Iguazu Falls – a natural wonder
This was our must-see during our honeymoon trip across Brazil. The Iguazu River – a natural border between Brazil and Argentina – created a real natural wonder: the Iguazu Falls, which are a perfect starting point for a trip across South America ❤️ But even if you want to start elsewhere, I highly recommend you stop by to admire this unique sight.
The power of nature
The flight to Foz do Iguacu is an exciting tourist attraction in itself – landing at a jungle airport (which actually resembles a bus station) already feels like an exciting adventure. Additionally, the falls seen from above are an unforgettable sight: majestic, massive, surrounded by a lush green forest… Like something out of this world. Once you get off the plane you can smell the exotic, humid air, with a hint of rain, steaming soil, and lush flora. You should know that the local soil has a unique, red tint (which by the way stains shoes and clothes a lot), and specific, thick smell which lingers on your clothes for weeks (and is quite immune to any washing powder 😉 ).
You can actually hear the falls from a few kilometers away – in fact they are so loud it’s sometimes difficult to even hold a conversation. Walking in the national parks surrounding the falls will leave you completely soaked (a blessing on a hot day!) and overjoyed to be in such a wonderful, beautiful place. It truly feels like winning a lottery ❤️
The sheer size of the Iguazu Falls will awe even those who are not easily impressed, and so will the varied local fauna and flora. Even if the lush green jungle does not surprise you with its many exotic specimens, it will be a delight. There are countless tropical flowers, monkeys, jaguars, over 400 species of birds, including toucans and parrots… A true natural kingdom ❤️ But be careful! The characteristic coati can be aggressive and may attack to steal your food.
Brazilian or Argentinian bank?
People often ask which bank of the river is better for admiring the Falls – only to end up visiting both 😉 It’s only natural to take full advantage of a trip half across the world! The Argentinian side offers longer routes closer to the water, and the paths feel wilder, whereas the Brazilian side – more panoramic views and routes where you can take beautiful photos. Additionally, the Brazilian side has a better infrastructure, with more bars and restaurants where you can chill over some refreshments. Tickets for each side are bought separately, and there are often crowds of people. Some sections of the parks are temporarily unavailable, but there are a number of additional tourist attractions such as taking a boat to Garganta del Diablo (literally Devil’s Throat, the largest fall of Iguazu Falls). It drops more than 80 meters into a creamy white pool covered with permanent mist that forms thanks to the powerful water flow. I haven’t been there myself, but rumor has it that it’s an unforgettable experience. To sum up, despite crowds, heat, and other minor inconveniences, the Iguazu Falls national parks are amazing!
Triple Frontera and Itaipu
The Iguazu Falls are situated near the so-called Triple Frontera – a triple boarder – between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. A walk in this area, with a stop for a coffee or some cold drink in one of the local modern cafés is an interesting experience, although be warned: the heat can be a pain in the neck. Triple Frontera is situated on a hilltop overlooking the junction of the Iguazu River and the Parana River. Both rivers are very wide there, with brownish water – they look monumental. Speaking of Paraguay, there is world’s second-biggest water power plant which dates back to 1982. There used to be an even bigger waterfall than the Iguazu Falls, Guaira, which I find very hard to wrap my head around. The power plant is open to tourists only for a limited time, so don’t be late! That’s what happened to us; we came all the way just to wave the last group of tourists goodbye… 😉
The charming Puerto Iguazu
Puerto Iguazu is the perfect base camp for visiting the Iguazu Falls. It is a small Argentinian town, way more atmospheric than the nearby Brazilian Foz do Iguacu. Puerto Iguazu looks as if it could star in Dr. Quinn (I personally love this series!), there are plenty of good restaurants offering delicious local specialties and wines, with live Argentinian music in the evenings. Love, love, love! This is the place to be for all gourmets who like steaks, fish, and barbecue.
The town offers a lot of pousad – private guest rooms, houses and apartments. There are even places with some Polish accents! We stayed in a wonderful place overlooking the river, surrounded by an exotic garden, with delicious breakfasts, friendly and helpful staff, and even a small pool. I highly recommend such idyllic accommodation, where you can celebrate slow mornings and relax after long days full of wonder and excitement. Chilling in a hammock while basking in the sunset is something I will never forget ❤️
You can reach the Iguazu Falls by bus, plus there are a number of travel agent’s that organize trips, looking for clients in the street, yelling: cataratas? Cataratas! (waterfalls). You can also go through the huge border bridge between Brazil and Argentina – the long border control may be an interesting experience especially for younger tourists who are used to the convenience of the Schengen Zone.
How to get there
In order to get there, you need to fly to Foz do Iguacu – a surprisingly modest airport given the robust local tourist infrastructure. The airport is easily accessible from many Brazilian cities via national airlines, plus it is also well-connected internationally. As has been mentioned, the airport is located in the jungle, the runway is really short, and the airport buildings… well, not overwhelming 😉 It’s like landing in a different world! You can take a bus from there both to Foz do Iguacu and Puerto Iguazu. Unfortunately the bus service is not always reliable.
Seeing the Iguazu Falls is an unforgettable experience, a dream come true. Their location, symbiosis with nature, and the spectacular views they offer really live up to expectations. Oh, to see them at least once in a lifetime!