they pursued, catched and killed him, because he was considered a deserter. – Nowadays, he is one of the most important pagan saints from Argentina and he is characterized by sanctuaries in the routes with red objects and offerings. Each year hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come to Mercedes to worship this personage of the country’s popular legend.
How to get to there:
You can only reach Mercedes overland, whether by car o by bus.
It is a 700 kilometers trip from Buenos Aires by Ruta Nacional Nº9, Nº12 and then Nº14. Then you have to take Ruta Nacional Nº119 and finally Ruta Provincial Nº40.
By Bus:
From Buenos Aires it takes 15 hours departing daily using some bus companies, like, Flecha Bus, Balut, Andes Mar, Chevallier and Almirante Brown.
Usefull numbers
Veraye Ómnibus: (+54 3773) 42-2289
Tramat: (+54 3773) 42-7991
Expreso Tata: (+54 3773) 42-1243
Rayo Bus: (+54 3773) 42-0184
Flecha Bus: (+54 3773) 42-2209
Águila Dorada Bis: (+54 3773) 42-3220
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