Forests are ideal places to learn about mushrooms, and even if you live in the city, you can do so too. Buenos Aires has a vast forest where many varieties of mushrooms grow, and you can learn about them all by joining the Fungi walks that are organized regularly.
A Fungi walk is a guided mycological observation hike that follows trails in the Pereyra Iraola Biosphere Reserve, just a few kilometers from Buenos Aires. These mushroom-themed tours include wild mushroom identification, environmental education, and a picnic in the woods. Registration is required in advance, and spots are limited. Here’s how to join.
What is the Fungi Walk and what you’ll find
The Fungi Walk is a guided mycology hike designed for the curious, and if you already have experience with fungi, even better—because you’ll be able to discover the mushrooms right in your own backyard without having to leave Buenos Aires.
During the hike along the trails of the Pereyra Iraola Reserve, the organizers (@palomapollan on Instagram) will teach you how to identify wild mushrooms by their characteristics. For example, by the shape of their cap, color, texture, type of substrate, and growth pattern.
The idea is not to collect or consume. The purpose of this mushroom-hunting tour is to understand the role of fungi within forests, how they form underground networks that connect trees, how they decompose organic matter, and how they sustain the ecosystem’s biodiversity.
Among the species commonly found in Pereyra Iraola in the fall, you’ll be able to see:
- Cap mushrooms (Agaricales) at different stages
- Polyporus mushrooms on fallen logs and damp bark
- Wood ear mushrooms (Auricularia), typical of temperate forests
- Lichens on rocks and bark
Why fall is the best time to go mushroom hunting near Buenos Aires
Mushrooms don’t grow just anytime. They need temperatures that aren’t too high, humidity, and available organic matter —and those conditions in Buenos Aires occur precisely between May and August. There are few places with those characteristics, and the good news is that just 30 minutes from a city like Buenos Aires, you have one of them: the Pereyra Iraola Reserve.
The Pereyra Iraola Biosphere Reserve covers more than 10,000 hectares and is located between the municipalities of Berazategui, Florencio Varela, Ensenada, and La Plata. Furthermore, in 2007 it was designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO due to its biodiversity and environmental value.
Within this Buenos Aires reserve, native forests and forest plantations coexist with wetlands, lagoons, and wild flora and fauna—perfect for a day or weekend in nature so close to Buenos Aires. Add to this the fact that the reserve has trails suitable for hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing, and it’s the perfect place for a mushroom-hunting excursion.
A mushroom tour that ends with a picnic in nature
After the tour through all this nature, this Fungi walk concludes with a picnic among the trees where you can chat and enjoy everything you’ve learned in an unbeatable setting.
To join us in discovering mushrooms and fungi on these guided tours, follow the organizers on Instagram@palomapollan and find out the date of each hike.