Spectacular Iguazu Falls

It is quite possible to enjoy Iguazu Falls without taking any organised tours but some experiences are only available to groups or by paying an operator. Here are a few options.

The Challenge Range is located near the falls on the Brazxilian side. This offers a variety of activities such as rappel, rafting, tree climbing and Tyrolese. There are different levels of difficulty and it is accessible to all ages.

The Poco Preto trail tour (Tel: 3529 9626) follows a 9 kilometre trail on the Brazilian side from the main road to the river. You can do it on foot, by bicycle or wagon. It is conducted by bilingual guides who give you an appreciation of the flora and fauna along the trail. You then make a visit to the Lagoa Poco Preto and the bird observatory. At the river there is the option to go for a kayak ride or to head for the ourist centre by powerboat. There are other tours in this general area including the Linha Martins tour, the Macuco safari tour, and the Bananeiras trail tour.

Helicopter rides are available from the Brazilian side but they have now been banned in Argentina because they disturb the wildlife in the national park. Take this into account before you travel.

On the Argentine side there are three alternatives (Tel: 421 696). The first is a thrilling 12 minute ride by speedboat through the Devil’s throat canyon and under the San Martin waterfall. The trip departs every 20 minutes from the dock in front of San Martin Island. To reach this point there are 100 metres of stairs so you need a certain level of fitness. You will get wet during this ride so you need a plastic bag to keep your personal belongings dry. There is no way to protect yourself!

The second trip is called the Great Adventure and adds an eight kilometre long jungle drive in a 4WD vehicle on the Yacaratia trail to the speedboat ride. This trip takes approximately one hour and tours depart hourly from the visitor’s centre. A similar warning about protecting your belongings is needed and pregnant women are not permitted on this trip.

The third option is something much more sedate. It is called the Ecological Tour and starts at the Devil’s throat station. You float for about three kilometres on a rubber boat through the upper Iguazu’s delta observing the flora and fauna as you slowly travel downstream. The tour departs every 15 minutes and takes about 30 minutes.

The majority of the falls are on the Argentine side and this side provides the more up-close and personal experience. There are more than 270 falls in an area where cliffs and islets are scattered in a half moon. The Argentine side options are more scattered and take longer to see and there is even a train to help you get around.

All visitors enter the falls area through the visitors centre. This is the location of the La Selva restaurant, toilets and a range of other facilities. From the visitors center you can walk along the Green Trail or catch a picturesque train. Both take you to Cataratas station. Along the way you will see butterflies, birds and coatis. From here a trail leads to two basic circuits: an upper path and a lower path.

I recommend that you start with the upper circuit (Circuito Superior). This is the least spectacular but is easy walking and it builds anticipation. The trail is 1200 metres long and it crosses several arms of the river to provide views of several falls.

The lower circuit (Circuito Inferior) is a 1.5 kilometre loop which leads to the base of the falls. There are quite a few steps but it is a unique experience well worth the effort. As part of this circuit, one track takes you to the main river where you can take a free boat to Isla San Martín. This operates about every 15 minutes. On the island there are more trails and more close-up views. By now you will be wet!

Probably the best part of a visit here is walking to the top of Devil’s Throat. You leave on the train from Cataratas station and travel through the jungle to Garganta del Diablo station. Here a boardwalk begins at a point upstream of the falls and you walk past some tranquil islands before reaching the balcony on the Devil's Throat, the biggest of the falls with such a big flow of water that you will be overcome by the grandeur of the spectacle. The falls roar in your ears, the mist washes over your face and the rainbow arcs across the rush. It is a multisensory experience that will impress everyone.

There are a couple of places to find snack bars and you could always eat at the Sheraton Hotel. The light is best for photographs from this side of the falls in the late afternoon. Allow a minimum of four hours to enjoy this area.

Iguazu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian state of Parana and the Argentine province of Misiones. The falls can be reached from the two main towns on either side of the falls: Foz do Iguacu in Paraná, and Puerto Iguazu in Misiones as well as from Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). The falls are shared by the Iguazu National Park (Argentina) and Iguacu National Park (Brazil). These parks were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1987, respectively.

We flew in from Rio to the airport on the Brazilian side and as we were staying in Argentina, we decided to see the Brazilian side of the falls while travelling between the airport and the hotel. This apparently is a very common thing for tourists to do and the transfers are set up so you can do this without hassles. All in all we spent about two hours on the Brazilian side.

To get to the falls, you have to enter the national park and pay the admission fee. You do this at modern park headquarters where there are bathrooms, lockers, souvenir shops, eating facilities and a museum. We then took the car to the start of the walkway. There is free bus transport provided if you need it. We started by exploring a long walkway along the canyon through the rain forest which starts near the up-market Orient-Express run Cataratas Hotel (Tel: 45-2102 7000).

The National Park contains a number of animals and birds that are at risk of extinction such as the jaguar, puma, and cayman but you will not see any of these in this heavily trafficked part of the park. What you do see is a diverse range of flora and some great views of the various parts of the falls. Perhaps the highlight of the walk is the boardwalk to the lower base of the spectacular Devil's Throat waterfall. Here fourteen falls drop over 100 metres with such force that there is always a huge cloud of spray overhead. You will usually see a rainbow.

