The mighty Iguaza Falls – best seen from both Brazil and Argentina…
When we decided to add Iguana Falls to our travel itinerary, we spent a few days researching which side of the falls to visit, and read numerous blogs on the subject. It became pretty obvious that ideally one needed to visit both sides of this natural wonder in order to have the total Iguaza Falls experience. So that’s exactly what we did…
We decided to stay in Foz de Iguazu in Brazil for three nights, and spend one full day visiting the Argentinian side of the falls first, followed by a half day on the Brazilian side. We booked private transport via our hotel which involved a pick-up at 08h00 in the morning, a stop at both sides of the border for immigration procedures, and a drop-off at the Argentinian entrance to the falls. At 17h00 our driver picked us up and we did everything in reverse to get us back to Brazil. The cost was 50 Reals/person and was seamless and painless.
On arrival at the Argentinian park entrance we first used the ATM to draw Argentinian peso’s in case we needed to make any cash purposes during the course of the day in the park. We had heeded the advice of fellow bloggers and TripAdvisor travellers and brought some bread, ham and cheese with us to make a picnic lunch with, as well as a big bottle of water. Food costs in the park for fairly unpalatable food looked very high, so we happily made and ate our sandwiches while aboard the train which transports visitors from one trail to the next. This allowed us to enjoy our lunch in peace without being harassed by gangs of aggressive coati’s which hang around the restaurants and rest spots in the park, hoping to mug unsuspecting tourists of their food.
We went directly to the most popular spot on the Argentinian side after we entered the park – the Devil’s Throat, which is at the furthest point from the entrance. To get there involves taking two trains with a walk between the trains. The whole train system is very poorly thought out and implemented. For no logical reason one needs a train ticket for each time one boards a train, and the first train ticket is not available at the entrance to the trains. Instead some bright spark decided to put the ticket office 200m away at a restaurant, but without big signs to alert visitors where to go. So most people walk past it, and on arrival at the train station they are chased back to get a ticket…Welcome to Argentina!!
The Devil’s Throat is just a sensational experience in itself…Vast volumes of water plummet over the highest point of the falls, creating a thunderous roar which reverberates around one…There is a constant mist so thick that it is better described as rain pelting visitors who venture out to the precariously perched walkway erected right over the boiling waters below. Wow…hang onto your waterproof cellphone or GoPro as you hastily snap some cool shots and shoot some video of this unique assault on your senses. It makes for a really powerful introduction the the Iguazu Falls at its mightiest…
Thanks heavens we had planned ahead and bought some disposable raincoats to don for this part of our visit, or we would have been completely drenched to the bone, as so many of our fellow visitors were. We spend around 20mins enjoying the whole experience and shooting some pics and videos before we retreated to the train station to make our way down to the other two circuits. We ate our ham and cheese sandwiches en route 🙂
After the excitement of the Devil’s Throat, we set off to explore the minor and major circuits of the park, which provide visitors with very comprehensive views of the entire falls on the Argentinian side. Iguana is really a complex of many falls which make up its entirety, and it was very cool to take some time to explore and view this natural wonder from various viewpoints and angles. When we visited, which was in the ‘off’ season, it was still quite busy, and often we found it difficult to pass slow-moving families as they failed to keep to one side of the walkway, choosing instead to block up the entire path…on many, many occasions.
We spent the rest of the day taking our time strolling the two circuits and taking rest breaks at some of the best viewpoints…It was fun watching the ever-present coati’s trying to steal food from fellow visitors – they really are persistent little creatures. Even the little babies are adept at stealing food if given an opportunity.
After spending about 7 hours exploring these amazing falls, we made our way back to the entrance and waited for our driver to pick us up for the hours drive back to Brazil…Once again we had to be stamped out and in, but no questions were asked as this is a very standard occurrence.
The next morning we were up bright and early, and the weather had also improved, blessing us with blue skies. After breakfast we set off for the Brazilian side of Iguaza on the local bus, which runs regularly from the town to the entrance of the falls. We bought our tickets from credit card booths at the entrance to avoid the queues, and waited about 10mins to board one of the double-decker busses which run up and down between the three main routes on the Brazilian side. If you have already visited the Argentinian side, my advice would be to proceed directly to the last stop of the bus, as it takes you to the best viewing points on this side of the falls.
We didn’t do this, and got off at the second stop. We ended up having to walk quite a distance, and struggling to get a spot to photograph the falls from the overcrowded viewing platforms along the way. It was necessary to be quite aggressive in order to get a shot, as the other visitors pushed and shoved their way to the front…
Bring with that raincoat again, as you will once again be drenched by the spray when venturing out on the very long extended walkway which takes you to the opposite side of the Devil’s Throat to what is experienced from the Argentinian side, but now you at the bottom, not the top of the big fall…
It is possible to stand literally right next to a massive waterfall and not get wet. So you can really enjoy the whole experience, and feel the thunder. All of this is possible at the last stop on the Brazilian side, so head straight there and spend a few hours just soaking up the might of Iguazu…
A visit to Iguazu Falls is an absolute must on any trip to Brazil or Argentina – it is not in the top five tourist attractions in South America for nothing. I have been fortunate enough to have visited the Niagra Falls as well as the Victoria Falls, and I must say that Iguazu was definitely the most impressive…So if you can, spend the money and see it from both sides for the complete, thrilling experience.
