Argentina (Buenos Aires)
Delta del Paraná
A wonderfully seductive maze of rivers and streams, and only an hour’s train journey from the city centre (frequent trains from Retiro Station or #60 bus from Constitución), the Delta del Paraná offers one of Buenos Aires’ most unexpected experiences. The first section, made up of three thousand isleños, is easily accessible by boat (from the Estación Fluvial across the road from the train station). 
A trip along its waterways takes you past traditional houses on pilotes ("stilts") which peep out behind screens of sub-tropical vegetation and are served by boats that function as shops and petrol stations. The area’s fauna includes the carpincho, or capybara (a large aquatic rodent) as well as notoriously ferocious mosquitoes, as testified by the huge billboard advertising the mosquito repellent "Off" at the mouth of the Río Sarmiento. 

The Delta can be visited on a day trip but it’s also a great place to stay overnight if the idea of drifting off to sleep listening to crickets and the gentle chugging of boats appeals to you. Accommodation details are available at the Estación Fluvial and the Tourist Office (Lavalle and Ricardo Fernández; tel 011/4512-4497 daily 9am-5pm).