In the wee hours of the morning – realistically about 8am – we left civilisation as we knew it in Buenos Aires and flew into Iguazú Falls. We spent three days staring in awe at one of the largest waterfalls in the world, two from the Argentinean side and one from the Brazilian. Our itinerary was so packed over this time that this post is arriving a few days late but here is a quick recap on our adventures from the Argentinean border.
I was told our hotel had a fantastic view but I was not expecting this. Walking through the front doors of the Gran Meliá you’re immediately greeted with an uninterrupted view of the gushing waterfalls and rainforest. There’s even an infinity pool outside that will let you get the perfect holiday shot to post on Instagram if that piques your interest further. Two hotels operate within the National Parks here, one from the Argentinian side and one from the Brazilian. However, the Gran Meliá is the only resort that provides you with a direct view of the falls, including from your room!
The difference in climate between Buenos Aires and Iguazú was quite significant as we’d been snatched from a hot dry city to a humid rainforest. We could see a constant cloud of mist floating up from the falls and this was only a hint at what was to come when we got closer. Even though all the walks on offer would take us an hour or two, we would usually find ourselves in the pool with a drink at the end of the day – perfect.
It was a two hour flight into Iguazu from Buenos Aires which gave us enough time to walk one of the three circuits on offer. The advantage of staying right at the falls meant being able to step outside right as the park opened or as it was closing when the crowds were low. Our guide recommended we hike the Upper Circuit that afternoon as most tourists will be preoccupied with the famous Devil’s Throat. As I’m writing this after our visit I can definitely say this was the best approach and kept us out of the way of an infinite number of Go-Pros, selfie sticks and family photos.
The Upper Circuit placed us at eye level with many of the ‘smaller’ falls (they were all very impressive) that frame the Devil’s Throat and curl around the cliffs. There were other people on the trail but it was fairly quiet, everyone understood how important this place is. The rainforest was such a vibrant green and a very welcome change from the harsh droughts and bushfires in Australia. The roar of the falls would get closer every minute and it became second nature to point out the next rainbow. The Upper Circuit guided us past many waterfalls and across the Iguazú River before ending at the powerful Salto San Martín. Every track is accessible by wheelchair and new offshoots from the main drag are being added regularly so everyone has the chance to see as much as possible. It was beginning to get difficult to limit the number of photos I was taking, let alone delete any, as there’s picture-perfect scenes in every direction.
We were incredibly lucky with the wildlife we saw from the Argentinean side as well. We’re animal people so you might be able to imagine us walking around with binoculars in our hands and getting excited about spotting a colourful butterfly or bird. What we didn’t expect – and later learned to be an exceptionally rare encounter – was spotting a capybara! These guys are the largest aquatic rodents, very smart and very social. On our 2018 trip with Classic Safari Company to the Peruvian Amazon we had counted ourselves lucky to see a small group from afar. However, this individual was particularly calm; totally unphased by tourists and the possibility of hurtling down over the edge of the waterfall. Over the course of these two days we also spotted a wild toucan, a caiman, lizards the size of goannas and plenty of colourful birds and insects. A tribe of monkeys had moved in next to the hotel so we often caught them trying to open our balcony doors as they had learnt to go straight to the mini bar!
The coatis (pronounced co-ah-tees) may have been shrugged off as pests by the staff but these little mammals were certainly our favourites. In the evenings as we returned from our last activities for the day we would spot a few coatis emerging from the bushes, then pairs of juveniles, then whole families until the track would be home to several dozen of the little things. Their long noses give them a very strong sense of smell so they were keen to sniff any backpack they could get near – a secret trick for close up photos! There was never any aggression between tourists and coatis and they understood that if a backpack was out of reach then they’d have to move on. They certainly had enough food already as the citrus trees would drop plenty of fruit for them.
We were able to sleep in until 7AM the following morning (very ironic) and walk the Lower Circuit. We’d successfully dodged the crowds, most of whom were travelling from outside the National Park and heading straight to the Devil’s Throat. This was a good tip from our guide and also saved us from the intense heat and humidity that sets in as the day progresses.
