Iguazu Falls
- Feb 20
- 2 min read
By Fernando -
Early start today! We had to leave the hotel at 4am to catch a 6am flight. Arrived at Iguazu airport (Argentine Side) with a small backpack and no previous plans.
We approached the taxi stand with the goal of just getting to the Iguazu Falls park on the Argentinian side (there is a Brazilian side also). As we were waiting for the driver, they asked if we wanted to do both parks on the same day. We said, “why not”.
After talking to the driver we realized we had him available to us for the whole day. We decided to go to the Brazilian side first (in case we had issues getting back over the border). He took us to the park entrance, helped us buy our tickets, and pointed us in the right direction. He would then wait for us to finish.
Our first stop was a boat ride up the river to the Falls. But to get to the boat, we took a tram, then a 1/3 mile walk through the jungle to where we boarded the boat. We had heard that we would get wet, but after seeing the people getting off the boats drenched (many of them in swim suits), we realized we hadn’t prepared properly. Before we got on a boat, they asked if anyone wanted to be on a “dry” boat, and we jumped at the chance. We were able to skip the line and boarded a boat with only 4 other people (it holds 30). And they all happen to be from Northern CA.
The boat trip was amazing. It went up some rapids and we passed some awesome water falls. We also got to watch the other boats get drenched (hehe) while we stayed dry.
Once we finished the boat trip, we took the bus to the end of the road so we could get a more up close and personal view of the main Falls. WOW!!
Next it was off to the Argentinian park. It was 2:30 and we needed to be at the other park by 3:15 when they stopped selling tickets. Our driver drove like a bat out of hell (I didn’t realize anyone could tailgate that close at those speeds…while checking other info on his phone). We made on time and in one piece.
When we entered the Argentinian side, we took another tram to the trail that took us to the “Devil’s Throat”, the main falls. Once again…WOW!
Once we finished, we decided to visit the hotel that is in the park (Gran Melia). It has a stunning view of the Falls, especially at sunset during a lightning storm. We also got to see a baby monkey riding on the back of the mother’s back.
Our driver then dropped us off at the airport with plenty of time to spare, and we thought we were good.
However…at 6:30 that night they announced a National strike of the transportation folks. It was scheduled for the next day, but as we saw flights being cancelled, and ours was delayed, we were sweating. Luckily, our flight got out and we arrived back in Buenos Aires at the hotel at 1am. Long, beautiful day. 😁
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