Guide
The Yerba Mate Route in Misiones: drying sheds, museums and flavours
Apóstoles, the national yerba capital, yerba estates open to visitors and the journey from leaf to mate.
By the editorial team of misiones.com.ar · Updated on
Quick answer
Southern Misiones, around Apóstoles, is the heart of yerba country. Visit an estate with a drying shed and the Juan Szychowski Historical Museum, and try yerba in every form: mate, tereré and even ice cream.
Yerba, from the forest to the gourd
Yerba mate is a tree native to the Atlantic rainforest that the Guaraní were already drinking before Europeans arrived. The Jesuits learned to cultivate it in the missions, and today Misiones is the country's main producer. The process includes harvesting (tarefa), flash-roasting (sapecado), drying, ageing and milling.
Apóstoles and the south
Apóstoles is the National Yerba Mate Capital and was the first Ukrainian settlement in Argentina. Visit the Ukrainian Museum and Cultural Centre and, on the outskirts, the Juan Szychowski Historical Museum, at a yerba estate with a mill, a dam and period machinery.
The Yerba Mate Route brings together estates, drying sheds, museums, rural lodgings and restaurants in Misiones and northern Corrientes. Many offer guided tours with tastings.
Elsewhere in the province
In the central hills, around Oberá and Campo Viera, yerba plantations mix with tea fields. In Comandante Andresito, in the north, there are also estates open to visitors.
Places in this guide
Museo Histórico Juan Szychowski
The museum of a historic yerba mate estate, with period machinery and mill.
See details →Museo y Centro Cultural Ucraniano
The story of Ukrainian immigration in Apóstoles, the yerba mate capital.
See details →Ruinas Jesuíticas de Santa María la Mayor
The ruins of a mission that was never finished, in the south of the province.
See details →Cerro Monje
Pilgrimage hill over the Uruguay River, in San Javier.
See details →Frequently asked questions
When is the yerba mate harvest?
The main harvest (zafra) runs roughly from April to September, although it varies by estate.
What is tereré?
The cold version of mate, made with iced water or juice and sometimes herbs. In Misiones it is drunk all year, especially in summer.