Luján is best known for its large neo-gothic Basilica, built in honor of the Virgin of Luján, the patron saint of Argentina.

Every year, more than six million people make pilgrimages to the Basilica, many walking there from Buenos Aires. The city is known as 'La Capital de la Fe' (Capital of the Faith).

It is popular day-trip for non-believers too, with abundant grill restaurants (like most places in Argentina) and souvenir shops with kitsch religious memorabilia.

The church was designed by the French architect Ulderico Courtois and started in 1889, completed by 1937. Its towers stand 106m high and it has a copper roof and bronze doors.

The huge church towers over the surrounding flat country and houses the tiny 38 cm high statue of the Virgin. A large and important organ by French builder Cavaille-Coll stands in the gallery in a state of deterioration, although efforts are underway to see to its restoration.

Luján is also home to the Enrique Udaondo museum complex, housing exhibitions of colonial life in the house of the Viceroy and old town hall, with art, uniforms, silverware and transport with many antique vehicles including Plus Ultra the first hydroplane to cross from Europe to Argentina and La Porteña, Argentina's first steam locomotive operated by Ferrocarril Oeste. Also on display are the prison cells where Colonel William Carr Beresford, commander of the 1806 British invading forces, and General Cornelio Saavedra, president of the first national government (Primera Junta) in 1810, were held.

The nearby city of Mercedes is seat of the Bishop of Mercedes and Luján. Luján is the principal settlement of the Lujan Partido or municipality. The city has a railway and bus station and is easily reached from Buenos Aires.

The Ibera natural Reserve is located in the province of Correintes, in the northeast of the Argentine Republic, the known ecosystem as Esteros del Iberá must to their name to the Ibera lagoon located in the zone Eastern center of this immense system of humedals.

The Iberá word is formed by two words of the guaraní language: ¨Î¨, water, that put in front to ¨berá¨, brilliant, in its Castilian translation to express to the site like ¨el the water that shines or brilla¨, name that supposedly gave to their original guaraníes settlers when observing the chispeante brightness him of their surface.

This peculiarity is visible in its water mirrors during the aurora or anocher, when the own calm of a closed system, without fluvial currents, bankruptcy with the breeze produced by the change of temperature between the surrounding terrestrial surface and the water of the matting or lagoons, causing itself a superficial movement that reflects with very particular effects the solar light to crepuscular.

Certain objection exists nevertheless on this origin of the denomination, because between the settlers the belief that still lasts the name must to heroic princess Iberá, the daughter of the guaraní cacique who submerged in the matting to protect the dignity of his culture .

In fact this name has been evolving with happening of the time, since registries exist that they originally identify to the site like Matting of Expensive Face, because in this place the emigrated natives lived on the Mission of Santa Ana by committed crimes, knew by “Caracará”, name also given to a bird of rotten prey: the “owl”.

The Natural Reserve is known for its biodiversity, including four species that have been declared "provincial natural monuments": the neotropical river otter, the maned wolf, the pampas deer, and the marsh deer. It is also home to the two Argentine species of alligator, the Yacare caiman (yacaré negro) and the broad-snouted caiman (yacaré overo), as well as the capybara (the world's largest rodent) and about 350 bird species.

In the Turist Information Center a very helpful (and proud) staff member gave us a brochure with a small map and told us how to come as close as possible to ‘La Paleta del Pintor’. This ‘Painter’s Palette’ is by far the most interesting sight in/nearby Maimará and for me one of the most beautiful parts of the Humahuaca Gorge.

But the view of Painter’s Palette was magnificent: the wild streaming brown coloured water of the river in the foreground and the stunning multi-coloured patterns of the mountain in the background.