Formosa
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Except for an abundance of public art that falls short of Resistencia’s, sultry Formosa has little to recommend it as a destination, but visitors bound for Parque Nacional Río Pilcomayo may have to spend a night here.
Formosa (pop. about 220,000) is 175 kilometers north of Resistencia and 113 kilometers south of Clorinda, on the border with Paraguay, via RN 11.
Museo Histórico Municipal
The municipal history museum (Avenida 25 de Mayo 84, free) occupies the Casa Fotheringham (1885), built as a private residence by the first territorial governor, a general with the quintessentially Argentine name of Ignacio Hamilton Fotheringham.
The city’s only national historical monument, it chronicles the province’s history and political development, particularly after Argentina grabbed this part of the Chaco from Paraguay during the War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870).
Accommodations and Food
Formosa has decent if unspectacular accommodations, such as Hotel Colón (Belgrano 1068, tel. 03717/42-0719, www.hotelcolonformosa.com, US$26 s, US$36 d), which has a plain exterior but a pleasant interior, with rooms on the small side.
Hotel Plaza (Uriburu 920, tel. 03717/42-6767, plaza_formosa [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$37 s, US$42 d) has the most complete services, including air-conditioning, a pool, covered parking, and Wi-Fi.
Near the river, the Spanish bar–style El Tano Marino (Avenida 25 de Mayo 63, tel. 03717/42-0628) stresses freshly caught local fish but also serve meats and pastas.
Getting to Formosa
Aerolíneas Argentinas (Avenida 25 de Mayo 601, tel. 03717/42-9314) flies daily to Buenos Aires’s Aeroparque (usually via Corrientes) from Aeropuerto El Pucú, four kilometers south of town along RN 11.
The modern Estación Terminal de Ómnibus Formosa (ETOF, Avenida Gutñiski and Antártida Argentina, tel. 03717/45-1766) is 15 blocks west of Plaza San Martín.
Godoy SRL (tel. 03717/45-8148) goes three times daily to Laguna Naick-Neck (US$6.50), the closest settlement to Parque Nacional Río Pilcomayo, via the border-post city of Clorinda; the first departure is 10 a.m., the second at noon, and the last at 7:30 p.m.
Other sample destinations, times, and fares include Resistencia (2 hours, US$7) and Buenos Aires (13 hours, US$51).
© Wayne Bernhardson from Moon Argentina, 3rd edition
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