Location: 62 mi (100 km) North of Rosaria, Entre Ríos Province Map
Area: 24.58 km²
Info: 25 de Mayo 389, Diamante
Tel. (0343) 498 3535
Open: daily
Predelta National Park is located 62 mi (100 km) North of
Rosaria, Entre Ríos Province in Argentina. Predelta National Park
covers an area of 24.58 km². Predelta National Park lies just few
kilometers from the small town of Diamante in an Entre Ríos Province
of Argentina. It was created in January 13, 1992 with a purpose of
protecting natural biodiversity of Paran River Delta along with
surrounding lagoons, marshes and islands with its diverse flora and
fauna. The highest point of Predelta National Park is the dam,
surrounded by the forest. Just below the dam a beautiful lagoon is
surrounded by marshy shores, overgrown with willows, hyacinths and
various herbs. Three islands that are protected protected by
Predelta National Park are del Cibo, Las Mangas and del Barro.
You can explore Predelta National Park on foot by hiking through a
network of hiking trails. You can also rent a tour by canoe that can
be rented at the main entrance of La Howl. You can follow waterways
and explore local islands that were formed by sand and stones
delivered by the waters of the Parana river. One of the high points
of Predelta National Park is a lake Los Banos that can be reached
only by foot. Its serene expanse is covered with huge leaves of
water lilies, perhaps the most recognizable landscape of Predelta
National Park.
Local climate of Predelta National Park is
highly humid due to its proximation to water. The average annual
temperature is around 19 degrees Celsius. Predelta National Park is
inhabited by numerous animals including capybaras, otters, as well
as various species of snakes, lizards, turtles and others.
Location
It is located in the central west of the Entre Ríos
province, in the Diamante department, on the left bank of the Paraná
River. It is in an island sector very close to the place called La
Azotea.
The town of Diamante is connected to the city of Paraná
-located 44 km away- by Provincial Route No. 11. From Diamante there is
a six-kilometre-long dirt road, which gives access to the La Jaula and
La Azotea sites. , which are located in the vicinity of the park.
Geography
The environments of the area are: the albardón, which
is the highest area, where the gallery jungle is found, the lagoon that
is the mirror of free water and the marsh, which are the low and flooded
areas. This national park is made up of solid land, flooded coasts and
islands that have the entire system of albardones, madrejones, sandy
beaches colonized by willow and alizales, grasslands and camalotes,
which characterize the place.
The park includes a section of the
Paraná River and three islands: del Ceibo, las Mangas and del Barro, and
is completely delimited by river courses. The navigable watercourses are
the following: La Azotea stream, Vapor Viejo stream (where a British
ship sank), and Las Mangas stream -from its source to the Las Mangas
Operational Post-, Saca Calzones and La Azotea.
The pre-delta is
the beginning of a set of islands formed by the sediments carried by the
Paraná River and its tributaries. The delta of the Paraná River is born
there and flows into the Río de la Plata, it develops in 300 km in
length and reaches a width of up to 40 km, its total area is
approximately 1,200,000 ha.
The Pre-Delta National Park
encompasses a part of the Paraná River delta and islands ecoregion,
which encompasses an area of low-lying, flood-prone islands, included
within the flood valleys of the middle courses of the Paraná and
Paraguay rivers. . These islands are ridges with mountains, whose
interior is a small depression, in which grasslands and lagoons can be
found.
lagoon areas
Free water mirrors that vary in length,
covered by a variety of floating aquatic vegetation, mainly ferns and
water sprouts, the irupé stands out for its striking and huge circular
leaves and flowers.
Acuatic birds; ducks, coots, macaes, storks,
chajáes, white herons, three species of kingfishers, being the
rattlesnake, the largest and with colorful plumage, the emblematic
species of this national park.
Mammals with aquatic habits such as
the capybara, the largest rodent in the world, and the coypu or rodent
otter, are abundant species. The river otter is an agile aquatic
carnivore.
Fish: sábalos, armados, patíes, bogas, manduvíes,
surubíes, dorados, etc.
canyon area
With its own
characteristics differentiated from those of the insular area, with a
steep slope and without flooding. The ravine forms a corridor for
subtropical plant species: guavas, cannelloni, tembetaries, laurels,
etc. It is the area sought by capybaras in times of flooding, also
finding an important variety of birds, with more than 120 species
registered.
