Discovering the Most Enchanting Places of Argentina (eBook)

Part-2 - Journeys Through Mountains, Forests, Deserts, and Ancient Secrets

MD Amrahs (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
155 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-094896-0 (ISBN)

Infos

This book series shares Argentina's hidden natural and cultural treasures through 25 sensory-rich stories that reveal the country beyond its cities and tango. Inspired by a travel diary about Quebrada del Condorito, the author paints vivid word-portraits of red canyons, ancient volcanoes, glacier walls, and orchid-laced forests. The writing is gentle and accessible, filled with the smells, sounds, and textures of each landscape. Rather than technical facts, the focus is on how these places feel and why they matter-to people, wildlife, and the future of our planet. Readers will also find practical travel tips, cultural insights like local sayings, and guidance on respectful, low-impact exploration. Whether you're a dreamer, teacher, traveler, or parent, this book invites you to explore Argentina's lesser-known wonders with open eyes and heart. It's a celebration of discovery and a call to cherish the Earth's quiet, beautiful corners-places that stay with you long after you leave.

Textauszug

1. Embalse Río Hondo

In the heart of Santiago del Estero province, where arid plains stretch toward the horizon under a vast blue sky, a sparkling oasis reshaped the landscape and lives of local communities. In the early 1940s, engineers dammed the Dulce River to create a reservoir that would regulate water flow, support agriculture, and generate hydroelectric power. When the dam gates closed in 1946, the waters rose to form Embalse Río Hondo, today one of Argentina’s largest freshwater lakes and the centerpiece of a thriving resort town renowned for its healing hot springs.

The reservoir covers some 32,000 hectares, its calm surface dotted with small islands and peninsulas that change shape with the seasons. In the hottest months, the lake’s levels drop slightly, revealing sandy beaches where families gather to swim and children build castles in the warm sand. On longer afternoons, sailboats and windsurfers glide across the water, taking advantage of steady breezes that sweep down from nearby hills. Fishing boats drift slowly through hidden channels, lines cast for dorado and tararira, prized game fish that thrive in the reservoir’s clear, slow-moving currents. Along the rocky shoreline, pelicans and cormorants stand in stately silence, their webbed feet gripping sun-warmed stones as they watch for flashes of silver beneath the waves.

As the reservoir drew visitors, entrepreneurs and local authorities saw an opportunity to share more than just water sports. They tapped into underground geothermal springs whose waters bubble up at a steady 40 degrees Celsius. In the 1950s, the first thermal hotels opened their doors, offering mineral-rich baths said to ease arthritis, improve circulation, and soothe tired muscles. Today, dozens of spa complexes line the lakeshore, their steam rising like morning mist against the backdrop of eucalyptus and tamarisk groves. Inside, pools of varying temperatures host rhythmless rhythms of relaxation: warm jacuzzis, cool plunge pools, and a signature circuit of mineral baths that guides visitors through a sensorial journey of heat and release.

Walking between spa resorts, you pass under pergolas draped in bougainvillea and past fountains that hiss water high into the air. Flowering shrubs scent the paths, and benches of polished stone invite lingering conversation or quiet reflection. Elegant hotels offer packages combining overnight stays with multi-day spa therapies—massages, mud wraps, and inhalation sessions in mineral steam rooms that feel like caverns carved from living rock. Outside, wellness centers host morning yoga classes on lakeside decks, guiding participants through flows that greet the sun’s first rays and set a contemplative tone for the day.

Geographically, Embalse Río Hondo sits about 90 meters above sea level, resting in a gently rolling basin carved by rivers and tectonic movements over millions of years. Santiago del Estero city lies roughly 60 kilometers to the northeast, a drive through farmland and low hills that today host orchards of citrus, olives, and vineyards imbued with the reservoir’s irrigation. The dam itself anchors the lake’s eastern edge, a concrete span that channels water into hydroelectric turbines before letting it continue downstream to nourish fields and marshes.

The resort town of Termas de Río Hondo grew up on the reservoir’s southern shore, a planned community whose streets radiate from a central plaza with fountains that glow at night. Its population swells tenfold during high season, as domestic travelers arrive by car, bus, or the nearby airport. Despite the crowds, the town retains a friendly, unhurried vibe: neighbors greet each other by name, shopkeepers offer advice on spa treatments, and musicians perform zamba and chacarera on street corners as passersby stop to toss coins into open guitar cases.

Tourist attractions extend beyond the spas. Adventure seekers rent jet skis and canoes, exploring hidden bays and snorkeling near sunken trees where freshwater fish dart in schools. A network of mountain biking trails winds through surrounding hills, offering panoramic vistas of the reservoir and distant low mountains, their silhouettes soft at dawn and dusk. Golfers tee off on an 18-hole course framed by native woodland, where long par-5 holes challenge drives that must clear ponds and sand traps shaped by local designers.

