Iguazu Falls, Argentina

First of all, you will love the falls. They are spectacular. There are 275 waterfalls that make up the Argentine side that stretch a mile interspersed with lush rainforest greenery. It is the quintessential tropical paradise.

On the travel bulletin boards there is an ongoing debate as to which side of the falls to see or on which side to stay. If you only do one side, be sure it’s the Argentine side. There you can be over and under and right amongst the falls.

The Sheraton International Hotel located in the national park is worth the money. It truly is an international crowd. We heard French, German, Spanish and Japanese being spoken. A number of folks were from England and Australia. Not that many U.S. tourists, which is fine by me.

In February, 2000 it cost $211.75 for a double with a fall view; $169.40 for a double with a jungle view. (Yes, you can find cheaper hotels outside the park, but if this is your only trip to the falls, it is nice to be able to fall asleep to the distant roar of the water, and wake to see the mushroom of mist hanging over the Devil’s Throat. Plus their breakfast buffet is great!) A room with a fall view is the thing to do. Two nights, three days will be plenty of time to see the sights. We were sold a three night , 4 day package, and we had time on our hands. I guess I need to learn to just sit and relax on vacation, but I like to be active! If you are in the sit-by-the-pool frame of mind, then the extra day won’t hurt.

The Argentine-side bus tour actually repeats what you can do on your own by walking the trails from the hotel. The bus tours are all gone by 3:00pm. Then you have the park and trails to yourself until dark. The tour also takes you to the catwalks overlooking the Devil’s Throat (the largest of the falls) which is a “don’t miss”. If you like to hike, you could walk down the road from the Sheraton to the little boats that take you out to the overlook. It’s about a 2 mile hike each way…then it costs $4 per person for the boat. Be sure to take waterproof ponchos…you get soaked from the spray…and a waterproof disposable camera will save your good one from damage.

A warning about the day trip to Brazil that the Buenos Aires travel agent did not mention. If you are US citizen, they say you need a Brazil visa which costs $58 each. We circumvented this extra cost by having the tour bus guide drop us off at a taxi on the Argentine side, and pick us up again in Brazil. That cost $20 for two, instead of $116. Either way it is a headache they don’t warn you about!

The Brazil view of the falls is lovely, but could be skipped in my opinion. Except for one fall, the rest are seen from a distance. If you do go, a panoramic camera would be nice to capture the scope of the falls. But the extra trip to the Hydroelectric dam was a bore…unless you like great expanses of concrete. The all-you-can-eat Brazil barbeque lunch for $10.00 was quite good, but you can get similar food at the pavilion restaurant at the Argentine national park (right down the footpath from the Sheraton Hotel). I did do a little shopping in the Brazil town of Puerto Iguazu. Things are cheaper than in Argentina…but it could be skipped. The tour bus also takes you to a schlocky “craft” shop in Brazil. Lots of awful souvenirs, but some good chocolate and coffee in the back room are worth checking out.

Something else to do in Argentina is to hike the trail all the way to the bottom, and at the river you can take a free shuttle boat over to San Martin island. It provides another nice hike and different views of the falls from the island (last boat is at 5:00pm so don’t get stuck!)

Also you can take a rubber rafting boat right into the Falls for $15 for 15 minutes. It’s worth it! I wish I had been wearing swimming goggles because the spray was so intense I closed my eyes for part of the ride for fear my contacts would wash out! Best to wear a swim suit and rubber sandals because you are SOAKED. My leather hiking shoes never did dry out, the humidity is so high. I don’t know how people dry clothes without a dryer in this part of the world. Maybe you get used to everything being slightly damp!

You can also take a boat ride that includes a “jungle tour” for $32 that includes a ride in the back of an open air truck. We skipped it…but could be worth doing. If you are susceptible to bug bites like I am, be sure to take repellant. There were some little black biting flies that left me with welts all over my legs and arms. I still have red spots 7 weeks later!

There were some pleasant encounters with nature, however. Keep an eye out for the quatas, creatures that look like a cross between raccoons and anteaters. On the Brazil side they are very domesticated. They beg from the tourists, and will start foraging in your backpack or purse for food if you don’t watch them! On the Argentine side, we saw a family of them rooting in the soil for bugs, and they were pretty shy. Also be on the alert for toucans. It wasn’t until the last day that we finally saw a flock of about 8 swoop onto a tree top right outside the Sheraton. They were gorgeous.

As with most travel destinations that are scenic, rather than cultural, your evening entertainment is limited. The $24 dinner buffet at the Sheraton had a wonderful selection of salads, fruits and deserts, and a choice of 2 or 3 meat entrees. We just made it a long leisurely meal with some Argentine wine, and went to bed early (which seemed odd after the “wee hour in the morning” atmosphere of Beunos Aires). There was a Brazil dinner and show available for $45 each, which we did not try, as we had attended a tango show in BA a few days before. For those who don’t speak Spanish, the TV in the room was limited…a few channels had English shows. Best thing is to pack a book you’ve always wanted time to read!

One last note of caution. The LAPA domestic flight from Buenos Aires to Iguazu was overbooked. Apparently this happens all the time. We had paid for our tickets 6 weeks in advance, and got to the airport an hour ahead of the flight but we were told we had to wait 3 hours for the next plane. This cut into our first afternoon at the falls. The trails close at 7 pm. We were told after the fact we should have called LAPA 24 hours before the flight to verify our booking. The travel agent did not tell us this.

Hope these tips help you out. Have fun!

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