Travesía Fabio Guerzoni — Ramallo

In Ramallo, the Río Paraná flows wide and powerful toward the delta, flanked by a maze of green river islands. The Travesía Fabio Guerzoni is an open water swimming race held in the freshwater currents of the Paraná River at Ramallo, in the northern reaches of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Organized by the Club Náutico y Pescadores de Ramallo, the event brings hundreds of swimmers together at the end of the southern summer to experience the natural momentum of one of South America's most imposing waterways. The competition offers two distinct downriver courses: a competitive 7-kilometer swim and a 3-kilometer integration distance. Swimmers tackling the full 7 kilometers enter the water upstream in the industrial shipyard sector, while those registered for the shorter distance set off from the municipal beach, with both groups following the river current down to the finish line at the club headquarters.

Entering the water among the slipways of Astilleros is a moving moment as the field spreads out in the wide brown channel, while the finish inside the cove of Club Náutico creates a thrilling conclusion, where swimmers funnel together and sprint elbow to elbow toward the ramp. Over nearly two decades the gathering has become a major fixture on the Argentine open water calendar, drawing around 600 swimmers in past editions, with nearly 400 taking on the 7-kilometer challenge and another 200 completing the shorter distance. Swimmers travel from across the country, arriving from Junín, La Plata, Buenos Aires city, and northern Santa Fe, welcomed by ideal late-summer weather and banks lined with cheering spectators.

To make the river crossing safe and seamless, the club coordinates closely with the local municipality and the Argentine Naval Prefecture. The race transforms the entire riverfront into a regional celebration, with athletes and their families arriving as early as Friday afternoon to fill the town's hotels, cabins, and restaurants. What began in 2008 as a modest 3-kilometer swim along the riverbank for 149 entrants has grown into an event embraced by the whole community.

The lower Paraná at Ramallo: sandbars and high river bluffs

The Paraná is an ancient continental thoroughfare with centuries of riverine navigation behind it, explored by the Venetian navigator Sebastian Cabot in 1526 as the first European to journey up its waters. Long before reaching Ramallo, this massive river basin is shaped by monumental hydroelectric works high upstream, such as the Itaipu Dam, the third largest power plant in the world, whose reservoir flooded the famous seven cascades of Guaíra Falls in 1984. Further down, the Yacyretá Dam raised water levels and inundated the lower sections of Encarnación, illustrating the immense scale of the hydrological system feeding these downstream currents. At Ramallo, the river sweeps along its right bank through the deltaic section known as the Paraná de las Palmas.

Along the local shoreline, the Arroyo Ramallo cuts through the coastal terrain to mark part of the boundary between the Ramallo and San Nicolás districts. The Balneario Municipal is an extensive sandy beach that serves as the heart of summer recreation. About fourteen kilometres away, perched directly atop the steep bluffs overlooking the river, Castillo de Rafael Obligado commands a sweeping view over the water.

The Lechiguanas islands and the delta wetlands

Looking across the broad expanse of water from the Ramallo promenade, the view opens directly onto the Lechiguanas Islands, which spread across the left bank of the southern river branch. Downstream from the city of Diamante, the river splits into multiple branching arms in the Paraná Delta. The area forms a major destination for bird-watching enthusiasts, sheltering aquatic birdlife. Closer to Ramallo, the coastal wetland of El Tonelero preserves a unique natural ecosystem rich in riparian flora and fauna. Because the Paraná River serves as the primary intake for local drinking water supplies, the preservation of these shoreline ecosystems remains a subject of vital local care. Environmental advocates have raised questions regarding proposed industrial developments in the area, including a tank farm designed to store 65,000 cubic meters of fuels, biofuels, fertilizers, and vegetable oils.

Paso del Tonelero: artillery duels along the Paraná cliffs

The area surrounding Ramallo is steeped in nineteenth-century military history. On January 9, 1846, General Lucio Norberto Mansilla installed defensive artillery batteries at El Tonelero to contest Anglo-French warships attempting to navigate up the Paraná River. On December 17, 1851, this very stretch of river became the site of the Battle of the Tonelero Pass, fought along the west bank of the Paraná near the cliff of Acevedo, between Ramallo and San Nicolás, about eight kilometres from the race venue. General Mansilla led an Argentine force of 2,000 soldiers with 16 artillery pieces to defend the pass against a squadron of warships sailing up the Paraná. The opposing fleet consisted of eight vessels, including four steam corvettes, two sailing corvettes, and a brig, attempting to force the narrow river passage under heavy fire.

During a ferocious one-hour engagement, the artillery on the heights fired over 450 cannon rounds down onto the passing ships. Despite sustaining damage, the Brazilian squadron forced its way past the bluffs and successfully landed troops upstream at Diamante in Entre Ríos province. Following the intense exchange, the Argentine commander was forced to abandon his position, leaving the artillery and equipment behind on the cliffs. Today, drifting down the middle of the Paraná, the echo of nineteenth-century cannonades gives way to the rhythmic splash of open water swimming.