19.11.2013Iguazu Falls – Getting Wet on the Argentinian Side

We left the Brazilian “Foz de Iguazu” in the morning and took a bus to the nearby border. After getting our Brazilian exit stamp, waiting for the next bus and doing the paperwork on the Argentinian side of the border it was already late afternoon when we reached our hostel in the little town of Puerto Iguacu.

To make the best use of the day we started exploring the small city, however we soon decided to have a little snack and a cool Argentinian beer while waiting for the heat to pass…

Fully refreshed and a tiny bit tipsy we walked to the Triple Frontier, the border of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina and the location where the Iguazu and Parana rivers converge.

From Argentina one can look over to Paraguay (on the left side) and even to Brazil (the tiny high rise buildings in the center of the picture):

Some flowers from along the way:

In the evening we visited a nearby restaurant and after a starter with a delicious cheese spread and hummus,

we had some delicious salads:

For dessert we enjoyed an apple cake with vanilla ice cream:

The next day after entering the Iguazu park, we watched a coati plunder the berries of a bush for breakfast. Quite acrobatic the way he jumped around in that scrub to reach all the berries:

For the Argentinian side we had booked a tour the day before, that first took us on a vehicle ride through the jungle to the lower Iguazu river:

Here we boarded a powerful speed boat, that carried us upstream and through the narrow river and its rapids.

After some kilometers we reached the falls and had a first close look:

Not very close yet and still dry in front of the waterfalls…

Then the boat drove closer and closer to the falls until it was right under one of the falls with the front part, where both of us were sitting. This was a really incredible experience to keep driving under the tumultuous water masses and trying to keep your eyes open every time to see as much as possible! Needless to point out that we got drenched to the skin:

Driving closer and closer to a different fall…

before the water masses start tumbling down on us. No wonder they suggest not to wear any glasses…

By the end of the ride we were completely soaked, but with the hot temperatures the cool water was quite welcome. We really got a close up experience of those falls 🙂

After changing to dry clothes we continued exploring the rest of the park:

While walking the different circuits we saw more beautiful butterflies all around us:

Stunning how every location has its own remarkable view of the falls:

And how close one could get to the falls, even without getting wet:

A monkey relaxing in the tree and perhaps wondering what all the people are doing here…

Look at this amazing caterpillar with his branchy feet. What kind of butterfly will he become?

Perhaps one of these?

After a short train ride and crossing the upper Iguazu river, which flows quiet silent towards the mighty falls, we were approached the gigantic Garganta del Diablo. This time from the top:

In the back you can already see the water masses vanishing:

And as we got closer, we could see and hear the tonnes of water thundering over the cliffs:

This short video can give you a vague impression of the water masses involved:

For sure it was a once in a lifetime experience standing on the edge of the falls and watching the masses of water tumbling down and never stopping…

With the sun just at the right angle, the rising mist created a wonderful rainbow and made us take a postcard perfect picture:

On our way back we often turned and looked back towards the Garganta del Diablo:

And before we left the park, we had one more encounter with a flock of yellow and a single blue butterfly:

We surely had two great days visiting the Iguazu falls. It was really stunning to watch these amazing waterfalls and all the plants and animals living around them. If you haven’t been there yet, plan to go! And if you only have time for one side, visit the more impressive Argentinian side.