Iquazú Falls from Argentina & Brazil

(Katherine) Although a lovely dinner the night before made for a romantic closure to our BA trip, it did not help in the 5:00am wake up call we set for ourselves to catch our 8:05am flight to Iguazú Falls. We managed to get downstairs by 6:00am to hail a taxi to the airport. This time we were flying out of the city airport, which was only about a 15 minute cab ride from Recoleta. I knew we were probably allowing more time than necessary to catch our flight, but we didn't want to chance anything. However, as our friend Esteban had warned us, BA flights are delayed at least one third of the time and that appeared to be the case today. Our flight was scheduled to depart about an hour and 45 minutes late – just enough time to make sure we missed nearly all of the Argentina World Cup game scheduled at 11:30 that day (which was bad planning on our part in the first place). The flight was uneventful, and we actually managed to catch the last few minutes of the game at the Iguazú airport. Unfortunately, it was to witness a 4-0 spanking from Germany – not the outcome we hoping for on behalf of our Argentine friends.

We hailed a taxi from the airport, which is the ONLY means of transportation - $70 pesos is the flat rate to most hotels. We were staying at the Sheraton Iguazú – the only hotel on the Argentina side that is located inside the park. I would rank the hotel itself as about a 3.5 at best since it could use some updating, but Starwood classifies it as a 5-star resort. I have been saving all of my Starwood points since 1997 (same as my United miles) and had always planned to use them towards my future honeymoon. I begrudgingly had used half of my points to book just one night at the hotel, which initially didn't seem like I was getting the most “bang” for my points. But upon checking into the room and walking out on the balcony, I understood why this hotel could command so many points – it has a park and waterfall view from every room on that side of the building!

The other advantage of staying at the Sheraton is that once you enter into the park (an $85 peso fee each – thank you Kien for the honeyfund gift!) you literally walk right outside of the hotel and onto a path that will take you to the waterfall trails. We decided to explore the Devil's Throat Station, which required a quick train ride (kiddie part level train) to the very top of the Argentine falls. You walk along a series of metal planks until you come to the Devil's Throat – this is the most omnipotent of all the falls which flow from the Upper Iguazú River. It is actually a huge U-shaped opening with water pouring down from three sides, hence producing a magnificent flow of water, mist and rainbows.

We attempted to take as many photos as possible in the fading sunlight before heading back to the train station. The next train didn't leave until 5:00, so we decided to enjoy a beer and met a new friend named Erik, a tall, strapping young man from Norway was traveling for several months in between his Master's Program. We got so caught up in talking to him that we actually missed the train by a few seconds, and decided to just hoof it back to the part entrance. Erik had just been to Rio, so he was able to give us some great tips for our upcoming journey.

We raced back to our hotel room to open up the bottle of Dona Paula Estate Malbec that we had purchased at Grand Cru in Buenos Aires (a honeyfund gift from Michelle – thank you!) so we could enjoy a glass during sunset on our balcony. As we watched the waterfall and rising mist disappear into the darkness, the park took on a whole new life. You could hear crickets chirping and frogs singing. And it got dark – pitch dark. I'm glad our hotel had lights on the property, because you certainly could not see beyond the grounds.

That night we headed down to the Sheraton restaurant, the only option within the park. We opted to go for their buffet and some more Malbec. The buffet was pretty good and had a huge selection of items on display. But the buffet really got exciting when it came time for dessert – we realized that one of the options was a dolce de leche pancake. Let's just say that if I had known at the beginning of the night that this was an option, you might have only seen a stack of pancakes on my plate all night!

The next morning, we enjoyed a lovely continental breakfast which was included in our night's stay. (A word of advise for anyone who stays at the Sheraton – take advantage of this buffet and make a sandwich & take some snacks for lunch; the food stands in the park are terrible and overpriced). We were on a mission to do the Upper and Lower trails and take some cute photos before our afternoon adventure which would involve getting very wet. I found these trails to be even more impressive than the one we had done yesterday, where you really only see the falls from up above. On these trails, you get to see them from the beginning of their cascade almost down to where they crash into the Lower Iguazú River.

You really get to know the waterfalls, and each one has a distinct personality. That's the most important thing to understand about Iguazú Falls – it's not just one waterfall, it's a series of a few dozen falls spread between the border of Argentina and Brazil. They are partnered with multiple rainbows as well, and a lovely layer of mist which rises up into the air along the trails.  The Argentina side is very active, in that you are constantly following trails to discover a new fall - but everything is very managable and easy to walk.

Once we had completed our trail exploration and photo session (Robert's favorite activity) we had to get to the Central Station by train because there is no ATM machine in the park, nor the Sheraton, and we were out of money (Iguazú travelers – take note of this information!!) We were also planning to depart for our scheduled activity from this location, the Great Adventure package from Iguazú Jungle for $200 pesos. This is an hour long adventure which includes a 30 minute truck ride through the forest, and then a boat ride through the river and falls. The truck ride is very scenic, and the tour guide points out different foliage and birds like the toucan (disturbing fact – they are extremely aggressive and eat other bird's babies, which will never allow me to look at Toucan Sam the same way again.)

However, the boat ride is the REAL adventure. You place all of your valuables into a wet bag (I included my shoes, thank goodness) and they take you shooting along the Lower Iguazú River, almost like a scene from Miami Vice. The real treat comes when they take you inside devil's throat canyon and let you stare out at San Martín Waterfall, the second largest one. Once you've had a chance to comprehend the power of this fall, they start heading straight for it! You don't actually go under the falls, but you go deep enough in that you get a really strong and long blast of water – and you get soaking wet. They take you back out again, let you move the hair out of your eyes, maybe readjust your contacts (as I had to) and then take you for another dip.

