Garganta del Diablo Iguazu Falls
Iguaza Falls
Argentina vs Brazil: Which Side of the Falls Should I See
Let's start off with the single most asked question when planning a trip to Iguazu Falls: Which side is better?
Well, the single absolute right answer is: it depends, but probably Argentina.
I was visiting Argentina and the single biggest roadblock for me seeing the Brazil side is a visa. An American citizen needs a visa to visit Brazil that includes crossing the border for just a couple hours to see the other side of the falls. So that made it a non-starter for me. I was staying in Buenos Aires and took a round trip flight in one day to visit. Two hours there and two hours back and it was plenty of time to see the entire park.
But let's say you're not an American or are thinking about taking a trip primarily to see the falls. The Brazil side is a bit cheaper. It is $40 for foreigners to see the Argentine side but only $18 to see the Brazil side.
The Argentine side is a long day, but it can easily be seen in one day. Don't believe any article that recommends you stay the night in Puerta Iguazu unless you are seeing the Brazil side the next day.
The Brazil side also isn't a full day trip. You aren't as close to the falls in Brazil, so it is like looking at a football field from on top of the stadium. You can see most everything at once and it makes for a great single view, but because of this, the whole park only takes a few hours. On the Argentine side you are right on the sideline, so it is hard to see what's going on at some spots. Some waterfalls you are almost standing on top of, but some would consider that the worst place to stand when looking at a waterfall.
But to me, all of that is moot. When one side has a full view of the Devil's Throat up close and personal, that side wins. This is the absolute best reason to see these falls. Without these falls, the whole park is a second tier tourist destination.
Checkmate Brazil. You lose.
Arriving at Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Welcome Center. There are a few small museums right mostly dedicated to the local wildlife
Getting to Iguazu from Buenos Aires is pretty straightforward. There are direct flights that take about two hours from Jorge Newbery Airport (AEP) to Cataratas del Iguazu (IGR). There is another small airport right on the other side of the border in Brazil, it goes without saying but make sure you pick the right one.
Once you arrive there will be plenty of taxis and vans waiting to take you. But you have a couple of options.
You can take a group van but be VERY careful and pick the right one, some of these do go into Puerto Iguazu and unless you are doing a multi day trip, you likely don't need to go to the town at all.
It is about a 20 minute ride and cost me 25,000 ARS ($17) for a one-way ride, you'll have to pay that on the way back too. Cash only. I'd also try to get the driver's number or business card. I'll go into more detail about that later.
The park opens at 8 AM and if you want to see it all in one day, you want to plan your flight to arrive there as close to park opening as you can.
Many of the shops in the park take cards but the entrance fee to the park of 60,000 ARS ($40) is cash only.
Garganta del Diablo
I know there is something to be said about saving the best for last, but this isn't one of those cases.
If you did arrive early, your first stop should be Garganta del Diablo. The lookout platform there is relatively small and it will get extremely crowded as the day goes on.
I've attached a picture of the map of the park. It's accurate enough to get where you need to go, but it is about the worst scaled map I have ever seen. Pay attention to the distances written and don't eyeball the lines. There is a 3.5 km trail that looks tiny and a 1500-meter trail that looks massive
.
Right when you get past all the coffee shops and museums at the entrance, you want to take the Sendero Verde Trail (Green) on a short little jaunt through the woods and go to the Estacion Cataratas train station. The train is free, but you do need a ticket for a certain time. They don't pay much attention to it, but it helps with crowd control. You'll probably be taking a few trains today, so try to plan ahead. For this first stop, just get the next available. I was there early enough to take the first train of the day.
This map is at the entrance. Do what I did and take a picture to refer to throughout the day.
I wanted to get to the falls quickly, but since I do like a good hike, I was planning on walking back. But honestly, I wouldn't bother. The trail is right next to the tracks and there is nothing to see.
When you get off the train, you'll follow a bunch of platforms over water to the lookout. It's kinda funny. There are a few broken platforms in the water that they never removed. It's like, "Well, I sure hope they built this one better than that one." Also, watch your step because the platforms are pretty damn slippery. But if you make it to the end, you are rewarded with the view of a lifetime.
