Iguazu Falls

There are two sides to the falls, the Brazilian side and the Argentinian side.

You can choose to do one or both. I would recommend doing both but if you only want to do one or have time for one then definitely choose the Argentinian side.

Brazil

To access the Brazilian Falls, you will stay in the town of Foz do Iguazu and then catch a local bus or tour bus into the Parque Nacional do Iguazu. Pick up local bus number L120 from the TTU terminal for R$3.45. The trip is approximately 45 minutes to the national park. The bus will be crowded, so be prepared to stand for the journey, if you choose to get on at any other stop than where the bus originates from at TTU. The bus schedule says it leaves from TTU every 22 minutes but just take that with a grain of salt. See my post about crossing the border and the accuracy of their bus schedules

Once at the National Park (which opens at 9 am) you will need to purchase your entry ticket from the Visitor Centre. The ticket cost R$63.30 You’ll receive a receipt breaking down all the different charges making up the R$63.30 and the other is your actual ticket which you will need to get onto the shuttle bus. Don’t forget to pick up a map here.

Although there is only one path to stroll along to view the waterfalls, there are other bus stops along the way if you opt to pay for additional activities in the Park such as kayaking, cycling, ecoadventures or any of the boat trips up to the waterfalls.

The “Path of the Falls” is an easy 1200m stroll and easy to do on your own without the need for a guide. There are several platforms along the way where you can stop and get a closer look at the falls and of course get all your selfies. Good luck getting your photos without other people in them and beware they get very pushy!

On your walk, be sure to look out for wildlife such as Coati, Toucans, Monkeys, Pumas and Jaguars.

The only ones we saw were the Coati, which is a racoon type animal with a long snout and a long tail. Do not feed them and beware they may try to steal from you….

The falls you are viewing from this side are in fact all over on the Argentinian side of the Park. The Brazilian side gives you an amazing overview of what the waterfalls look like and just how many there are. Once you get to the end of the walk way you get to the Devils Throat, Garganta del Diablo. This is the only part of the Falls in Brazil and stretches around in an arc over to Argentina.

A huge long boardwalk has been built, so you can venture out on top of the water to really get amongst it and get a real sense of how huge and powerful these waterfalls are.

You WILL get wet so take a rain poncho with you, or you can hire one, or like me use a waterproof camera such as a GoPro and just head out onto the boardwalk letting the mist fall on your skin and cool you down.

Review www.cataratasdoiguacu.com.br to decide what additional activities you might like to do whilst you are there and to get a general overview of the park. There is a hotel, restaurant and visitor centre all within the park too.

Once you have finished for the day head back out to where the local bus stop is to journey back into Foz do Iguazu.

One day was ample for this side of the falls, as there is one path, and I didn’t partake in any extra activities.

Tips on Foz

You must try a Churrascaria BBQ buffet, the meat is absolutely to die for, having been slow roasted for hours on end over coals and basted beautifully. There are many restaurants around town and they are all dirt cheap, seriously take your pick, you won’t be disappointed. The two we chose were Churrascaria do Gaucho on Av. Republica Argentina and Tropicana in the main part of town. Both lovely and inexpensive.

If you are wanting to withdraw money from an ATM, you will need to find a Banco do Brasil. I found these are the only ones that will accept a foreign card.

The town is deceptively big but quite easy to walk around the main areas and shopping strip. I also found myself feeling pretty safe there, even walking home one night after dark from the restaurant. (Although not late, it was still dark) Still remain vigilant, be aware of who is around you and know exactly where you are going without having to stop to look at maps or your phone. You’ll be the best judge and don’t take any risks if you are feeling unsure.

Argentina

In Argentina, you’ll stay in the town of Puerto Iguassu. It works in a similar way to the Brazilian side in that you need to catch a bus to the Parque Nacional Iguazu from town.

Puerto pretty much runs on cash only. I could not find one single ATM that would accept my card, the hotel had pre-warned me they would only accept cash, but I didn’t realise it would be like that everywhere. We had to pay for the bus in cash and entrance to the waterfalls in cash. Thankfully the restaurant we ate at that night accepted card payments. Thankfully my travel buddy had ample pesos on her so was able to “shout” me until I got to Buenos Aires and was able to withdraw cash to pay her back. So be prepared to enter this town fully loaded with cash.

The bus station is called the Omnibus Station. You need to head to stand 27 to purchase your return tickets for 150pesos. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes and these buses are proper coaches, so lots of seating and air-con available.

Entrance to the park is 500pesos (in cash) for the day and you are given the option to purchase a second-day ticket for 50% which is great because this side has a lot more walking trails. Six in fact. So that option is great if you have the time and want to do a few trails at a leisurely pace, as well as additional activities.

The Parque is open from 8 am till 6 pm so you can actually fit quite a lot into 1 day. Due to our issues crossing the border we only had 4-5 hours in the Parque to see as much as we could. We chose to take the Garganta del Diablo Trail and the Lower Circuit Trail. Due to us being there in the late afternoon as well there were actually minimal tourists and we were pretty much the only ones on the lower trail so were really able to absorb the atmosphere and take our time getting our photos in peace.

There is a train that you jump on straight from the visitors centre that will make stops along the way at the different trails. Make sure you get a map before departing the visitor centre as this will obviously help you decide what trail to take but will also tell you which trails have restaurants, toilets or activities on them.

As the name suggest the Garganta del Diablo trail, which is the last train stop, allows you to walk along a huge metal boardwalk across the Upper Iguazu River to the top of the Devils Throat. This is SPECTACULAR.

The boardwalk is in the open with minimal shade so wear a hat, sunscreen or if you can be bothered take an umbrella.

The Lower Circuit Trail was also fabulous as it meanders up, down and through the jungle and below the waterfalls. On this trail, we saw lizards and a few Toucans flying overhead. The waterfalls toward the end of the trail, Bosett Falls, are great for photos, just beware you will get wet the closer you get to them, and there is a great view from this trail over to San Martin Island, which you can visit by pre-arranged boat.

Each trail took approximately 1 hour at a slow pace with lots of stops for photos and just to take in the surroundings

If we had more time I would’ve liked to walk on all trails but those two we chose gave us a really good look and feel of the Argentinian side of the falls.

For a full overview of all the activities you can do on the Argentinian side please visit www.iguazujungle.com it also shows the exact map you get when you are there so you can really plan your trails and activities

Tips for Puerto

Take a walk to the Three Borders Monument, Hito de Las Tres Fronteras. A hot tip though, go behind the toilet block, that’s where the monument is actually hidden!

On top is the lookout for all three countries and each has its own marker in the colours of its flag.

So you’ll be standing in Argentina (obviously) and you will be able to see both Brazil and Paraguay….pretty cool!

Don’t forget everything I mentioned earlier about being a cash-only town. Be prepared

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