Tigre & Delta

Tigre sits where the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires meet the Delta del Paraná, a maze of islands and channels where the houses stand on stilts, the rowing clubs keep their Edwardian boathouses and the river launches do the work of buses. It is under an hour from the centre and feels much further.

Most travellers come for a day. The scenic way in is by catamaran from Puerto Madero along the Río de la Plata, or by train and bike through the riverside suburbs and San Isidro; from Tigre, a boat goes deep into the islands. The active version is a morning of walking and canoeing from an old island house, with an asado at the end; the gentler one is a meal with a family that lives on the islands. A night or two in a lodge of bungalows on the water turns the Delta into a short break, at the start of a journey or the end of it.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons, mild for paddling and walking. Summer is hot and the weekends belong to the porteños; on weekdays the channels are quiet. Winter is grey and damp, but calm.