For a close up view, we walked through the subtropical forest of National Iguaçu Park to the base of Salto Floriano, out on the boardwalk over some rapids, and then took the elevator to the top of the falls. It was all very spectacular and the camera worked overtime. From here it is just a short walk to the Porto Canoas where there is a souvenir store, a service centre, a boat landing station, food court, first aid post and the Porto Canoas restaurant. We sat out on the deck watching the river flow towards the top of the falls and enjoyed a lunch from the food court.

We discovered that the view from the Brazilian side is the most panoramic and because it is confined to a reasonably small area it is by far the easiest to explore. If you want other adventures there are helicopter rides out over the falls from Foz do Iguaçu and from the visitors centre, and you may also take boat rides out to the falls (see the tours entry in this journal). It is also worthy to note that the light is best in the morning for photographs.

Puerto Iguazú is a frontier city in the province of Misiones, Argentina. With a population of around 35,000 it is more like a country town than a city. The world-renowned Iguazu Falls are only 18 kilometres away and, as a result, the city has developed its infrastructure around tourism. The Tancredo Neves International Bridge links Puerto Iguazú with the Brazilian border town of Foz do Iguacu and the towns are almost directly across the river from each other but this is not obvious when you are there.

The city is served by its own international airport, Caratas del Iguazu, as well as by Foz do Iguacu Airport on the Brazilian side of the border. We flew into the Brazilian airport from Rio and left from the Argentinean airport en-route to Buenos Aires.

There are many hotels in town and quite a few reasonable restaurants. The parrilla (outdoor barbeque) is top choice but there is more on offer for those looking for another option. River fish fresh from the Ríos Parana and Iguazu are in abundance and make for a very tasty seafood experience. The Argentinean take on Italian food is also popular, with flavoursome Pizza and Pasta of all types available. Here are a few restaurant options.

El Quincho Tio Querido (Tel: 420151) is a traditional place with over 20 years of experience, It has managed to maintain the skill of preparing the most delicious Argentine beef. It is located in the heart of Puerto Iguazú, on the street Bonplandy Perito Moreno. To top it off there are lively music shows held in the evenings

Il Fratello Restaurant (Tel: 424157) at av. Gustavo Eppens 294 has over 70 different items on the menu, injcluding pastas, pizzas and grilled. There is also a wide variety of wines, and some good desserts. The restaurant has a buffet that serves breakfast and snacks.

El Gallo Negro (Tel: 422165) at the end of Av.Victoria Aguire y Curupí is all about the typical Argentinean roast and barbecue steak cooked over wood. There are daily shows with tangos, and Argentinean folklore.

Aqva Restaurant (Tel: 422064) on Av. Cordoba is an abundant seafood/fusion restaurant making full use of local river fish on its creative menu. The decoration is bright but the atmosphere remains comfortable – it is styled as a log cabin adding to the warmth and coziness of the place.

La Rueda (Tel: 422-531) at Av. Córdoba 28, is a well organized and pleasant dining experience with friendly and attentive service. The building is constructed from local materials and has a relaxing outdoor patio to sit and enjoy the abundant menu options. Pasta, steak and riverfish all feature with wine and steak a popular choice.

Gusto del Litoral at Avenue Misiones 209, at the lower end of the price scale, but you should not be put off. The chef is an absolute master of invention cooking up a storm of regional Argentinean cuisine with various other influences from across the borders.

In some ways this was the nicest hotel we stayed at in South America. It is partly this question of boutique hotels. We generally like smaller hotels because you seem to get better service and it is easier to find facilities and negotiate around. Then there is the question of space. This hotel had plenty of that and after a series of central city hotels, it was a welcome relief.

The hotel is located on a hill, very close to the Three Frontiers Landmark, in the town of Puerto Iguazú. Its name derives from the panoramic view you get of the meeting of the Iguazú and Paraná rivers, dividing the countries of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The building is surrounded by lush tropical gardens and the Iguazú Riviera, and it is a good setting to relax and enjoy this fine hotel. The hotel is a little removed from the centre of town but we enjoyed the 10-minute walk and did it several times while we were there.

The hotel has 80 standard rooms, 10 Junior Suites and the Panoramic Suite. Our room was at the back of the hotel with a view over a courtyard and towards town. Some of the other rooms have nice river views. The room was well set up with cable flat screen TV, telephone for local and international calls, dual 110 / 220 volts electricity, minibar, safe deposit box, a bath with hydromassage, climate control, hair dryer, and Wi-fi internet. The decor was smart and modern.

Facilities include a large outdoor swimming pool surrounded by gardens, a small business centre and a casino. There is also a pool for kids as well as a solarium. The bar and restaurant facilities are not extensive but they were of a very high standard. There is a ground floor bar and you can also enjoy a spectacular view from the top floor Panoramic Bar. This opens from 5 pm to 1 am and at sunset, the menu gives way to international cocktails and snacks.

The Dona Flor restaurant is a breakfast lounge and an up-market restaurant in the evenings. Its ample windows have views of the Iguazú River while its gourmet menu has typical regional flavours. Breakfast (buffet style) is from 6 to 10.30 am while dinner is from 7.30 pm. The outdoor cafe normally opens from 9 am till 9 pm but on the second day we were there it didn’t open at all because it rained all day. When open it has patisseries and snacks whilst you can admire the beauty of the Iguazú River and the gardens. It is a good place to watch the sunset. Another option is to enjoy your favourite movie or book in the cosiness of the TV lounge. You will also find computers to check your email account and surf the net.

The other plus about the hotel was the facility to use a sister property and its nice indoor pool and massage facilities. We did this on the wet day and were transported both ways by taxi at no cost to us. That was an extremely positive experience.