This is the trail and views you get if you decide to walk
Ever seen a cartoon or something where the cowboy is riding a horse through the desert and then starts seeing all kinds of horse skeletons? This is what that felt like.
I'm not sure if all the mist in these photos made them better or worse
A Coati. Some of the local wildlife at the train station. This is what happens when a monkey fucks a raccoon. I saw a bunch of these guys.
A roving band of thugs obviously up to no good. They seemed chill enough, but there were signs all over the place with a picture of a bloody hand saying "no moleste".
Circuito Superior and Inferior
After you take the train back to Estacion Cataratas, you will be in walking distance of the trailheads to Circuito Superior and Inferior. Don't let the names confuse you, though. They don't really mean "good and bad", they refer more to "high and low".
If I really had to choose, I would say that I actually liked Circuito Inferior more. Superior goes along the top of some of the falls, and in parts, it has the problem I mentioned earlier. Being directly on top of a waterfall is one of the worst places to be to actually see the waterfall, but don't worry about that much. They say there are 275 waterfalls in the park (a rather dubious claim that really stretches the definition of what a waterfall is), and you'll see plenty on both circuits.
I'd say do one, then stop for lunch, and then do the other. When eating lunch, beware of the monkeys. It's actually funny how good they are at stealing. There is an entire cafeteria surrounded by a cage, and the monkeys are crawling all over it. When I was there, one monkey managed to slip in when someone opened the door, jump to a table, snatch some food, and jump right back out. But they are still adorable little critters so they are easily forgiven.
One of the 275 "waterfalls"
These were from Circuito Superior. Still incredible views but you can see what I mean when I said somewhat limited.
This is on Circuito Inferior near Isla San Martin and one of my favorite stretches in the entire park.
Salto Dos Hermanas (Two Sisters Falls). Even when the path heads inland, away from the river, there is still plenty to see. This is also on the Circuito Inferior.
Salto Arrechea and Gran Aventura
I didn't do either Salto Arrechea or Gran Aventura on my trip. I did plan to do one but not the other though.
Gran Aventura is a boat ride. It is the very bottom trail on the map that leads to Puerto Macuco. You can't hike that one, it is for jeeps only. The cost of this isn't included in your park ticket. I'm not sure of the exact cost but I know it's a little over $100. They take you out in a zodiac and you ride up the river and take a few passes around the falls for pictures but they do take you directly under the falls where you will get 100% drenched. They do give you a dry bag for belongings but since I imagine they don't let you on naked you are going to be spending the rest of the day a bit soggy and it just didn't really appeal to me.
Salto Arrechea I had originally planned on doing but checking the weather forecast the day before I knew this might be one thing to be cut if needed and unfortunately I got rained out so I didn't do this part.
Salto Arrechea seemed to me like one of those things that is more about the journey than the destination, one way it is a 3.5 km (2.1 m) hike. From pictures the falls looked nice, but not "can't miss". Depending on weather, temperature, time of arrival and fitness level, I'd keep this one in your back pocket and plan everything around the stuff listed above and fit this in where you can.
Ending the Day
The park closes at 6 pm, so if the weather is good, you have plenty of time to do it all, even if you take your time, and even if you do the boat ride and Salto Arrechea.
To catch my flight, I had to leave by 4:30. I saw the first three spots, and while it was sprinkling all day, after lunch there was just a downpour that lasted two hours. I was kinda stranded at the restaurant killing time, but I wasn't really upset. I wasn't super pumped about the last fall anyway, so I still left happy.
They do sell a two-day pass, but I can't imagine why anyone who puts in an iota of planning would need a second day here.
One final word of warning. I had a tougher time getting back than expected. I figured there would be tons of taxis waiting at the gate but there weren't. I did have the guy's number who brought me so I texted him and he said he couldn't make.
After wandering around a bit, I did find a stand all the way down on the end, that isn't marked, that was able to set me up a ride. I got back to Buenos Aires just in time to see the Jaguars Preseason opener!
One of the smaller falls in the jungle
Did you know that if your tourist attraction isn't listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, you can just make up a new list?
How quick it goes from pleasant stream to terrifying monster