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TIGRE Y EL DELTA
General Information
This
is a unique natural attraction at the mouth of the Parana River Delta.
The first group of islands is situated within the Tigre district where
very typical and picturesque river houses mix with the wild, exuberant
landscape. The zone is perfect for eco-tourism and adventure activities,
photographic safaris, camping, ecological expeditions, fishing and
nautical sports, and bird watching.
There
are plenty of hotels, restaurants and nautical clubs on the shores of
rivers and streams. Distance to the Federal Capital: 30 kms.
Brief Historical Outline
Tigre
used to be known as “Las Conchas” due to the great amount of conch
shells found in the river bed which gave name to the area, is very much
associated to important events in Argentine history. During the first
decades of the 20th Century it became a favorite destination
for the “Porteño” aristocracy especially for the summer season holidays.
Today, visitors can perceive the history of Tigre and in its museums and
old houses around the city. The colonization of the area began with the
second founding of Buenos Aires by Don Juan de Garay in 1580.
During the second conquering of Buenos Aires in 1806, General Liniers
landed his troops on the shores of the Las Conchas River ( today known
as Reconquista River ) and organized the take over of the city from a
neighbour’s house, exactly where the Reconquista Museum is located
today.
The first train arrived at Las Conchas and was a great incentive for the
development of the area. Before this event, the trip between Buenos
Aires and Las Conchas took a whole day. During the times of the yellow
fever epidemics in Buenos Aires in 1871, Las Conchas became refuge to
wealthy Buenos Aires families and this is the reason many big houses
were built then in the area. After the disease had gone, many of these
houses became summer residences.
By that time, both the city and the Delta were being chosen by writers,
politicians and other personalities to spend their holidays or weekends,
amongst them Marcos Sastre and Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. There is
still one of Sarmiento’s houses located on the river bearing his name
functioning today as a museum.
The islands of Tigre became an important producer of timber and fruits
at the beginning of the 20th Century. The electric train
arrived in 1916 increasing thus the number of tourists and the
popularity of the Delta islands. The Tigre Club with the first casino in
Argentina and the luxurious Tigre Hotel were established in those years
and new recreational attractions started appearing in the area.
The city today combines touches of the splendorous past seen in the
Belle Epoque houses and museums with the modern infrastructure which
shows its current progress.
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