Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Paradise |
| Disadvantages: |
You have to leave sometime . . . . |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
This is the closest thing to paradise I have ever seen. Eden may have looked like this, if God was in a particularly good mood on the sixth day, or whenever it was he created it.
The Falls mark the point where Brazil and Argentina border one another. The river Iguazu (Portuguese spelling – or Iguacu in Spanish) cascades down through a large valley at this point – see other reviews in the section for an explanation of how the valley was formed. The river itself is spectacular enough – At least to an East Londoner whose only knowledge of rivers up ‘til this point was the grotty Thames, festooned with shopping trolleys and plastic bags.
The river Iguacu is HUGE – its name literally meant “Big Water” in the language of the local people – until the Spanish arrived. Thankfully they kept the name intact, as well as the falls themselves, which send 1,200000 litres of water crashing down every second.
Iguacu is something that I believe everyone should see before they die. It may be a little off the beaten track, but it is worth the airfare by itself, even not taking into account the amazing continent surrounding it.
I will not attempt to summarise the locality, Hotels, transport and food in too much detail here, as I think
other reviews in the section have covered a lot of what I was going to say.
I stayed first on the Brazilian side, which is the more developed of the surrounding tourist towns, there are more night-spots, restaurants, shops and so on here. I found this to be largely an irrelevance, as being so tired from an early start at the falls and then walking all day meant that all I did in the evenings was sleep and think about how lucky I was to have encountered such a wonderful place. There are plenty of hotels, though true budget style hostels were difficult to come by. The price even of mid-range accommodation though was pretty low, and if you are arriving with dollars the price will appear very low. Backpackers may need to budget a little for this, but it won’t break the bank, and as I keep saying, it is an experience that will be with you forever.
Access to the Falls is easy – I would advise getting the first bus in at about 6.30 AM I know its early, but arriving at falls as it opens gives you a real sense of how the first person to discover this place must have felt. Also there are no queues at this time.
Once in the park itself, You can take a variety of walks through to the main viewpoints through clouds (I kid you not) of butterflies. With every step ten or so are disturbed and flutter past you to land again. A rushing sound develops slowly as you approach, increasing into a deafening roar of water, followed by the sight of numerous colossal cascades shrouded in mist and crowned by rainbows, stretching almost as far as the eye can see, in all directions. In this place you truly feel as though you are in the lap of God. (And I’m not even religious!)
What’s more you can take a boat ride (the same from either side of the falls) – or even a helicopter ride from the Brazilian side only. The Argentinean authorities have raised concerns over the potential environmental impact of the helicopters, but it is said to be spectacular. Prices when I went were affected by the devaluation of the Peso, so I will not list them here.
There is a lot of wildlife to discover, too. Quatis – (like anteaters) hummingbirds, parrots and the butterflies, I spotted some kind of hawk overhead and there are lizards and snakes, and the various invertebrates they feast on. The guide has a helpful section on what to do if confronted by a Jaguar too (“do not run” - it says!).
The Argentinean town next to the falls (Puerto Iguacu) is a lot sleepier, and is little to do other than eat, sleep, and talk about the falls here. But then thats all you will need.
From the Argentine side the views are more spectacular, there is a tram up to the main waterfall – “The Devil’s Throat” or “Garganta del Diablo”. This is the waterfall that has the most litres per second passing over, and is magnificent. You can stand on a platform overlooking it, and it’s a dizzy sense of wonder you encounter at the top. I cannot describe the feeling of being there, but one of the other reviewers summed it up perfectly by describing the faces of others there. There are people from all over the world, everyone beaming out 1000-watt smiles and looking truly awe-struck. There is more to do on the Argentine side, and that is why I would recommend it to anyone without time or money to do both. But it’s a tricky choice and not one I would like to have to make.
To sum up: I don’t care who you have to beg, borrow or steal from, or who you have to busk to, or sleep with, or ransom, or whatever. Make it your mission. Come to this place. It is heaven on earth.
If you STILL don't believe me then check out some pictures - just chuck Iguacu into a search engine and sit back!
Display pictures
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
