The bus to Iguazu Falls was our longest yet. The waterfalls are quite a distance from the main travel routes of South America with Rio de Janerio and Buenos Aires being 24 hours away by road. It was inevitable that if Iguazu was on the cards then so too was a lengthy bus journey to get there. Surprisingly, as a whole, we’ve found night buses to be more tolerable then expected. Doesn’t exactly equate to the best night’s sleep but they are great way of travelling long distances while allowing more days for exploration. What’s not pleasant however is waking up from a night spent on a bus and then facing a further full day of travel, as was the case with our bus to Iguazu. However, needs must and despite the distance, Iguazu Falls was most certainly worth the journey to get there.
If visiting the falls you’ve two options of where to stay – the town of Puerto Iguazu on the Argentinian side or the city of Foz do Iguaçu on the Brazilian side. Regardless of where you choose, it is easy to visit both sides of the falls from either place. Logistically it made the most sense for us to stay on the Argentinian side because we were entering and leaving from Argentina.
The centrally located bus station was minutes walk from Garden Stone hostel where we stayed for three nights. On our first night, tired and hungry from busing, we dropped our bags and quickly sought out somewhere tasty for dinner. We found ourselves in ‘La Vaca Enamorada’ tucking into a mammoth steak, simple garden salad and oven potatoes. We didn’t know it at the time but it turned out to be the best steak we had during our four week stay in Argentina (after lots of steak we didn’t arrive at this declaration lightly!).
The next morning after a slow start we made our way back to the bus station. We bought tickets to the Brazilian side with Rio Uruguay. The bus departs every 40 minutes. The border crossing was simple and quick. The bus waits at both border crossings for the passengers. One thing we neglected to account for was the one hour time difference in simply crossing the threshold of Brazil. We still were left with the whole afternoon at the falls but it is something to consider. The Brazilian side gives visitors a panoramic view of the falls. Not as up close and personal as the Argentinian side but gives a better opportunity of taking in the sheer expanse of the 275 falls. The bus from the park entrance brings you right up to the main Brazilian viewpoints or you can get off earlier and amble along the walkway taking in the number of different vantage points and perspectives of the waterfalls. The only thing detracting from the view was the muddy brown colour of the water (result of years of deforestation up-stream) and the coatis (raccoon like rodents) which persistently tried to make off with people’s lunches. A half a day is sufficient to spend at the Brazilian side as the walkway is much shorter and the vantage points fewer than the other side.
The following day we headed to the Argentinian side. Again, we purchased tickets from Rio Uruguay. For this side of the falls the bus departs every 20 minutes from Puerto Iguazu. If you only have one day to spend at the falls then we felt the Argentinian side gives a better experience as you get to walk under, over and into the many falls that cascade into the river below. Consisting of several different trails we spent the entire day wandering the fringes of the many waterfalls getting intermittently soaked. Unfortunately, the day we visited the island of San Martin in the middle of the river was inaccessible because the water levels were too high but the small Argentinian island offers another trail and viewpoint. We also optioned for the additional boat ride. It’s expensive at €28 per person considering the thrill ride lasts a mere 15 minutes but we had a good laugh all while getting thoroughly drenched from the spray. We ended the day with the Devil’s Throat trail. This walkway extends to the cliff edge and the epicentre of the falls where the largest volume of water is channeled over the edge. Standing on the cusp it’s hard not to be in awe as you rainbow watch to the thundering sound of water disappearing below.
The next morning we took the airport shuttle to the small domestic airport to Iguazu and flew with Aerolineas Argentinas to Buenos Aires. Costing only a €100 more than anther 24 hour bus it was money well spent because by early afternoon we were sampling the delights of the capital. The falls are an unmissable part of any South American trip, raw, untamed nature at the meeting point of three countries.
