IGUAZU FALLS – Argentina/ Brazil / Paraguay

This is another world! 800 miles north of Buenos Aires lies the Iguazu National Park. Bordering Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, the Parana River separates the two towns of Iguazu (Argentina) and Foz du Iguacu (Brazil). I heard an American tourist exclaim – ‘Poor Niagara’!!!

Iguazu Falls

The falls can be reached from both the Argentinian and the Brazilian sides. I would love to be there for a week, but two nights are a more practical way of looking at things. If you are coming from Buenos Aires, the flight gets you in to the Argentinian side of the National Park by 10 am. A walk and then a short drive through the forest gets you into the heart of the roaring waters. You cross to the San Martin island on the downstream river and take a boat towards the Devil’s Throat. The experience is exhilarating, specially when the boat speeds into a few falling ‘fingers’ of the system!

Flora and Fauna

The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River and is 269 feet at its highest point. Over two-thirds of the falls are within the Argentine border. The Argentine side has a few miles of catwalk winding through the forests allowing you to soak in the flora and fauna of the area and then suddenly exposes you to the roaring mist of the Devil’s Throat. The walkway provides independant view of many of the ‘fingers’. The toucan with its gorfeous colours is a common sight if you keep your eyes alert. Be prepared to walk 7-8 miles on this stretch – to the Devil’s Throat and back.

Devil's Throat

The day would end at the Sheraton Iguazu (the only hotel inside the National Park on the Argentinian side) from where your tour operator will pick you up for your onward journey to Brazil – 20 minutes through the forest! You should be reaching the Brazilian town of Foz du Iguasu around 6.30pm and checked into your hotel by 7.00pm. The night is still young. Its time to unwind at a local Churrascaria with a local beer!

On The Way To Brazil

After the ‘Europeanness’ of Argentina, Brazil smells of ‘earthy reality’ – you will feel the difference the moment you drive through the border control. On the Brazilian side, the only hotel inside the National Park is the Das Cataratas – super luxurious but in my opinion a bit too distant from action! The town is buzzing with about 200,000 people and has plenty of entertainment to indulge in. Try the hotels in town, hospitality is great and you will find one for every taste and budget.
The next morning its out early and into the National Park once again to view the falls in its entirety – thats what the Brazilian side offers. The view will make you wonder how you managed to conquer the enormity the day before! Here you get a different perspective of the views and mingle with the thousands of ‘humanised’ Raccoons that claim a stake in your thirst quenching colas and snacking munchies – bloody fat ones some of them
With a stop over at one of the restaurants for lunch you can then proceed to the upstream shores (before the fall) of the Parana River. Take a walk through nature and catch a flat bottomed boat ride on the river – Cayman watching. Canoing is an option for the brave heart!

A Different Perspective

You should be done with this experience by 5.00pm on day two. Time to be back in the hotel and a good swim or a soak. Relaxed and enthused, you should head for the Churrascaria Rafain Show – it is spectacular – an audience of 1200, the show takes you on a journey through Latin America while indulging you in a an orgy of culinary pleasures you will find hard to criticise.
The next morning if you are on you way to Rio de Janeiro, your flight would be probably around mid-day. Try to arrange for a trip to the Itaipu Power project – leave the hotel by 9.00am, its only a 20 minute drive. Itaipu Binacional is run jointly by the Brazil and Paraguay and is second only to the Three Gorges dam in generating capacity. They have guided tour of this man made monstrosity that lasts a little over 45 minutes. In 2008 the Itaipu project generated a record 94.68 billon kilo watts of electricity making for 90% of Paraguay’s and 19% of Brazil’s consumption.

The Endless Parana

These two days would somehow be etched in your mind – the grandeur of nature on one hand and the simplicity of the locals on the other.

Did you Know? – the following movies featured the Iguazu Falls:
me movies the Falls were featured in:
Shock Corridor (1963) (16mm color footage of the falls appear for a stylized effect in this black and white film)
Moonraker (1979), James Bond film
The Mission (1986)
Happy Together (1997), by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai
Mr. Magoo (1997)
Miami Vice (2006)
Godzilla 3D to the MAX (2007)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)