Visiting Iguazú or Iguaçu Falls is a must on your travels through South America, Both the Argentinian and Brazil sides are worth a visit. On the Brazilian side you get the panoramic views and on the Argentinian side you get to experience and get up close with Garganta del Diablo (devils throat).
The Iguazu National Park consists of two parks, Puerto Iguazu (Argentina) and Foz de Iguazu (Brazil).
In 1984 UNESCO declared them a world heritage site, The parks are home to many species of animals and flora that create an important natural ecosystem for all of Latin America. Whilst exploring the park you may see monkeys, iguanas, Birds, if your lucky a puma (I was not that lucky) and you will definitely see LOTS of coatis, a member of the racoon family. Don’t be fooled by the super cute and friendly appearance of the coatis, they can be quite aggressive, they will try to steal your food and as the signs dotted around warn, can nasty to get what they want, you will see them at the picnic tables fighting over leftovers at tables and bins.
Circuits to follow
On the Brazilian side there is only one, 1500 meter circuit, This can take approximately 2 hours to complete, is a pleasant walk, you constantly get great views of the falls and at the end there is a great walk way out over falls, where you will get a refreshing soak!
On the Argentinian side there are six circuits:
Superior circuit - Panoramic views of Iguazu Falls from the upper walkways (not including the Devil’s Throat). Approx. 1.75 kilometres long, you will have a view from above of the Dos Hermanas, Chico, Ramirez, Bosetti, Adan and Eva, Mendez, and finally Mbiguá waterfalls
Lower Circuit - You to enter the jungle through various stairs and walkways, seeing lots of flora and fauna along the way and a panoramic view of the falls. In the distance you will see some of the Devil’s Throat, along with San Martin Island and Bossetti Falls.
Green trail - a 600-meter flat, stairless path connecting the visitor centre to the Cataratas train station.
The rainforest ecological train - This environmentally friendly train takes you from the visitor centre to the centre of the park and then on to a station close to Devils throat.
Devils throat - The devil’s throat is the main attraction at Iguazu Falls. You will stand literally meters away from the most powerful and slightly terrifying of the falls. Definitely the highlight of Iguazu and something you will never forget.
Macuco - Approx. 7.7 kilometres (round trip), The trail has no construction, just a path to walk on. You will see lots of flora and fauna and At the end, Arrechea waterfall.
How to get there
There are two airports to choose from Puerto Iguazu and Foz de Iguazu. The latter being the one I flew into, from Sao Paulo.
There are long distance buses from major cities, however flying was a much easier and pretty cheap option, Domestic airlines such as LAN and Aerolinas Argentinas fly direct to the Argentinian side of the Falls from Buenos Aires. While Brazilian airlines TAM and GOL fly direct from most major Brazilian cities.
Where i stayed
Both of these were well located for getting the bus to Iguazu falls and eating out.
Brazil - Mirante hotel
Argentina - Noelia Hostel
