Travel Guide Reserva Natural Fortín Salazar

The estancia Fortín Salazar is located at Km 340, about twenty kilometers north of Río Verde, in the district of Teniente Irala Fernández. It was founded at the beginning of the 20th century by the Kent, Mobsby and Eaton families. The latter were among the few non-Indian inhabitants of the western region. Pioneers who played a significant role in the years before the Chaco War, informing the Paraguayan government of Bolivian incursions. They served as guides for the Paraguayan troops, who came to build forts and roads in these wild lands. The current owners are descendants of these families. Extensive cattle breeding is their main activity. But in love with their land, with such a rich but fragile ecosystem, they created the first private nature reserve in the department of Presidente Hayes. A reserve of 12,450 hectares that represents almost half of the estancia's territory. The property is located in the transition zone between the wet Chaco and the dry Chaco, a habitat for many birds (138 species, 12 of which are endemic to the Chaco), reptiles (10 species) and mammals (8 species), including the jaguar and an endemic species rediscovered in the 1970s, the taguá or peccary of the Chaco. To discover the ecosystem of the reserve, many activities are offered, such as horseback riding or canoeing in a beautiful lagoon. The guide Oscar Rodríguez, can propose you a stay on the spot, within the framework of a circuit. Contact him via his agency, Paraguay Birding & Nature (paraguay-birding-nature.com), based in Asunción.