Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
An hour north of Paso de los Libres by bus, Yapeyú was founded in 1626 as the
southernmost of the Jesuit missions. It's also famous for being the birthplace of
the great Argentine 'Liberator,' José de San Martín.
You can examine the Jesuit ruins - the
museum
( 8am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Sun)
here has a comprehensive overview of all the missions - and admire the or-
nate building that now shelters the ruins of the house where San Martín was born
in 1778.
Right on the plaza between these two major sights,
Hotel San Martín
(
03772-493120; Sargento Cabral 712; s/d AR$190/300; )
is a simple, welcoming place set
around an echoey inner courtyard. For something more upmarket, head to the
modern riverside bungalows at
El Paraíso Yapeyú
( 03772-493056;
www.paraisoyapeyu.com.ar
; cnr Paso de los Patos & San Martín; bungalow for 2/4 people AR$420/600;
)
, where you can also camp.
There are four to five daily buses (AR$29, one hour) to/from Paso de los Libres
and daily services to Posadas in the other direction. More buses stop on the high-
way at the edge of the town.
MISIONES
The narrow northeastern province of Misiones juts out like an Argentine finger between
Brazilian and Paraguayan territory and is named for the Jesuit missions that were estab-
lished in the region, the ruins of which are a major attraction. Today San Ignacio Miní is
the best restored; it and other ruins (including those across the border in Paraguay) are
easily accessed from the provincial capital, Posadas. Buses churn through Misiones en
route to the Iguazú Falls in the north of the province, but a detour will take you to anoth-
er stunning cascade - the Saltos del Moconá on the Río Uruguay.
The landscape here is an attraction. Approaching Misiones from the south you will see
a change to gently rolling low hills, stands of bamboo, and fields of papaya and manioc.
The highway passes tea and
mate
plantations growing from the region's trademark red
soil - the province is the main producer of
mate,
Argentina's staple drink.
THE OTHER FALLS
Apart from Iguazú, the remote and unusual Saltos del Moconá also live long in the
memory. A geological fault in the bed of the Río Uruguay divides the river length-
wise and water spills over the shelf between the two sections, creating a waterfall
some 3km long and up to 15m high, depending on the water level.
