The first stop on our organized tour of the highlights of Argentina started at Iguazu Falls. We were supposed to visit Iguazu Falls on our big trip (OBT), but the South American portion was canceled. If you have a chance to go, definitely do it.
Taking an Organized Tour
In all honesty, trip planning is getting more difficult by the year. Of course, the length of the trip also affects the amount of work required. So I decided to buy a tour for the sites around the country where all of the transfers, hotels, and local tours and guides were booked for us. They would have also booked the airfare around the country, but we did it according to the tour company’s schedule.
We traveled by ourselves, but there was someone to take us to and from the airports, a total of five stops in about 12 days. That is a lot of transfers. The tour company booked the hotels but I changed some of them if I didn’t like their selection. The best parts were the guides and transportation for all of the local tours. In Iguazu, we had to enter the National Park and go through the border into and out of Brazil. I wouldn’t want to do that on my own. Amazingly, every guide showed up on time and the local tours proceeded without a hitch. For city tours, we don’t usually use a tour operator, but this was the perfect way to visit the highlights of Argentina.
Packing Light With Our Ski Jackets
Aerolineas Argentinas allowed two checked bags and two carry-ons all with significant weight limitations. So we decided to leave one bag in Buenos Aires and to pare down what we took with us on our tour. Our tour took us from the tropical jungle to almost Antarctica. We felt pretty silly carrying our ski jackets on the flight to Iguazu Falls, but it couldn’t be helped. Since the entire trip was in hotels, we didn’t miss any of our extra stuff, most of which was for longer stays with a kitchen.
Enjoying the Jungle Pool
When we arrived at our hotel in Iguazu, it looked pretty rustic. Our first hike in the jungle was down the path to our room. It was a simple cabin style, but it did have a really nice deck in the back. The walk to the room seemed far the first time, but we rapidly got the hang of it. Unfortunately, the only wildlife we saw in the hotel jungle was a bunch of kittens. We saw one of them pretty much each time we went out.
It wasn’t until after our hike the next day at the falls that we finally found the pool. We were hot and sticky and drinks and a dip sounded really great. The pool was surrounded by jungle but there was nice water, chairs, and a bar. So we spent a lovely hour getting cool in the pool and enjoying some drinks from the bar. I guess we weren’t unique in our need to cool down, the pool was full. In fact, that was the only time that we actually saw other guests.
Argentine Side of the Falls
Our first day with the guide was on the Argentine side of the falls. Most of the falls seem to be in Argentina but the viewing is from above. This gives an interesting perspective, which you can see in the pictures. We also had the option to take a boat to the base of the falls, but we passed on that. It would have meant a lot of bouncing around. While we were at the viewing platforms, we could see the boats and I don’t think we missed anything.
We left the hotel at 8 am to do our hiking before it got really hot and/or crowded. Once you are in the park, there are two different trails for viewing the falls, we picked the harder, longer trail first. It was good thinking because it did get really hot later in the day and the crowds got thicker too. Our guide was great clearing a path for us on our way so we could get around large groups that were moving too slowly. I don’t like walking slow. I walked 17000+ steps that day because there was quite a bit of back and forth, but it was a great day.
As far as the viewing goes, the falls go on and on and drop into a river canyon. It seemed larger in horizontal distance than Niagara Falls. Seeing great wonders like these falls is always very moving and exhilarating for me. I will never get tired of giant falls like that. Some day we will actually get to see Victoria Falls, too.
Giant Coati and Daring Monkeys
During our walk on the Argentine side of the falls, we heard lots of rustling in the bushes around us. On several occasions, we were able to see large groups of huge Coati. I’ve seen coati in Mexico, but the ones in Argentina and Brazil, around the falls, were twice the size. They like to travel in groups so they were pretty easy to find. There are also coati signs on the road to the park so I’m guessing they get hit by cars fairly frequently.
After our walk, we decided to get a snack. A troop of monkeys showed up looking to eat everyone’s lunch. The park employees and our guide shooed them away but you know people. Some parents wanted their kids to feed a monkey from their hand. It makes me shake my head every time I see that. But I must admit that I really like seeing the wildlife including the monkeys, even if they aren’t really wild.
There were also quite a few interesting butterflies that were kind enough to pose for Mike.
Brazilian Side of the Falls
On day two at Iguazu Falls we left even earlier because we had to hike and look at the view in the morning and then make an afternoon flight to Mendoza, through Buenos Aires. It was a long day with not quite as much walking, only 11000 steps. When going into Brazil, first you go through Argentine immigration. There was a big line for this that we were able to bypass because our guide knew how. Then you drive a little bit and you get to Brazilian immigration. Our guide took care of both for us. The Brazil side of the falls is less traveled because Brazil is expensive compared to Argentina.
At the national park on this side, you have to take a bus to get to the place where you can walk along the viewing platforms. In this case, there are more stairs but the trail isn’t a loop, it is one way and we got to ride the bus back to our van at the end. Personally, I thought the views from the Brazilian side were better than the Argentine side, but there is no accounting for taste. One interesting thing was that there was a three-story elevator toward the end of the trail. From the top, you felt like you were practically in the waterfall.
Overall, you can get closer to the water and the giant spray from the Brazilian side. Initially, I thought my favorite was the Brazilian side, but looking at the pictures now, I’m not so sure. I am so glad that we were able to see both sides, the grandeur is mesmerizing. My recommendation is to go to both sides and decide for yourself. In case, you didn’t get enough, you can see and hear the falls from the top.
What waterfalls have you seen that impressed you?
1 comment
We liked this much better than Victoria Falls, which is supposed to be the best in the world. We went at the wrong time of year and all you could see was mist, unless there was a breeze that blew it away. It was terrible to try to get pictures there, because of all the overgrown foliage, so we liked Iguazu Falls much much better!