As if that doesn't get you wet enough, then they head to the other side of the canyon and drip you under some of the smaller falls. You also get a trip through the rapids, which are extremely strong – I would guess a class 3? It's pretty daunting knowing that the driver is barely operating the engine and is just letting the water move us along, but these guys do it multiple times a day so they know exactly where to ride the rapids. For Iguazú travelers – we booked a 3:45 departure, but I would actually recommend doing it more like 1:45 so you're getting wet at the hottest time of the day. It's not quite as enjoyable to be wet when it start getting dark close to 5:00.

We showered and changed at the Sheraton pool restrooms and booked a taxi service ($80 peso flat rate) to take us to our next hotel – we couldn't stay another night since there was no availability. We were very sad about leaving, but our eyes lit up when we saw our new lodging. Our friend Esteban had recommended and booked the hotel for us, a new placed called La Aldea de la Selva. It is so new that many people in town don't even know about it yet. It's off the main road a couple of blocks, and surrounded by just enough foliage that you feel like you're in the middle of the jungle. Once you check in, you are guided down a series of paths through several little bungalows. Our room was one of four bungalows in a cabin, and the room was HUGE! There was a separate dining area, modern new bathroom, and a back porch with two swings. I think Robert was also extremely impressed with the 52” flat screen TV. After relaxing in our swings, we got cleaned up for dinner, which was included in our room rate ($150 US). We were presented with a bottle of champagne, then selected an appetizer, entree, and our new favorite dessert – dolce de leche pancakes!

The next morning we decided to explore the property a bit more. There is a lovely pool and a huge grilling area, and it looks like they might be building a stage for performances. We also discovered that there is a zip line on the property, but it was closed for the season. There was also a rock climbing wall and tons of trails. This would make for a wonderful hotel for a family visiting Iguazú.

We had contracted our taxi driver from the night before to take us over to the Brazil side of the falls while holding on to our bags, and then on to the airport ($200 pesos for the afternoon seems to be the going rate for such a package). We really liked our guy from Remisses Ecologia, Ramiro Rodriguez, who can be reached at ramirorodriguez81@hotmail.com. I also highly recommend this as an extremely easy means to cross the border, especially if you already have your visa like I did (Robert was still using his British passport). Our driver also gave us some great advice – keep hold of the paperwork they give you because you need it for when you leave the country, otherwise they will charge you for losing it.

We were at Iguaçu National Park Brazil within about 25 minutes, and our driver helped us get tickets ($37 real, but we paid in pesos) and gave us instructions on how we should navigate the park in just over 2 hours. We took a bus up to the Hotel das Cataratas, which is the only hotel on the Brazil side which is located inside the park. This is definitely a 5-star hotel, but unlike the Sheraton where every room has a view, there are a very limited number which look out onto the falls. However, the view is breathtaking!

We walked across the street to the start of the trails and were met with a completely different view than the Argentina side. In Brazil, you get a better sense of exactly how many waterfalls make up this aquatic network. The first portion of the trails allow you to look at the Argentina side from a distance. But as you keep moving along, an entirely new series of falls open up to you – the Brazilian falls. They are located around the corner from the Devil's Throat, but due to their national rivalry, Argentina barely acknowledges the Brazilian falls on their maps – you wouldn't even know they really exist if you didn't seek them out. As you keep moving along the trails that switchback along the cliffs, you finally come to the top of one of the falls, and the location where you finally get to feel the Brazilian water. A metal plank stretches between the end of one fall and the beginning of another, creating a thick later of mist and a series of perfect rainbows. We made our way through the wall of precipitation, which was quite refreshing on a hot day, and snapped some great photos of the rainbows. Our visit ended with a ride up to the top of a look out tower, which offered one final view of this natural wonder.

We took the bus back to our starting point, met back up with our driver, and were at the Iguazú Airport of Brazil within about 10 minutes and on our way to Rio. This truly was one of the most amazing sights I have ever witnessed, and it will be difficult to look at any other waterfalls in the same way. Good thing we went to Hawaii before Iguazú!  Watch the video below to get an idea of the grandeur of these falls:




Advice for Iguazú Travelers

We are extremely glad that we visited the falls during the winter months - from what we have heard, the summer months can be unbearably hot. In fact, it even gets a little chilly in the evening. The crowds are also smaller during months like May and June. Possibly the only disadvantage is that is starts to get dark pretty early - the shadows make it difficult to take great photos past about 4:30-5:00, and it’s pitch black by 6:00 (although that is when the park closes anyway).

We have put together what we would recommend as the perfect Iguazú visit for a week-long trip (not including travel time):

-Day 1: Check into La Aldea de la Selva hotel in Argentina, enjoy dinner at the hotel

-Day 2: Explore the grounds of the hotel, visit Iguazú town and have dinner in town

-Day 3: Move to the Sheraton Hotel in the park ($85 peso 1-time entry fee), explore the Devil’s Throat area, dinner at the Sheraton

-Day 4: Breakfast at the Sheraton, book the Great Adventure package from Iguazú Jungle for 200 pesos/pp, explore the trails, relax at sundown by the pool, dinner at the Sheraton

-Day 5: Breakfast at the Sheraton, book a different adventure in the area such as a trip to San Martin island or a jungle safari, dinner either in town or at Sheraton

-Day 6: Breakfast at Sheraton, have a driver take you to the Brazil side (if you don’t have your visa you can do it at the border - it’s about $569 pesos and will require some extra time to do the paperwork), pay $37 real for the Brazil park, check into the Hotel das Cataratas on the Brazil side, do one of the nature trails, dinner at the hotel

-Day 7: Breakfast at the hotel, explore the trails that take you through the main waterfall views across the hotel, consider taking a helicopter ride which takes off just outside of the park, dinner at hotel