Iguazu Falls, Argentina

The magnificent waterfall of Iguazu is located on the border between Brazil and Argentina. It was “discovered” by Spaniards in 1591 but gets its name from the native Guarani people. Iguazu means “big water” in their language. Iguazu Falls is one of the Natural Wonders of the World and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the second largest of all waterfalls in the world behind Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. More water flows through Iguazu Falls in a year than any other waterfall in the world.

Seeing the falls is possible on both the Argentina and Brazilian side. United State citizens need a visa to visit Brazil but not Argentina so during our trip we did a complete tour of the Argentina side. After entering the park and paying the $500 pesos admission, we started by taking the train to the upper part of the falls. From there we walked over one kilometer long metal bridge to get to the “devils throat.” Our first siting of the falls was from the platform in the middle of mist. As we stood and took in the thunderous sounds of the falls and the amazing view of water pouring over the cliffs, we were soaked by the continuous heavy mist. Even though I was soaked through, I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.

As we made the trek over water back to dry land, we passed many large catfish swimming in the water below. They are most likely waiting for the tourists to feed them.

After taking the train back down from the top of the falls, we took the “Upper Circuit” walking trail. The 1.5 kilometer walk offers the best panoramic views of the falls. It is breathtaking. From the trail you can see all the falls that make up Iguazu and the multiple levels the water hits on its way down. Another interesting experience is standing at the very top of one of the falls and watching the water rush over the cliff and fall down hundreds of feet with a constant loud thunder.

We stopped for lunch in the main rest area of the park which offers several food options, a convenient store and public restrooms. Everyone must watch out when sitting out sit because there are very aggressive coatis (raccoon like animals) that are out to find an easy meal. There are signs warning people of the coatis and they are not afraid of people. Below you can see them walking amongst our group.

As we finished our lunch, the skies opened and a downpour of rain started. It was time for us to set out on the last part of our tour, the boat ride. So without hesitation we walked out into the rain. Our guide took us to the safari trucks for our trip down the Iguazu River where we would meet up with our boat captain. The rain was not letting up. The trucks were open air offering no protection from the rain. It made for a wild and very wet ride through the rainforest.

We were given life jackets and dry bags to put our belongings in. Then we boarded the rubber boat with great anticipation of what was going to happen. Our captain took us up the river to where Iguazu Falls crashes over the cliffs. Our boat continued to get closer and closer until we were under the falling water. The huge amount of water crashing all around us made it very hard to see but it was amazing! I snapped pictures blindly trying to capture some of what it was like to be under the falls. Click the link below to see the video from under the falls (sometimes it loads a bit slow).

The boat ride under the falls is not to be missed. It is an amazing experience and nothing like anything we have done before.

Our day at Iguazu Falls was at an end, so happy and completely soaked we went back to our hotel. We enjoyed a relaxing evening at NaMaRa Hotel with our awesome hosts Matias and Nancy. They were gracious and made our stay in their hotel wonderful.

We are standing in Argentina, top of the picture is Paraguay and right side is Brazil.

During our stay in Puerto Iguazu we took the bus into town. We enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant. There is not a lot to see in town but it is always nice to check out the area. We walked along the river to the point where 3 countries meet. When standing in Argentina you can see Brazil and Paraguay.