Enjoying the sun in Tigre just north of Buenos Aires
LOCATION: Buenos Aires
Ah, we needed that late start. Didn't need to meet up with @Leo until 10 am and the pickup point was the foyer of the Carles.
@DeLoy had booked this independent tour for us - the day was scheduled as a "breather" for us but we were keen to keep going. Mind you, if we had read about the anticipated late night finish of the Tango Show in advance, may have stayed more local. Unanimous though in our agreement that we had come so far, so why not!
The relaxing start is made even easier because we can tap onto the breakfast offerings in the hotel. Our only challenge was to find the right codes in our documentation for @Paulyta to do checkin for our next flight. This caused a little bit of a headache because I was sending the code with the airline name as the prefix eg AR - HNERT and the booking was rejected. Great spotting by @Deb over a breakfast coffee. Once we pointed that out to @Paulyta - all went through.
The Adventure
A. Tigre excursion with @Leo
The traffic was thick as we tried to leave the city and head towards the islands that make up the populated area of the Tigre Delta. We keep seeing the evidence of the commute that the workers need to make each day to access their workplace in Buenos Aires - something like 7 million commuters each day.
@Leo, our guide for the day, is a definite local driver. His zig zag, stop start racing car driver style, in our cramped shared space had me car sick and hanging my head out the side window like a puppy dog. I missed the commentary. @Lloyd declared he can't be the front seat driver on the way home - a little stressful. He'll hand the reigns of that duty to @Mac.
But we did traverse the 30 kms safely to arrive at Puerto de Fruitos, a former fruit market now a bustling artisan market. Well i wouldn't say bustling - it was very quiet today but apparently extremely busy on the weekend. Thought for a moment we were going to view the market from the car - @Leo had parked the little car so close to the raised guttering - we couldn't open the doors to get out!
Plenty to see and browse -- maybe not so much for the men. Although @Lloyd did somehow find himself stacking boxes helping a shop owner in a pastry shop. Scored himself a free empanada as a thank you!
The attraction here is the boat ride on tthe Tigre Delta (the tigre name comes from the "big cats that were spotted by the first settlers.) It is the fifth largest delta in the world and one of the only ones that flows into a river (the Río de la Plata) rather than the sea. The waters were calm but sludgy in colour - filed with clay sediments and salt. The movement of the water in this area continues to bring more sediments and the area of land is increasing.
The locals here are very water centric. The houses in this first section of the Delta (there are hundreds of islands here) - are built on stilts and each sport their own jetty - many in a state of disrepair. And dozens of the homes were for sale. Food and water supplies are accessed by supply boats - even health services are administered on the river by boat and children access the school by boat.
It is considered a simple and idyllic life - but not one I'd aspire to.
Plenty of fishermen (not sure I would eat anything from this water), lots of women hooning along the canals in boats, plenty of rowers (14 rowing clubs based here - rowing capital of Argentina) and even swimmers! Accidentally snapped a picture of a gentleman taking a bath in the river - through he was cleaning his boat. Oops.
B. La Ventana Tango Show
Home in time to freshen up for the obligatory tango show on Beunos Aires. Our venue was La Ventana renowned as one of Buenos Aires’ most famous tango dinner shows. Billed as an "intimate" full Argentine cultural experience - it featured: a gourmet three‑course dinner with wine, followed by a tango and folklore performance with 32 artists. The combination of two orchestras, dancers, singers, gaucho boleadoras, and Andean music had the crowd enthralled!
Loved the food and wine but the repeated description of "intimate" meant crowded into a small space. But we had super seats/table ... front and centre on raised platform. Musicians were great. A bit lukewarm on the Tango leg flicking segments. Dazzled by the gaucho. In love with the folklore traditionalband and the pan pipes.
All the action starts at a late timeslot in Argentina, so the show didn't finish till close to midnight and we had to get the shared bus home which was a hotel hopper.
Found ourselves at 1 am in the morning in a little dervish trying to pack for the morning's getaway. No time to practice a few tango leg flicks or twirl the boleadoras.
Survival Barometer
Steps 9 452
Weather - 26 absolute clear sky
Health ÷ maintaining perfect run
Can you believe this?
💃 Amazing Facts About the Tango
🔥 1. Tango began in the slums — not the salons
Tango was born in the late 19th century in the gritty port districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, created by immigrants, Afro‑descendant communities, and working‑class locals. It was never meant to be glamorous at first
😳 2. Tango was once considered scandalous and even banned
Its close embrace and sensual movements shocked polite society. Some venues — especially in Europe — banned it outright for being too provocative.
🌟 Amazing Facts about Tigre (Buenos Aires)
1. Name Origins
- Tigre is named after jaguars (“tigres”) that used to roam the Paraná Delta. Despite the name, no tigers ever lived here—locals used “tigres” as a catch-all for big cats.
2. A City Built on Water
- Tigre sits on the Paraná Delta, a vast network of rivers and canals.
- The delta is so extensive that many homes are only accessible by boat, and schoolchildren commute via water taxis.
3. The “Venice of Argentina”
- With its labyrinth of waterways, Tigre is often called Argentina’s Venice.
For Jesse ... think you would have loved the twirling tricks of the gaucho
"Ready to tango!"
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