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All reads, rates and r... er, comments greatly appreciated ... :-)
Member since:29.03.2005
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“Poor Niagara!”
So remarked Eleanor Roosevelt upon seeing the Iguazú Falls for the first time; it is this sense of immediate and lasting awe that best defines 250+ waterfalls that together form the blanket of crashing water separating Brazil and Argentina. Second though it may be to Victoria Falls in statistics of size and volume, in more subjective terms of comparison, there can be few other natural sites with such impact and inherent raw beauty.
Around two hours’ flight north of Buenos Aires and west of Rio, the Falls lie just to the south-east of the Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay border. Although technically three towns, Foz do Iguaçu, Puerto Iguazú and Ciudad del Este form one large urban sprawl around the confluence of the Parana and Iguazú rivers. Both Foz and Puerto Iguazú make good bases for seeing the Falls (or Cataratas), as the site can be visited from both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of the river, each offering different views and facilities. The Brazilian side is considered to have better views, although you can get more of an ‘up close and personal’ experience from the smaller Argentine side of the park. Either way, superlative views are guaranteed, and it’s easy enough to cross
the border. Foz is a much larger town, but both are geared towards tourism, so there’ll be no shortage of amenities wherever you are based.
I can’t speak much for Puerto Iguazú and the access it provides beyond the above; my experiences of the Falls came from Foz, via Ciudad del Este, which offers nothing to the visitor save chaotic buy-anything markets. To reach the national park housing the Falls from Foz, catch the bus with Parque Nacional as its destination from the main bus station on the rather un-Brazilian sounding Av. Juscelino Kubitschek. The journey is about twenty minutes long and costs a little less than £1, dropping you right outside the visitors’ centre – the return bus leaves from the same place.
The visitor’s centre is a shiny, well-organised facility recently built – tickets are sold just to the right as you enter, and shuttle buses to the falls themselves leave all the time from the rear of the building. Tickets cost around £6-7, and offer a day’s entry, although if returning a second day, give the holder a discount.
The shuttles take ten minutes or so to make the journey from the centre, and make a number of stops en route; the first two are stops for optional activities, one of which is a canopy tour – however, most people skip past these and head for the last couple of stops. Stay on the bus until the end of the line and you’ll pop out at the business end of the falls – there are two restaurants here (one buffet, one fast-food), a gift shop and a lift running down to one of the main viewing platforms, around which the torrential falls thunder.
However, starting at the climax of the experience seems a bit of a mistake; get off the bus a stop earlier (opposite the Hotel das Cataratas) and walk the mile or so to the aforementioned amenities at the mouth of the falls. The scenery is more striking this way; lush, tropicalforest surrounds the path and numerous vistas of more isolated falls and islands abound. The trail is well-maintained and accessible for people of all fitness levels – however, for those wanting a more up-close experience, one of the highlights of the Park is the boardwalk a short distance before the Garganta del Diablo – The Devil’s Throat, the horseshoe-shaped head of the falls which is the highest, most dramatic of the cataracts. The boardwalk, a short descent from the main trail, extends out into the midst of the swirling, churning waters, and at its end, places those who stand upon it at the heart of a 300-degree panorama of waterfalls. Spray rises from the cascades and drifts across the rift – you will get soaked, so consider waterproofs for this section, and at least be very careful with cameras and the like when taking the indisputably stunning photos. Often those coming back from the walkway will happily relinquish plastic ponchos, as they’re not needed anywhere else along the way – take advantage if you can and pass on the favour!
Looking left from the head of the walkway, the scale and intensity of the Garganta del Diablo is quite incredible, and the roaring that’s been in your ears for the last half hour reaches a thunderous intensity. Apparently, there used to be rowing-boat excursions running above the Falls, such was the desire of visitors to get close to the drop. This was all well and good until one boat got a little too close to the edge and disappeared off it. Suffice to say, said tours were brought to an end, and boats now only run below the falls – standing with the might of the so-called Throat hurling water into your squinted eyes, it’s apparent that such dicey endeavours belonged to a rather less health-and-safety conscious time.
If you get off at the first stop, it’s about a twenty-minute walk to the end of the trail, although this will likely be more than an hour with the numerous stops you’ll make along the way to take in the views. The furry, inquisitive creatures you’ll encounter along the way are Coatis; they’re very cute, popular and tame enough to pose for photos, but be a little careful – they’re wild, somewhat lacking in manners and will snatch food and belongings given the chance.
It’s probably fair to say there’s more to do over on the Argentine side of the Falls; you can get closer to the smaller ones and take boat trips out between them (more soakings). However, the Brazilian side is all about the views; what it lacks in intimacy, it makes up for in awe many times over. As such, there’s little to offer by way of specific recommendations except to take your time and take it all in – the scale of the waterfalls and the mass of water rushing by is hard to comprehend, and there’s a good few hours of gaping to be had here. When you’re ready to head back out of the park, jump on the same shuttles that brought you out for the return trip. If you didn’t pay a visit on the way in, there are some neat exhibits at the visitors’ centre that will perhaps be appreciated more after visiting the Falls, put in the context of first-hand experience.
In short, yes – absolutely. However, there are of course some considerations – even if you can afford to get the time and money to make a trip to South America, the Iguazú Falls are still a fair way from either Rio or Buenos Aires – that said, they’re in a good position if you’re intending to head from one of these major cities to the other; an excellent trip in itself. Perhaps the best way to do this would be to go by air and bus; the latter is about a 24-hour trip from the Iguazú area to either Rio or Buenos Aires, although you could probably break this en route. Flights cost around £50-100, and a few airlines fly this route; Aerolineas Argentinas seem a consistently good option.
Being rather short of time on my visit, I was only able to visit one side of the Falls, and certainly don’t regret my decision to go for Brazil. With a bit of pre-planning, you should be able to make space for the extra day that’ll allow you to see both sides, and I’d recommend this; it’s not just the cataracts that are so impressive, but equally the lush forests around them, and hopping across the border affords extra opportunity to explore these. If you’re spending longer in the area, Itaipu Dam isn’t far north of Iguazú, and is likely worth another day-trip.
If you can work the Falls into your itinerary, you’ll be glad of it. Such spectacles of pure natural power are rarely as immense or intense as this, and if the size of the falls knock Niagara into a hat, the beautiful tropical surroundings do it twice over. Poor Niagara indeed.
Pictures of Iguaçu Falls
Iguaçu Falls from a viewing platform.
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