Climate
The region's climate is humid and
tropical, thanks to the moderating influence of the river. The annual
average temperature is 19 ºC.
Although the area has a temperate
sub-humid climate, due to the influence of the waters, in this case the
Paraná River and the tributaries of the Río de la Plata, a moderating
effect is produced that influences the main climatic variables, which
determines a climate humid tropical type. This is one of the main
reasons that made the area a tropical garden in favorable latitudes for
other types of flora, such as the one that appears in adjacent areas.
Flora and fauna
Flora
The islands sector has ceibo and curupí
forests and white timbó forests. The lower parts are covered with dense
grasslands with thatch for roofing and thatch, and there are some
mirrors of water.
Fauna
The fauna is made up mainly of aquatic
[mammals], [reptiles] and [birds]. Among the mammals, capybaras
(Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) stand out, whose tracks can be seen on the
trails, otters (Lutrinae) and river otters (Lontra longicaudis); among
the reptiles you can find the alligator ñato (a species that was
believed to be extinct), the overo lizard (Tupinambis teguixin), aquatic
snakes and lagoon turtles.
The bird species are very varied,
highlighting the reddish espinero (which builds its nests with sticks,
which hang over the water), ducks (Anatidae), caraús (Aramus guarauna),
chajás (Chauna torquata), storks (Ciconiidae), herons (Ardeidae) and
also kingfishers (Chloroceryle sp.), which are abundant and easy to
observe, which is why they have become the most representative species
in the park.
Colonel Sarmiento National Field
On December 14, 2009, the
National Parks Administration acquired the Coronel Sarmiento National
Field from the Argentine Army, located adjacent to the Pre-Delta
National Park and which has an area of 146 ha 29 to 31 ca. This field
is of conservation interest and can be used to build the national park
service area, since it is located on solid ground above the ravines and
with easy access from Diamante. Through Provincial Law No. 10193, passed
on December 20, 2012 and promulgated on December 26, the Campo Nacional
Coronel Sarmiento was disaffected from the municipal ejido of Diamante,
to be transferred its jurisdiction to the National State in order to
incorporate it into the national park. Pre-Delta. The law set a term of
4 years from its publication for the National Congress to sanction the
law accepting the transfer of jurisdiction, a term that expired on
January 8, 2017, being without effect. The field was leased by the
Argentine Army to a private tenant who took legal action. Although the
National Parks Administration has ownership of the field and carries out
preservation actions there, when the cession law expires, the
jurisdiction over the field continues to belong to the province of Entre
Ríos, which is why it could not be incorporated into the national park
in under the requirement provided for in the regime of Law No. 22351.
On June 30, 2022, the national law No. 27672 was sanctioned, which
accepted the transfer of jurisdiction made by the province of Entre Ríos
to the national State. The law was enacted on July 12, 2022 through
Decree No. 387 /2022, being legally incorporated the Coronel Sarmiento
National Field to the Pre-Delta National Park.
Management
By
resolution No. 126/2011 of the National Parks Administration dated May
19, 2011, it was established that Pre-Delta would fit for administrative
purposes in the category protected areas of complexity III, for which
the national park has at its in front of a designated mayor, on which 4
departments depend (Administration; Works and Maintenance; National Park
Rangers; Conservation and Public Use) and the Dispatch Division and
Entry, Exit, and Notifications Desk. The mayor has its headquarters in
the city of Diamante and at the same time administers the Santa Fe
Islands National Park.
Paraje La Jaula recreational area
Combination of aquatic environments (lagoons, streams, wetlands)
together with those of ravines, represent an element of great beauty in
itself, confer a very particular scenic appeal to the national park.
Recreational activities are concentrated in this area, since being
delimited by river courses, internal circulation problems are limited,
which prevent the free movement of visitors within the rest of the
protected area. The Paraje La Jaula, distant 5 km from the city of
Diamante, is the only point through which you can enter by land, through
a local road. The characteristic environments of the rest of the
national park are represented in it. The main activities carried out by
the visitor are: tours of trails, coastal sport fishing, camping, bird
watching. You can also see the islands that make up the national park;
the Ceibo, the Sleeves, of the Mud.
Due to the characteristics of
the park, mainly made up of islands, most activities must be carried out
in suitable boats. However, the National Parks Administration created
two interpretive trails and a camp in Paraje La Jaula, where there are
stoves.