Iguazu 11- 14 May

Iguazu 11 -14 May

Thursday 11 May pick up from the hostel in an Uber, and drive out to the main Buenas Aires Ezeiza airport about 30 kms away.  Our flight at 1.00 pm takes about an hour and forty minutes to reach Iguazu airport.  Taxi into town and to the apartment we've rented through Airbnb - on the 11th floor of a 12 storey block (yes, there's a lift!).

Great views - from the flat we can see the city of Foz do Iguacu (Brazil) across the Iguazu River and the road bridge across the river Parana to Paraguay. 

Comfy bed, good bathroom but lacking hangers and a bit more kitchen ware would be good.  To a nearby supermarket for supplies and then sit down to work out the bus to the cataratas (falls), which should be easy but there are many on line choices.  Agree that in the morning we'll walk the 2.5 Kms to the Hito Tres Fronteras (a look out point) and catch a bus there.

Sleep well, though John was kept awake by the music from the local night club.

Friday 12 May have breakfast and then walk to the Hito Tres Fronteras where there's a big bus stop.  Bit of a wait but we get the bus in the end and travel the half hour or so to the entrance to the park.  Pay to go in, decline the offer of a guide and go for a recce.  Read the warning signs about not feeding the monkeys or coaties (we never saw any monkeys), find the place to book a boat trip (tomorrow) and go for a walk along the lower (inferior) circuit.   

Brilliant views of the falls and see quite a few coaties, birds and lots of butterflies. 

Really enjoyable walk covering over 4 miles.

Bus back to Hito Tres Fronteras and visit a Punto Ar, a bar / restaurant with views of the Iguazu and Parana rivers, for a couple of  pricey beers, and spend the evening in the apartment.

Saturday 13 May. Catch the 8.30 am bus to the falls from opposite our front door, and make our way to the boat trip ticket office .  Buy tickets for the 10.00 am trip but are then bundled onto the last two spaces on the 9.30 am - the first leg is on a trail through the jungle seated on a truck - there's about 30 of us, with a lady with a mike to tell us about the flora and fauna.  She also tells us to 'disfruta de te ducha' (enjoy your shower)!   We walk down c. 150 steps, stopping half way to be issued with a waterproof bag, and a bit further to get a life jacket. 

See some caymans and capybaras on the river beach. 

Onto the giant jet boat and are driven up river to the falls. Lots of photo opportunities of course, and the chance to buy a video later, and then we're driven to the base of the falls to be soaked in the spray.     Screaming and laughing all round and thankfully the water is quite warm.

Back to the landing point, sign up for the video, return life jacket and waterproof bag and plod up the 150 steps.   We're then driven to the Restaurante El Fortin where John and I stop for a coffee.  I am wearing a merino top which dries quickly, and cotton shorts which definitely don't. Soggy bottom for sure.

On to a miniature train that takes us from near the restaurant to the Estacion Garganta and then we, and about half the population of Argentina it seems, stroll across the river on long walkways.   When we finally get to the lookout point above the Garganta del Diablo it is rammed and we get a bit crotchety at the mob of people….  So, we take our pictures and head back.

his n hers falls

Overall a brilliant day out with amazing views of the falls,  but so glad we also visited yesterday when it was less busy.

Sunday 14 May.  This time it's my turn to be kept awake from about 1.00 am to 4.30 am by the night club.    Electronic hell at around 130 beats per minute, and sounding like it was coming from the next room.  I now understand the comments in the reviews on the apartment about noise.

We have arranged for the taxi driver who drove us in from Iguazu airport to collect us at 8.30 am.   There's a power cut from around 7.00 am, which is still going on when it's time to leave, so we saddle up with the rucksacks and walk down the stairs to the ground floor, which is a lot slower than using the lift.   Slight confusion when we're greeted downstairs by a woman,  but it turns out she is Mrs Taxi Driver, and he's on another fare.   She drops us at the airport (which does have power - phew) and we go in to await our 10.50 am flight back to Buenos Aires.