The Iguazu Falls (Catacares Iguazu) always been an attraction, being one of the largest Waterfalls on Earth. Even before they were voted, to become a Nature World Wonder. As the Iguazu Falls are located almost dead smack in the middle of South America, they are not the most accessible Tourist Attraction in South America.
At some point on your travels you’ll probably ask yourself; is really work travelling all that Distance? I do have to admit, I did not think about this too much. After seeing pictures from a friend who had taken a trip through South America and they looked so amazing and breathtaking, that I knew I had to go. The distance just did not matter. However the reality is that, yes it is far, but to go anywhere in Argentina you’ll cover large distances. Probably taking a couple of Night Busses along the way. Sadly the Busses are also NOT as cheap as you may expect. Argentina is one of the most expensive Country (besides Chile) in South America. A plus side to this all the Busses are comfortable, and serve food. Try to get the Front Seat on the Top and you can even stretch out your legs fully, making a Semi-Cama quite comfortable.
The Bus from Colonia, Uruguay to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina was an interesting Trip. In South America Time is only a matter of relevance, and much more relaxed than Germans. For this reason I arrived in Puerto Iguazu (the town on the Argentina side closest to the Iguazu Waterfalls), 3.5 hours later than planned. Resulting in a two night stay, rather than only one night.
Once in Puerto Iguazu I realized that the Catacares Iguazu are a lot more commercialized than I thought. They where acctually in a National Park. I honestly didn’t realize they where in a National Park with an entrance fee. This kinda spoiled the whole idea of the Falls for me, but really it was too late, as I was already there. So why not see what all the Hype was all about?
The first afternoon I spend, arranging tickets, figuring out where to go and how to get there. But to make this whole process a lot more simple, just head to the Bus Station and go to in Tourist Information, here you will get all the information that you require.
Here is a quick overview, for a Day at the Park:
- The Buses to the Argentina Falls Park goes every 20 minutes starting at 6:30 am.
- The Bus Trip takes 30 minutes, return price of the Bus is $100 (ARS Pesos).
- However the park does not open until 8 AM.
- At the tourist information you also get the chance to pre-buy your boat ticket.
There are different packages, depending on the length of the trip. The most popular one is the 20 minute Boat ride, which will take you extremely close to the Waterfalls, and you are going to be completely soaked. This Boat trip cost $260 (ARG Pesos). It was a lot of good fun!
(The Voucher you receive from the Tourist Information, you’ll have to trade at the Jungle Tours in the morning, but IMPORTANT you get to skip the line.) - The Entrance Fee into the Park is $160 (ARS Pesos).
I honestly don’t think it matters which day you go to the Park or when, it will always be full.
What to bring in your Day pack to the Iguazu National Park?
The food at the park is not cheap, I would recommend being a packed lunch and enjoy it in the Sun somewhere along the Waterfalls, as I am sure you will most likely not see them so quickly again. A Towel could also be very useful especially if you plan on taking the boat ride, but your most likely to also get wet on the walkway which can be quite refreshing on a sunny warm day. If you’re not a fan of getting wet a Poncho or Raincoat could be a good investment.
Thoughts of the night before, visiting the Iguazu Waterfalls.
Pretty much from the evening before my alarms where on alert, I wondered if the park, that is a National Park, would be full what it will be like, I honestly did not like the Idea of it being a Park, where I just knew there would be loads of people, and you’d feel like a bunch of Cattle being pushed through the park. In the morning when I arrived at the park, all of my fears were confirmed. There where crowds everywhere, I just through oh boy this will be fun! Somehow I had this small feeling that it was like I was standing in front of an Amusement Park, ready for the adventure to begin!
A day at the Iguazu Falls Amusement National Park:
Taking the advice from the nice gentleman at the Tourist Information Centre in Puerto Iguazu. He said that the Train to the Devils Throat is best done in the Afternoon as the Light would be better than in the morning, and the most crowds would be avoided. The Lower Walk should be second, and this resulted in the Upper Walk being the first of the list of things to do. Although there where suppose to be less crowds, there where masses of people everywhere, I felt like being a part of a Cattle herd at this point and didn’t enjoy my self much. It was just not my idea of Fun. It was a good 20 minute Walk to the first Viewpoint of the Waterfalls, and this moment changed everything. I think I had a huge grin on my face. Although I had been to the Niagara Falls previously these where nothing compared to the Catacares Iguazu.
Seeing the masses of Water that storm down is quite impressive and absolutely breathtaking. Somehow I also appreciated the National Park at this moment. Not only do the Walkways protect the enviroment from the crowds of people, but it also kept them safe. It would be a huge liability if someone tumbled across by “accident”.
Throughout the day the amazement just did not seem to stop, the tonnes of water that fell down those Waterfalls was amazement pure, but also the size of the Waterfalls. Incredible!
It sounds so lame but I really can’t get over the masses of Water that tumble-down per second, and the number of Waterfalls that are lined up along beside each other. All wanting to get to the lowest point. It really is a Nature World Wonder. Of course with the spray of Water there is no way you are NOT going to get wet, especially on the Lower Fall Walk. Here you can be amazed by the force the Waterfalls smash into the water surface.
The day has a lot to offer, with a lot of things that came totally unexpected. For example these cute Capachino Monkeys (the first Monkey’s I saw in the wild.) or these Codies, who really are the Celebrities of the Park. They are running around everywhere, and reminders everywhere neither to feed the Monkeys or the Codies as they BITE! There even is some Bird life (whose name I do not know). As you can see there is so much more to explore and see than just the Waterfalls in the Iguazu National Park.
The Lower Falls Walk is the start of the Boat Ride. :ike I had predicted, after the Boat Ride I was pretty soaked, but I would honestly further recommend it. It was just fun and impressive to see the Waterfalls so up close and personal. The first minutes you get to enjoy the scenery and the feel of the falls. Before they tell you to put everything away, especially your Cameras. Only a few minutes after you will be completely soaked. It was such a thrill, and I am very glad I ended up doing it. Remember if you don’t fancy getting wet, wear a Poncho or just wear your Bading Suit.
In the Afternoon; the Train ride to the Devils Throat felt like the perfect ending to a Day at the Waterpark (wait Waterfalls). Apparently all the Tour groups go in the Morning, but even so it was incredible busy and you had to push your self through in order to get a good view. The pushing is worst it though. Up until this point I was already amazed by the amount of Water that was tumbling down in the other parts but I was so proven wrong. The highlight of the Argentina Side honestly is the Devils Throught.
All along the Walkway to the Devil Through there where beautiful Butterflies. There are so many on the Railing, because they are attracted to the Sweat, maybe one will even land on your Hand. There are some that are extremely beautiful. However the ULTIMATE highlight of the day was a beautiful Toucan that was sitting in a tree. I don’t know that anything can top that really. Seeing a Toucan is another one of those things you don’t really expect to see in the Wild. It was so unexpected.
Even though the Iguazu Falls are crowed, they are in a National Park, that feels a little like an Amusement Park, I am so glad that I went. It was not cheap to go, but so well worth it. It was absolutely amazing to see, and truly a Natures World Wonder. All in all you should go!
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