A bicycle tour through Mar de las Pampas - Mar Chiquita Lagoon - Nahuel Rucá - Estancia Calfucura - Mar Azul (Buenos Aires)

Link to watch Day 1:

https://youtu.be/i_ZFQOH2e-k?si=bXpgoVMM9s520EeF
Link to watch Days 2 and 3: https://youtu.be/3DPm8x_pKhg?si=vTKuI1IV_WWH1cOU

Day 1

Despite having some tailwind when leaving Mar de las Pampas, the first 28 km, on wet, loose sand, were very difficult.

I had anticipated the wind blowing towards Mar Chiquita, but not that the beach after Mar Azul would become steep.

The pace became like climbing a mountain.

Upon reaching the Querandí Lighthouse, I couldn't climb its 54 meters because the caretaker wasn't there, as it was December 25th. Even so, I enjoyed the surrounding reserve, thanks to the shade of the enormous trees.

From this point, there were more manageable stretches of beach, with a stronger tailwind and occasional wildlife appearing alone, both dead and alive.

At kilometer 33, a last fisherman was trying to make a profit from the sea, already on the border with the Mar Chiquita Reserve.

The journey from this point onward offered striking landscapes of enormous dunes, ravines with vegetation, many birds, and natural formations thousands of years old, created by the compaction of snail shells and sediments.

After 60 kilometers, I reached the Mar Chiquita Lagoon, unique in the country. I needed to find a boat to cross the inlet, but I didn't know that because I was leaving a Nature Reserve, I had to notify the police first... I learned this when Ariel, the driver of a boat, told me as we crossed the brackish water.

I learned this information when Ariel, the driver of a boat, told me as we crossed the inlet. Once on the opposite shore, teeming with crabs, I headed towards Camping Mar Chiquita, ending the day and falling asleep to the sounds of El Cangrejo Stream, just a few meters from my tent.

There's no drinking water at the campsite, but half a block away, just outside, there's a water tank provided by the municipality where you can fill up your drinking water.

Day 2

After passing through the Mar Chiquita Atlantic Park Biosphere Reserve and a short corridor for migratory birdwatching, skirting El Cangrejo Stream, I headed towards Highway 11. Fortunately, since one of the lanes of this highway was under construction, I was able to drive alone and without the danger of other vehicles.

Already at the entrance to the dirt road towards Nahuel Rucá, I was 14 km from the village, but before arriving I stopped at Estancia El Campamento to see if I could take a rough track to the sign for the old train station.

Despite knocking, no one came out, but I saw a rifle leaning against the gate and decided not to insist, as they were probably taking a siesta... From Nahuel Rucá to Cafuncura, the next village, it's 30 km, with almost no shade, vehicular traffic (only farm machinery), drinking water, and electricity.

I was surprised throughout the journey by millions of blue dragonflies fluttering as I passed by on my bike, and by countless powdery fungi along the side of the abandoned tracks.

And also by a rather long and unusual dusty climb in terrain that is mostly flat. Looking for water and a little charge for my cell phone, after passing the old Cafuncura station, I jumped a gate and looked for Frede's house, following directions from a local child. But when I arrived, his wife couldn't give me water, much less electricity, since the solar panels only powered their own needs.

So I continued along the private road toward the main house of the ranch, to try my luck there...crossing nine gates, a stream, surprising sightings of pampas deer, countless birds, cultivated fields, and hundreds of cattle running in fear ahead of me.

It was 15 kilometers to the tank where I refilled my drinking water supply, courtesy of the ranch workers, who didn't even realize I had walked through the entire property. It was an amazing place, where the concentration of birds near the main house was overwhelming, with so many of each species...I haven't seen anything like it even in the Iberá wetlands.

Jumping over gate number 11 at the entrance, I rejoined the closed section of the highway and, as dusk fell, asked permission at another ranch to spend the night in its vast forest.

It was a completely dark night, filled with the sounds of creatures like opossums, burrowing owls, and other nocturnal insects.

The owner and caretaker were incredibly kind and kind, allowing me to sleep there.

Day 3

At 5:30 a.m., I broke camp and set off for the cabin, this time with a headwind, but only 30 kilometers from the end of the journey.

Once off the highway, I crossed the beautiful coastal towns of Mar Azul and Mar de las Pampas, traveling along winding sandy roads surrounded by forest as far as the eye could see, delighted with the experiences and exercise I had enjoyed.