Iguazu Falls on the Argentine side

We caught the bus to the Argentine side of the falls from our nearby bus station at 0820 and arrived at the park headquarters around 0900.  It wasn’t much shorter than the journey to the Brazilian park.  The bus ride cost more than the one to the Brazilian side, probably due to lack of competition.

There was a short queue for the tickets; it wasn’t as high-tech as the Brazil side which had kiosks with card payment terminals.  They cashier required ID with credit card payment but I hadn’t brought any form of ID.  Fortunately, he wasn’t too strict about it.  Whew!

Instead of the long fast-moving queue on the Brazil side, we were issued queue-management tickets for the toy-train for the internal train.  It meant that we could sit and relax until boarding time for the 0930 train.  The Argentine side had a National Park feel without the Disney-glitz but it was still very well-run.

It took us two trains with an interchange (requiring a separate ticket/wait) meaning that we got to the walkway to Devil’s Throat around 1030.  By this time yesterday, we had finished all our sightseeing on the Brazil side!  So I guess you could say that buses are more efficient that trains but the Argentine side is more complex with more points of interest.

Three walking circuits

The walkway to Devils’ Throat was impressive, comprising of galvanised steel walkways across the apparently calm slow-moving river.  It was a long zig-zagging walk which eventually took us to the edge of the gushing falls.  It is so amazing that one could contemplate standing in one corner of the water but only a few metres, one would face certain death.

We took the train back to the central station where we had changed trains.  The weather had warmed up nicely and we had blue skies.  It wasn’t unpleasant in my longs but I had to take my second layer off eventually.

From here, we started the Upper Circuit walk where we could see the view of the various falls ahead laid out in a curve.  Upon completing this, it was a hard decision as to we should do the Lower Circuit first or have lunch.  We settled on lunch first and at 1230 it was busy and getting busier.

The Lower Circuit gave us a lower view of the panorama but also brought us close-up against gushing falls.

Text continues after this gallery.

Speedboat ride

After the walks, we had some time for a rest before changing into lighter clothes for our speedboat ride which we were told would drench us completely. So we came prepared with light clothing and small towels.

At 1515, we boarded trucks with seats on the back deck to the river side.  Along the 25 min ride, the guide gave a good nature narrative.  I learnt a few things:

• Wild animals roam these parkland; the park was closed to visitors for two days when a puma was roaming in the vicinity.
• They have tapirs here too; they’re not just confined to Malaya.
• The local plants include a sour orange.  There is a papaya-like fruit that is spicy!

Safety appeared to be taken seriously for the speed-boat ride into the falls.  Our life vests were checked.  We were issued with drybags for our cameras and bags.

We travelled upstream to the falls and Isla San Martin.  We were given a view of the area before being asked to put our stuff in the drybags.  We went left of Isla San Martin to Tres Mosqueteros where we pulled into the mist and then the water.  We were completely drenched.

The floor of the boat filled up a little but there must have been drainage.  We continued to the right of Isla San Martin to Mbigua falls where we repeated the baptism.  Due to popular request, we had two drenching here before we returned back to our starting point cold and shivering.

We rushed for the toilets to dry ourselves and change.  In my haste, I dropped all my smaller money on the floor but fortunately the next person pointed it out to me.  I’m the careful type but I still make mistakes especially in rushed circumstances.

We were finished at 1700.  The public bus back to town were plentiful and they didn’t stick to the scheduled interval of 20 mins apart.   We were back in our room before 1800 after nearly 10 hours out.

Text continues after this gallery.

Tips

• The Brazil side of the falls provides a good overview and panorama, even though it is far from some falls and obstructed by Isla San Martin.  The Argentine side provides a panorama too but perhaps not as all-encompassing.  What it does provide is good up-close views!
• So, if you had to choose due to limited time, spend a full day (two nights, one before and after) on the Argentine side (incidentally, everything is cheaper on this side too).  I suppose one could try to just stay one night beforehand and fly out in the evening after the sightseeing.