History buffs find interest in the region’s pre-dam roots. A small museum in town displays artifacts from indigenous communities that lived here centuries ago, including pottery shards and stone tools recovered during the construction of the dam. Plain drawings on river boulders show animals and symbolic motifs, hinting at spiritual beliefs tied to water and sky. Local guides offer half-day cultural tours that visit these sites and explain how early inhabitants made seasonal journeys following herds of guanaco and gathering wild fruits along riverbanks.

The popularity of the reservoir and its town has climbed steadily over the decades. When the first hotels opened seventy years ago, only a handful of travelers arrived each week. By the 1980s, improved highways and national promotion of thermal tourism brought thousands each year. Today, Termas de Río Hondo welcomes over two million guests annually, making it one of Argentina’s most visited destinations outside of major cities. Despite this growth, sustainable practices aim to preserve both water quality and the resort’s small-town charm. Wastewater from spa pools undergoes treatment and recycling, and local ordinances limit high-rise construction to protect mountain views and prevent overcrowding.

A few lesser-known gems add depth to the experience. Just a ten-minute drive from the main spa district, the Reserva Natural Laguna de los Pozuelos offers a quiet embrace of peaceful wetlands. Here, boardwalks lead through reed beds to bird hides where flamingos and stilt rails move with surprising grace. Guides teach visitors to identify migratory species and local amphibians, reminding all that the reservoir is part of a larger ecology woven by water birds, marsh grasses, and seasonal rains.

Another hidden draw lies in local culinary traditions that combine riverside produce with Patagonian influence. Family-run restaurants along the lakeshore serve fresh-caught fish pan-seared with lemon and parsley, and empanadas filled with pumpkin and goat cheese from nearby estancia farms. Markets on weekends offer baskets of calabaza dulce—candied pumpkin—alongside jars of honey infused with calafate berries harvested in northern Patagonia by itinerant beekeepers. Chefs pair these flavors with national wines from Mendoza, creating a fusion that celebrates Argentina’s diverse terrains.

Local folklore enriches the reservoir’s aura. Residents tell of “El Guardián del Lago,” a lone figure seen paddling a canoe in pre-dawn mist, vanishing as the sun breaks the horizon. Some claim he is the spirit of an engineer who perished inspecting the dam’s foundations decades ago, returning to ensure the lake’s waters run clear. Others speak of a hidden underwater cavern beneath the deepest point, its entrance guarded by black-necked swans that circle in unison when storms gather above.

Wellness extends beyond the spas into community initiatives. Termas de Río Hondo hosts an annual “Festival de la Salud” in September, featuring free screenings, workshops on nutrition, and sessions on mental well-being led by local psychologists. Parks line the shore with outdoor fitness stations, and morning markets sell fresh produce alongside demonstrations of traditional herbal remedies. A new cycling lane connects spas with town schools, encouraging residents and visitors to explore by bike rather than car, reducing air pollution and strengthening community ties.

Adventurous travelers can charter small boats for overnight trips to the lake’s western islands, where simple cabins offer rustic comfort and nights under a sky so dark that the Milky Way arcs overhead in breathtaking detail. Campfires crackle, and hosts prepare stews of game meat—purchased via kindly local hunters—and foraged vegetables, telling stories of gaucho life and river lore. At dawn, guests paddle canoes into mirror-calm coves to watch pink flamingos take flight, creating shapes in slow-motion ballet against rose-tinted water.

Conservationists work alongside local fishing clubs to maintain healthy stocks of key species. Fishing tournaments held in February draw anglers from across the country, but strict catch-and-release rules ensure that dorado and pejerrey populations remain robust. Each prize is a handcrafted trophy by a regional artist, celebrating both skill and stewardship. Youth programs teach sustainable fishing techniques, and seasonal closures prevent overfishing during spawning months.

No visit to Embalse Río Hondo would be complete without tasting its namesake calafate berry. Local lore says that those who eat the berry will always return, and visitors buy wind-up calafate keychains and prints of berry bushes as reminders. Farmers host “calafate days” in March, inviting guests to pick berries in roadside patches, learn jam-making techniques passed down through families, and sip fresh calafate wine under shaded arbors. These gatherings end with dance and song, as accordionists play tango and folklore bands bring neighbors together in celebration.

As evening falls, the lights of Termas de Río Hondo reflect in the reservoir’s gentle waves. The air cools, and breezes carry soothed sighs from spa terraces. Couples stroll lakeside promenades, hand in hand, pausing to listen to the distant hum of water spilling over spillways. Windsurfers finish their final runs in the last glow of sunset, and families gather in front of...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 26.6.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Reisen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-094896-9 / 0000948969
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-094896-0 / 9780000948960