Parque Nacional El Palmar.(Mesopotamia: Entre Rios)

Distances

* From Concordia: 48 km south on RN 14

* From Colon: 52 km north on RN 14

This national park is situated halfway between Colon and Concordia. The entrance is 100 m east from the main highway, RN 14. The park extends from the highway right down to the Rio Uruguay, a distance of about 14 km, and covers an area of 8500 ha (21 000 acres).

The park was created to preserve the almost extinct yatay palms (Syragus yatay), and the unique wildlife.

The ticket office is about 200 m from the main road. A well-maintained dirt road crosses the park, and several minor tracks lead off it to the north and south. On the banks of the Rio Uruguay some 10 km east, is the rangers' office where you can get leaflets and information on flora and fauna in the park.

The solitary yatay palms near the entrance gradually become denser until they eventually form groves, particularly near the streams. This particular species was threatened with extinction when cattle were introduced because the cattle ate all the seeds, thereby preventing the trees from reproducing. Most of the palms are now over a hundred years old, and some of them are estimated to be over 500 years old, giving the landscape an African appearance. New protected plantations of young palms have also been established; they are now no longer an endangered species, and grow up to 12 m high, with leaves reaching a span of two meters. These palms are the southernmost palm species in the world.