Changing our scenery and climate once more, my mom and I left the desert landscapes of Mendoza for the tropical jungle: Puerto Iguazu, home to the famous Iguazu Falls, recently voted one of the World’s 7 Natural Wonders.
It was a bumpy ride there, with some turbulence (never my favourite), so I was rather overjoyed when we came in to land, with just greenery stretching as far as I could see, and the mist of the falls rising up in the distance. We were both lucky and unlucky with the weather – it was raining, in fact it had been raining for about a week solid, and would continue to do so for another week. The plus side to this, was that the temperature was lovely – not too humid, and very comfortable.
We were taken to our accommodation in town, a lovely B&B / Inn, with a relaxed feel, and plenty of tropical vegetation to remind us we were now in the jungle. Shortly after arriving, we were met by the representative of the tour company we were doing the our tours with. Sitting on the deck with a welcome Caipirinha, and some local chocolates, she talked us through the next two days’ activities. I was particularly excited about the prospect of taking a boat ride the next day that dips you right under the falls. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be on the cards for me, as I would later find out…
Tired, mom and I had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant and an early night. When we woke up, our good luck for the trip ran out. Not only was it raining, mom’s flu that she’d had before she left for Argentina came back with a vengeance, and I hadn’t been cautious enough with the water, and was instantly searching for my immodium tablets…
But we weren’t about to give up the opportunity to see the incredible Iguazu Falls, so we pushed through. Thankfully the rain abated once we arrived to Iguazu Falls National Park (on the Argentine side). Plus we had a great guide, and a lovely small group with us, and everyone was relaxed, taking a slow pace around the park’s many footpaths. I got myself a gatorade and tried to coax the life back into myself, motivated by my determination to see every inch of the falls I could to make the most of this opportunity.
And so we set off, on the park’s train and then along the river walkways, moving closer to the thunder and mist. Now I’ve been lucky enough to visit Victoria Falls, so I’ve seen impressive waterfalls. While Victoria Falls boasts the longest falls, Iguazu lays claim to being the widest, with a whole 2.7km of falls, stretching between Argentina and Brazil, with some 275 individual falls. The majority of the falls are on Argentina’s side, but Brazil has the majority of the big one: Devil’s Throat. While Victoria Falls are stunning, the sheer scope of Iguazu Falls (or Cataratas del Iguazu), is on another scale entirely, and I was blown away.
The pathways on Argentina’s side take you along the top of the falls, and to the bottom of some of the smaller ones. You used to be able to walk all the way to the top of Devil’s Throat, but they had record floods earlier this year, which destroyed the walkway. The pictures are incredible, it’s difficult to believe how much water there was, especially considering while we were there, the river was pretty high because of all the rain. You could still see some of the damage from the flood. The fluctuations here in the amount of water are surreal, with the falls reduced to a mere trickle one year because of a drought, and then extreme floods another. You can tell the state of the river by the colour of the water – the browner it is, the higher the water levels, because of the additional sediment that gets washed down. At other times of the year, it is much more blue and clear.
It’s difficult to truly describe the falls. They are just awe-inspiring, in their size, and power. It was amazing to see them from so many angles, including going right up to the edge of the bottom of one, and getting completely soaked. The park itself is also a wonder of its own, with all the wildlife. We saw vultures, a toucan, plenty of other birds, an iguana and the thieving coatí. These deceivingly cute little creatures, similar to a raccoon, are clever and naughty little buggers. They know where the food is and will unabashedly steal anything unattended (or even try and grab it right from under your nose). We even saw one stick its paws (or rather, claws) into a woman’s handbag. There are signs all over the park warning visitors to not get too close to these critters, because their claws can (and have) caused serious damage to people who tried to get too friendly or between the coatí and its food. Looking at their talons, I was very wary indeed. Luckily the other animals were a bit friendlier, such as the beautiful exotic butterflies, who like to land on people, attracted by sweat.
I was so preoccupied with taking in the falls and the wildlife, that I managed to forget about how terrible I was feeling. Although, I decided not to take the boat trip, since the rapids and the dunking under the falls would have been tempting fate a bit. I was quite disappointed, since this was the once thing everyone had told me I had to do.
After many hours wandering around the various areas of the park and falls, we got back to the hotel (after a winding drive to drop off two of the girls on the tour at their hotel deep in the jungle, with a driver who did not believe in taking the winding corners gently). Mom and I both crawled to our bed upstairs and slept the rest of the afternoon. Upon waking, neither of us could summon the energy (or the appetite) to go find food, so we picked at our well-stocked mini-bar and felt sorry for ourselves. Here we were in an amazing place, and we were confined to our bed! But since we had the Brazilian side waiting the next day, we tried to recover as much as we could.
We woke, still feeling fragile, and the weather still raining down on us. Luckily it was just a short hop over the border and into the Brazilian National Park. The drawcard of Brazil’s side is that you get a great view over the whole falls. The combination of the cloudy weather and the amount of mist from the very powerful falls meant that the view was slightly obscured, making photographs a bit difficult. But we still got an incredible sense of the size of the falls, fully appreciating their width for the first time.
On the Brazilian side, the park’s walking paths are much shorter, winding down from the panoramic lookout point, meandering towards the pinnacle of the falls: Devil’s Throat. Here you can venture out on a walkway which takes you to the bottom of one part of the falls, while standing above another, and looking right into the throat of Devil’s Throat. Not for the faint hearted since you’re at the top and bottom edge of two separate falls, surrounded by a couple of thousand cubic tonnes of thundering water. Needless to say, it was a pretty thorough soaking, but an exhilarating experience to be surrounded by so much natural power.
Overall, I’d say that to get a proper sense of the falls, you should visit both sides of the falls. But, I enjoyed Argentina’s side more, just because it is a more complete experience, with more to see and do. Of course, we were there on a Friday when it was quieter, whereas Brazil on a Saturday morning was packed with people. It’s also a much quicker experience, as you only spend roughly two hours in the park. Argentina’s side also hosts more activities, such as boat rides to the falls, and jeep trails and jungle safaris in the large park.
Back to the hotel for a quick change, we both finally felt up for some food, so we wandered into town to grab a meal before our flight. While I was looking forward to being back in my own bed (even though I was starting to feel much better at this point), I was reluctant to leave, since arriving back to Buenos Aires meant that our holiday was at an end and mom would be returning to South Africa three days later.
Unable to stop time, we arrived back to Buenos Aires to more bad weather, bringing the rain with us. Which, despite all the things I had wanted to do with mom on that last Sunday, worked out well, since she was still feeling sick, and we could have a relaxed day, recovering and bonding. Considering how much we’d packed in during our two weeks travelling, I think the scaled back pace was much needed, especially since it was back to work for me on Monday!
It was an incredible vacation, and so varied, going from alpine mountains and lakes, to desert and winelands, to the jungle. Along the way, we managed to tick off many must-do Argentine foods and drinks, as well as experiences. Hopefully mom left feeling like she knew my adopted country a little bit better. As for me, I had the perfect excuse to do more travelling and spend time with my mom, so needless to say, I was very happy indeed!
Nix Travels 