Argentina travel blog by Mark Berman -
March 2008
May 2009
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I have stayed in Puerto Iguazu on 2 occasions and been to the waterfalls both times, it's a very beautiful park. The town center is a nice
place with lots of accommodation, restaurants, shops and the bus terminal. There are a couple of ATM machines in town, be careful that the bank
called Macro's ATM doesn't eat your card like it did mine. On my first time in Puerto Iguazu I stayed in a big hostel with a huge swimming pool,
it was like a resort. In the evening they had a bbq and a show featuring Brazilian dancers. The second time I was here, my friend and I came
here after the Pantanal and before visiting Paraguay, we stayed in a place in town that had its own kitchen in the room which was great.
How To Get To Iguazu
Not far from town, about 30 minutes on a bus from the terminal is Iguazu National Park, it's about 5 pesos each way. The entry ticket into the
park is about 60 pesos (2009). After going into the park, you can either get the train or walk along the 'Green Trail'. The green trail will get you
to the same place as where the train is going but you will see more if you walk. Later on everybody takes the train anyway to the 'Devils Throat'.
After the green trail there is a choice of the 'Lower Trail' or the 'Upper Trail'. The best way is to do the lower trail first, it's amazing to
be at the bottom of some of those waterfalls and see the water crashing down over the rocks. On the lower trail you will see Salto Chico and
Salto Dos Hermanas and others, it is a beautiful walk through the forest and over bridges. You will most likely encounter a herd of raccoons
at some point along the path up. On the upper trail there are waterfalls called Salto Bossetti, Salto Eva and Salto Adan. The views from
up here are amazing too, the lookouts and walkways are built extremely well and you can see the park at all angles from them. In the river
below it is possible to have a tour of the waterfalls in a jet boat, a wild and wet experience.
The Devil's Throat
The end of the upper trail brings you to Estacion Cataratas, the train to take people to the 'Garganta del Diablo' also known as 'The Devils
Throat'. It is a fun ride on the train for about 10 minutes out to Estacion Garganta. There is a big map on a board near the walkway entrance
to get an idea of where you are and to show you some of the butterflies that are in the area. The bridge views across the water and rocks is one
of the best things about the park, we spent 30 minutes enjoying the walk to the main attraction, but you could do it in half that time. The
upper river has fish in it that have evolved independantly from the predatory species of fish in the lower river. These fish are unique and
smaller than the fish at the bottom of the waterfalls, species such as Moncholo and Mojarras. There are many nice areas along the bridges to
look at the beautiful landscapes and river and try to spot some of those fish. You know you are walking towards something magnificant because all the time the distant rumble and roar of water is getting louder. There were
floods here that destroyed a catwalk in 1992, but don't let that put you off! After passing the ruined catwalk, you will begin to see the water
gathering from all directions and disappearing over the rocks. The bridge and walkways lead down to absolutely mind-blowing views of Iguazu
Falls. The amount of water falling is just mind-boggling and the amount of spray created that is drifting down the river too. On a super hot
day, it is great to stand at a certain point on the lookout and get sprayed. From the lookout you can also see across to the other side to Brazil.
Foz do Iguacu is more of a panoramic view where as Puerto Iguazu is more up close and personal. It's easy to spend 4-5hrs in this amazing place. I would rate Iguazu Falls as one of the best natural sights that I have seen in South America!