The Lower Circuit, directly translated from Spanish as ‘Inferior’, was arguably the more impressive trail around the falls. We were the only people around for most of the morning so we could peacefully wonder through the rainforest and shamelessly grab the occasional selfie from the viewing platforms. This circuit placed us at eye-level with individual streams of falls as well as larger sheets and sections of Iguazú. We had great views of the forest which culminated with a viewing platform right at the base of part of the Salto San Martín waterfall. I was learning that waterfalls are not easy things to photograph and yourself and camera will be dripping in mist within seconds!
Later that morning we were booked in for a jet boat ride around the river. We were loaded into a small roofless Jeep and bounced over a narrow track through the jungle to reach the shore. Everyone was encouraged to take their shoes and socks off and store them in the waterproof tarp bags handed out to us. We thought this was complete overkill for the brief spray we’d be receiving from the falls but we went along with their suggestion. Our fellow passengers had taken the seats at the back so we grabbed spots right at the front. Little did we know how wet we would get and how important that waterproof bag would be …
The boat flew over the water, spinning round corners and pulling up in front of some spectacular waterfall views. I thought I was pretty clever putting my phone in a plastic ziplock bag to keep it waterproof and at that point it was sufficient. The driver directed us over to a few curtains of water and prepared us to get soaked. Yeah right, we thought, some heavy misting.
The driver nudged the nose forward, another staff member took out a GoPro, everything went white and the whole boat screamed. We were absolutely drenched! The falling water was so heavy it was difficult to imagine how little sparrows and swallows dive in and out of it every day. Everyone yelled for an encore and we went through the whole procedure several times. I was realising my phone probably wouldn’t survive in its cheap ziplock bag so I hurriedly slipped it into the tarp satchel between dunkings. This was also one fo the first boats to go out in the morning and a good way to keep cool as the humidity set in. We’re not usually one of those families but we thought the Go-Pro video must be hilarious so we bought a cop. I recommend bringing a bottle of water and some pesos with you to save yourself from more expensive charges in US dollars for the boat ride.
We quickly dried off on the trip back in the Jeep and readied ourselves for the last adventure of the day, a train ride to and walk around the Devil’s Throat. The station was well within walking distance from our hotel and built specifically for the small slow open carriages you might see around zoos. A few coatis hung around expecting a snack. We caught one of the last trains of the day, an option that isn’t available to most people staying outside of the park as they will have to travel at least one hour to the National Park. So again, we had missed the crowds and the very worst of the heat. The boardwalks are never longer than a couple of kilometres but you’re easily slowed by other tourists and the sheer beauty around you.
After two days of being soaked by waterfalls, I still thought my phone would survive outside the ziplock bag. It was certainly fine when we walked through the rainforest and across parts of the river that were so still you could see your reflection in them very clearly. Just a few metres away from this tranquility was the Devil’s Throat. The noise it made was unbelievable, it just thundered without relent. The sheer quantity of water pouring over was impossible to comprehend and it all seemed to disappear into a white cloud of oblivion. There was rainbows too and we could see smaller groups of falls winding round the cliffs from the Throat. The power of this waterfall certainly meant it could release some mist – within seconds we had to wipe the water from our faces to see clearly. My phone lasted a few minutes before I stowed it in the safety of my backpack. Sometimes its best to forget the camera altogether and really tune in to what’s happening around you. I was just as likely to drop it over the edge anyway.
I’m writing this post from Chilean Patagonia where the wifi isn’t fantastic and we are hiking most of the day and evening as it doesn’t get dark until 11PM. I’ve uploaded plenty of photos and videos of the best waterfalls from the Argentinean side on Instagram as I’ll be restricted as how to much I can post here. I don’d think I would be particularly popular in the lodge here if I blew the Internet! Look out for the next post recapping Iguazú Falls from the Brazilian side, coming to a screen near you soon …
Gab Gets Lost 