To see the amazing Iguazú waterfalls, you can choose one of two sides (if not both): the Brazilian or the Argentinian one. Now I guess from the Brazilian side might be easy to get there, because you have Foz do Iguaçu nearby which would make for easier and more connections (airport included), but I was traveling around Argentina, so I took a 15 hour long bus from Buenos Aires all the way to Puerto Iguazú just to marvel at the waterfalls. If you travel during the night, it’s not that bad in terms of time management or comfort. I found it to be the most comfortable bus ride I’ve ever taken actually…the seats were large and spacious and reclined, and they even give you food!
Probably people will discuss which side is better, Argentinian or Brazilian. I’m biased, so I’ll say Argentinian, also because I think they got the bigger chunk of the waterfalls, but the Brazilian side got a bigger chunk of the forest. Tell you what, give me some time and I’ll check the other side too, in the meanwhile enjoy this one.
Cataratas del Iguazú - Paradise on Earth
Puerto Iguazú is also something worth a visit (and a post), a village that developed mostly due to the border proximity as well as the touristic activity, therefore it won’t be a problem to find accommodation there and walk around and relax a bit after or before visiting the falls. There are also hotels close to the park but more expensive; Puerto Iguazú is a cheaper and better option. But let’s leave Puerto Iguazú for another day and focus on the park for this time.
The National Iguazú Park (Parque Nacional Iguazú) is 15 to 30 minutes by bus from Puerto Iguazú. Finding the right bus at the bus terminal won’t be a problem since most people will be going there anyway. You can buy a round-trip ticket and there are plenty of buses to serve you. Probably there will be agencies offering visits to the park with extras. I don’t find that really necessary, as the bus is cheaper and you manage fine on your own.
Parque Nacional Iguazú
Once you get to the park you will have to buy another ticket, a general access ticket. To pay for it you can do it in US dollars or Euros, but since the exchange rate tends to benefit them always, if you want to save a bit, always do it in Argentinian Pesos; if not, you’re helping the park, so it’s also good.
Once inside the park you will get a map and then decide what to do first, in a whole day you have enough time to do everything around even though your map might say the opposite, unless you spend too much time in the same place. My suggestion is to take the Trén Ecológico de la Selva (you can also walk but it was bit muddy at the time) towards the Estácion Garganta del Diablo. Once there you cross the bridges and follow the catwalks to see the first and most impressive falls of the park: Garganta del Diablo (The Devil’s Throat). On the way there you also get to see some of the fauna and flora around. There will be plenty of multicolored butterflies, crocodiles under some of the bridges, birds, and probably snakes and tarantulas. I didn’t get to see the last two, but there are signs warning about them. Do not pet them or feed them with any of your body parts.
Cataratas del Iguazú - Watch out for snakes
Take your time to get all the photos you need and appreciate nature at its grandest in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. On the other side of the terrifying Garganta del Diablo you can see beautiful views of Brazil.
Garganta del Diablo - Salto Unión
Come back to the train station after you’re done and return to the starting point. Again, if you like, you can do it by foot. Now if you’re hungry or thirsty, the latter being more likely since it’s quite hot there, this is the area where you will find food and refreshments, and also some Coatis wandering around. They are the local “monkeys”. By that I mean, they are smart enough to know that tourists come around and offer them food, so when tourists arrive, “it’s peanut-butter jelly time“. They are harmless and less curious than monkeys, but equally cute. My friend pet one of them, so I guess it’s okay, but do check with the park people just in case.
Coati
After some drinks and Coati photo-shooting, follow the Circuito Inferior in order to go to Isla San Martín. This also takes some time, because you want to stop and appreciate every little piece of it rather than get to a point. Check as many saltos as you can, I checked them all in every path, each one will be different. Once you get all the way down the path and reach the water, you will have to take a boat to cross to the island. There is also another boat you can take but you will have to pay because it takes you really close to one of the waterfalls. You will get very wet and might have a heart attack from how cold the water is and how massive and imposing the rush of water is, and you will be trying to get dry all day (I would suggest bringing a rain jacket, since they don’t offer much more than life vests)…but it’s worth it! I think you only get this on Argentinian side, although I did hear that the Brazilian side has helicopter rides over and close to the falls: which one the coolest?!
Isla San Martín
On Isla San Martín you get to do a bit of hiking by going up a hill and checking out the falls. Again, there will be plenty of nature to see, and keep eye open for animals – my friend spotted some cool lizards; butterflies were getting too common at this point.
After coming back from the island, go back up the Circuito Inferior and check out Salto Bosseti and Salto Dos Hermanas if you haven’t and finish with the Circuito Superior. If there is plenty of time left, just relax by watching the water flow and the sun going down – there are some benches around the paths for you to rest on and take it all in.
Salto Mbigua
The park closes at 18:00 if I’m not mistaken (check hours beforehand) and that would be the time to take the bus heading back to town, but not for dinner (that comes much later in Argentina). An important tip: I heard at the time that in the park during full moon nights they do night tours. That sounds so awesome, so if you go there, check if it’s close to a full moon and check in the park if they still do it. If they do, you can manage to spend a day and night in paradise, which is a lot more than most people can claim to have done, so don’t even think twice about doing it!
definitely on my to do list, one day…
Sounds like an (extended) Lonely Planet description. Congrats Ricardo, excellent travel journalism.
Thanks Peter. That’s exactly our intention, to give a little more than Lonely Planet.