Straddling the Argentina and Brazil border is Iguazu Falls, a natural collection of waterfalls that make Niagara Falls look like a drop in the bucket! Prior to visiting, I did QUITE a bit of research on the falls, and one of the ongoing debates is which side (Argentinean or Brazilian) provides the best views and experience of the falls. Unfortunately, I do not believe there is one answer for this. Rather, one must separate the components of this debate. In my opinion, the best VIEWS of the falls are captured from the Brazilian side, and the best EXPERIENCE with the falls is afforded on the Argentinean side. However, I am convinced that a "total" experience of the falls includes both the Argentinean and Brazilian sides AND an aerial tour! In this post, I'll layout some general aspects of my 3-days and 2-nights visit to the area. Subsequent posts will focus on specific activities that I conducted.
Both sides of the falls have entire communities that thrive from tourism. Although Foz do Iguacu (Brazil) is MUCH larger than Puerto Iguazu (Argentina), both cities are serviced by their own airports. Because I was traveling from Buenos Aires, I found it FAR more cost effective to fly into Puerto Iguazu and simply take a taxi to my hotel in downtown Foz do Iguacu, than to fly directly into Foz. Interestingly, this decision proved to be TREMENDOUSLY providential, as it afforded me the opportunity to meet Walter, a local taxi driver who would ultimately help to make my experience in the area absolutely fantastic!
I met Walter outside of the airport in Argentina. My original plan was to check-in to my hotel, then head to the Brazilian side of the falls. All of my research suggested that I could appropriately see the Brazilian side in a few hours, while the Argentinean side required an entire day. Having arrived in the early afternoon on Wednesday, if I could knock out the Brazilian side that day, I could spend all day Thursday on the Argentinean side. I was scheduled to leave the area and continue on to Sao Paulo on Friday afternoon. So, if I needed to re-visit the Brazilian side, I could do so that morning.
After explaining all of this to Walter, he suggested a slight modification to my schedule. With weather in the area being DANGEROUSLY unpredictable, and a storm appearing to be moving towards the falls, Walter suggested that we go directly to the falls. While I was touring the falls, he would wait for me. Then, I could proceed to my hotel. Although a bit skeptical about leaving my things with a complete stranger, I decided to take him up on the offer. Just as I boarded the bus to go into the park, the weather suddenly changed, and the storm was upon me! However, I quickly learned that flash storms are a daily occurrence at that time of year. The storm lasted about 30-min or so, but once it was over, the sun came out, and I enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL afternoon at the falls! (I'll share pics from my tour of the falls in my next post.)
After touring the falls, Walter was there to ferry me to my hotel. I opted to stay in Foz, because it just seemed to have more to offer, in terms of things to do. I considered staying at the hotel inside the park on the Brazilian side, but the rates were UNREAL! Ultimately, I'm quite pleased with my choice in hotel. I stayed at the Best Western Hotel Taroba Express and found it to be neat and relatively well located.
On the drive to the hotel, Walter provided me with a few options for the remainder of my time in the area. Thursday would be JAM-PACKED full of activities, beginning with a tour of the Argentinean side of the falls, followed by a boat cruise, and finishing up with a song and dance show. Finally, Friday morning (after having seen and experienced both sides of the falls) I would take a helicopter tour over the falls just before catching my flight to Sao Paulo...how exciting!
