Iguazu Falls
The next stop on our South American adventure was Iguazu Falls. Named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, it is the world’s largest waterfall system with 275 cascades spanning the Brazil and Argentinian borders. Eleanor Roosevelt apparently exclaimed “Poor Niagara!” upon seeing it, and I can heartily attest that Niagara doesn’t come close.
Our morning flight took us into Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, and I’d arranged for a driver to pick us up and take us to the Brazilian side of the falls before ferrying us across the border and to our hotel on the Argentinian side. With over 2 million visitors last year, it is a well-oiled machine (automated kiosks for park tickets and purchasing food, expansive facilities, regular shuttle buses). We boarded a double-decker bus that took us on a pleasant 15-min drive into the park.
What I loved is that we had stunning, panoramic views of the falls immediately upon disembarking from the bus. It really was breathtaking. We were surprised by just how expansive it is, stretching over 2.5 kilometres. I appreciated that it wasn’t just a wall of water, but individual cascades, each with their own unique characteristics. The paved walkway along the canyon afforded a plethora of viewpoints. We made our way down to an elevated platform that takes you to the lower base of the “Devil’s Throat'“.
In the hot and sticky Brazilian heat, it was fantastically refreshing to enjoy the spray from the powerful falls. The walkway provided stunning views, and despite the crowds, it was peaceful to just stand there and soak it all in.
After we’d had our fill, we made our way back to the entrance and connected up with our driver, who facilitated a fairly seamless border crossing into Argentina and on to O2 Hotel Iguazú. Our modern hotel, which had all the necessary amenities including a rooftop pool, was situated right in the thick of things in Puerto Iguazu, the border town about 20-30 minutes from the Argentinian side of the falls. Over the next several nights, we enjoyed exploring the town, venturing beyond the main tourist street lined with restaurants and very persistent folk encouraging you to eat at their establishment. We sampled our first taste of Argentinian steak at one such restaurant, a deal at $40 total for steak, salad, and 2 drinks. The main draw for me was the tango dancing out front—I’ll take dinner and a dance show any day of the week! I joined in to a group dance session they were leading (admittedly fairly simple, line dancing-esque type moves), as apparently I can’t help myself. Another feature of the town was the prevalence of stray dogs, who loitered around the patio tables hoping for scraps. I, of course, had to greet and give belly rubs to as many as possible.
Our second day saw the exploration of the Argentinian side of the falls. Dave’s primary mission was to get onto a boat tour. We nearly didn’t, as they were seemingly booked up for the day much to his dismay, but we managed to snag two seats on one of their last boats, through sheer force of charisma (Dave’s not mine). We were amused by how many disclaimers were prominently and repeatedly reinforced for this particular boat tour (we were warned that we may experience acute stress!). Now, this tour is known for speeding over rapids and, in particular, navigating its attendees directly under waterfalls to experience the full majesty of the falls directly on your head.
We piled into open-air vehicles to take us through the jungle and down to the docks, stopping briefly to spot some capuchin monkeys scampering through some nearby trees. Once we were life-vested and our belongings safely stowed in a massive dry bag, we were soon speeding along the Iguazú River and wasn’t long before we reached the falls. It was great to be able to get an up close and personal perspective—very up close, as yes, we did get drenched (twice!). A crazy sensation to experience, being pummelled by so much water you can’t really open your eyes or breathe really, but exhilarating nonetheless! The tour wasn’t particularly long, and we were soon back at the docks, soggily making our way up the hill and back to the vehicles.
We had a couple of hours before the park closed, so we walked the park’s Upper Circuit. The metal, fully accessible walkway afforded a top-down view of the falls and Iguazú River. While we noted that there seemed to be a real dearth of tropical birds and wildlife (Dave declared he sees more birds from his backyard in Mississauga than here in the jungle), we did have a few encounters, including a coati who decided to use a portion of the pedestrian walkway to get where he was going.
For our final day, we lazed around Puerto Iguazu, sampling freshly squeezed mango juice, pastries from the local bakeries, and lounging in the hotel pool, where I very amusedly witnessed Dave’s careful (and prolonged) water temperature acclimation process. We spent our last night in the area at La Aldea de la Selva Lodge, a jungle retreat to get us a bit out of town and a bit further into nature. Our spacious suite might be the one of the largest hotel rooms I’ve stayed in (the bathroom area, which had separate small rooms for the shower, toilet, and sinks may have been about the size of our Rio AirBnB). The real highlight though was the outdoor tub on the veranda—nothing quite like sitting in an outdoor jacuzzi during a thunderstorm with a glass of wine in hand. A perfect way to cap off our time in Iguazu!
