Iguazu Falls, named Devil’s Throat of Iguazu Falls, sure to take your breath away. It may not be the biggest, the tallest, or the most powerful – but it is the most impressive waterfall I have ever seen. And I’m someone who isn’t particularly thrilled by waterfalls – and I have no idea why. They just don’t thrill me like a mountain does or a vast open landscape or desert. I looked at it as a challenge – I wondered if these famous falls could possibly change my attitude about waterfalls.
Challenge On
As the plane was landing in what seemed to be the middle of jungle for as far as one could see, you could see a little puff of mist coming from a section of the jungle. I tried to send telepathic messages to the pilot to get him to just turn a bit to the right and do a fly over – but it didn’t work. The mist was only a teaser, and I would get to actually see what the fuss was all about until the next day. We went with a small tour group to the Argentinian side of the falls and brought lots of sunscreen, plastic bags for cameras, and a pashmina to try to dry things if they got wet.
The falls are in a national park and an entry ticket (130 pesos) is required to get in. Made up of 275 cascades spanning a distance of 2 mi/3 km and rising up to 300 ft/90 m high, it’s said to be one of the most impressive sights in the world. The park is well maintained and it’s train, catwalks, and trails are what is touted in the big Brazil versus Argentina – which one is better? There are 5 trails – and we did 3 of them.
- Circuito Superior – is a short walk to some nice viewpoints along the upper rim of the waterfalls
- Circuito Inferior – is a longer walk on the bottom end of the falls with the main attraction being the lookout to watch Salto Bossetti and Dos Hermanas. This pathway leads also to the free ferry service to Isla San Martin (that may or not be closed), and the tour operators.
- Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) – The main attraction of the Argentine side. There is a free train running up to a 1 km-long walkway across the river to stand just back from the main horseshoe of falls where the roar and spray are most tremendous (bring a plastic bag to protect your camera!).
I was also made aware of the chance to take a speed boat into the falls – there were two options – a short ride for 10 minutes or a longer ride with more waterfall dousing for about 30 minutes (plus a lame ride through the jungle) which costs 310 Pesos or about $65. I chose the longer ride to see what it was all about – and it ended up being a highlight of my day there ad a greatly needed cool-down in the stifling jungle heat.
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Sherry Ott is a refugee from corporate IT who is now a long term traveler, blogger, and photographer. She’s a co-founder of Briefcasetobackpack.com, a website offering career break travel inspiration and advice.
Additionally, she runs an around the world travel blog writing about her travel and expat adventures at Ottsworld.com.com.
