We knew from the outset that the Iguazu Falls were a “must do” in our Argentinian itinerary. We were picked up from the small airport on arrival. The delightful Danny explained in his Spanglish that he could actually drive us across to the Brazilian side of the Iguaçu Falls that afternoon, for we arrived around 10am so still had most of the day to play with. At $100 pesos we thought it sounded good and on arrival at our accommodation Marie, our hostess, encouraged us to go since we had afternoon spare and that apparently was sufficient time to spend at the Parque Nacional Do Iguaçu, Brasil.
Brazilian balcony tooking to Devil's Throat
Danny took us across the border, with a stop at Passport control to complete a form and get our passports stamped. He dropped us off at the Parque das Aves forest aviary, and we were in such a daze we paid the fee and went for a wander,… if you are a bird watcher then this is a great place for you. Although we saw some fabulous Tucans (one of my favourites) I could have done without it. One suggestion, don’t eat there!
We crossed the road and walked to the visitor centre for the Brazilian experience of the Iguacu Falls. We were impressed by the organization and facilities provided from the outset. You board an open topped bus which makes stops along the route so you can do various walks and boat trips in the park, all options clearly marked on the map provided.
We hopped off the bus and could see across to the Argentinian side to some thin waterfalls and started to think this was going to be a disappointment, so headed straight for the main sight, the Devil’s Throat, via the Espaco Taroba. We were AMAZED! We couldn’t hear the falls at all initially so thought that the wee stragglers of falls we saw were going to be it… Couldn’t be more wrong!
Brazilian falls leading to devil's throat
The main balcony takes you out past falls on the Brazilian side and then lets you look up to the Devil’s Throat, also building anticipation as you see the balcony that is over the top of the Devil’s Throat on the Argentinian side.
There is debate about which side is best, and which side is a must. To me, if you can, I would endeavour to do both! The Brazilian side gives you the full perspective of the falls, and lets you see just how vast and extensive they are, whereas the Argentinian side lets you experience the falls, appreciate them from right on top of them, and also gives you the best idea of the full power of all that water tumbling into the Devil’s Throat. There is a great walk running along the riverside which gives spectacular views up to the Devil’s Throat and across to all the waterfalls on the Argentinian side which is certainly worth spending your time doing, with occasional stops for refreshment, admiring the many butterflies and tarantulas!
We spent the afternoon on the Brazilian side of the falls, being picked up by Danny at 5pm feeling that this was sufficient and happy with our afternoon at the falls, cataratas, in Brazil. Fabulous.
Have a look at a brief film I took from the balcony in Brazil on you tube
The Falls
