Reserva Natural Provincial Santa Catalina

Reserva Natural Provincial Santa Catalina is a protected nature reserve with lagoons, native woodlands, and grasslands spread across its expanse. The reserve sits near the Buenos Aires metropolitan region and shelters numerous species of plants and animals.

The land was originally granted to Pedro López de Tarifa in 1588, then took the name Santa Catalina according to a property deed from 1819. These early assignments shaped how the territory became legally recognized and managed.

The grounds served as a center for agricultural learning when Argentina's first farming school opened there in 1870. This institution later became the birthplace of the country's veterinary education programs.

You can visit throughout the year as conditions shift with the seasons, with warmer days in summer and cooler periods in winter. Plan to dress for changing weather and uneven ground as you move between different habitats within the reserve.

The reserve shelters around 700 plant species and roughly 172 bird species, making it a center for wildlife diversity. What makes it noteworthy is the presence of remnants from the original talar forests that once covered the Pampas region.