Argentina
Las Palmas, a small port city on the banks of the Río Paraguay in the Chaco province of northeastern Argentina, traces its origins to the late nineteenth century, when the Argentine government encouraged settlement of the Gran Chaco — a vast, wild expanse of subtropical lowlands long inhabited by the Qom, Wichí, and Mocoví peoples. The town grew around a river landing that served the tannin industry, extracting quebracho wood from the surrounding forests, a trade that shaped the entire region's economy well into the twentieth century.
The character of Las Palmas is defined by its frontier position between the cultivated Pampas and the untamed Chaco wilderness. Towering palm trees — from which the town takes its name — line the riverbanks, while the surrounding wetlands and gallery forests teem with capybaras, caimans, howler monkeys, and hundreds of bird species. The Río Paraguay itself, broad and unhurried, carries the rhythms of a land where nature still commands attention. The town retains the quiet, unpretentious atmosphere of provincial Argentina, where neighbours gather on shaded verandas and the pace of life follows the river's current.
Local cuisine reflects the region's gaucho heritage and subtropical bounty. Asado — beef ribs slow-grilled over wood coals — is the centrepiece of every gathering, often accompanied by empanadas chaqueñas filled with river fish or venison. Chipá, a warm, chewy cheese bread made from cassava flour, is sold at roadside stalls and bakeries throughout the town. Mate, the bitter herbal infusion shared from a communal gourd, is less a beverage here than a social ritual, offered to visitors as a gesture of warmth and welcome.
The Gran Chaco offers extraordinary ecotourism. The Chaco National Park, roughly two hours northwest, protects one of South America's last remaining tracts of dry subtropical forest, home to jaguars, giant armadillos, and the endemic Chaco peccary, a pig-like mammal thought extinct until its rediscovery in 1971. Birdwatchers flock to the wetlands surrounding Las Palmas for sightings of jabiru storks, roseate spoonbills, and the magnificent hyacinth macaw. The town also serves as a jumping-off point for exploring the Iberá Wetlands to the south, one of the largest freshwater marshes on Earth.
Las Palmas welcomes an impressive roster of cruise lines navigating the rivers of South America, including AIDA, Ambassador Cruise Line, Aurora Expeditions, Azamara, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, CroisiEurope, Crystal Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Marella Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Ponant, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Saga Ocean Cruises, Silversea, Star Clippers, TUI Cruises Mein Schiff, Virgin Voyages, and Windstar Cruises. The best time to visit is during the drier winter months from May to September, when temperatures are pleasant and wildlife concentrates around remaining water sources.