Argentina days 18-22: Iguazú and Buenos Aires

Before we chose Argentina as our destination, Martin said that if we ever decided to go to Argentina, he definitely wanted to see Iguazu Falls. So this was on the top of our list, when we planned our itinerary. I visited with my parents on our trip around Argentina and Brazil in 2009, but remembering the overwhelming beauty of the place, he did not have to convince me.

We stayed in Puerto Iguazú on the Argentinian side of the border and used this as our base to go to the falls. The town itself is very obviously centered around tourism and is not charming at all. We stayed at the Grand Crucero Iguazú Hotel, which is in the outskirts of the city, but within walking distance to the center – it took us around 30 min. A very nice four-star hotel with a rooftop pool, and very luxurious compared to the places we normally stay, but we felt like indulging.

We arranged with the taxi driver that drove us from the airport to also take us to the falls the following days. It cost 600 pesos to the Brazilian side and 500 to the Argentinian national park.

The first day we went to the brazilian side, where we started out with a helicopter ride over the falls. What an experience! It was absolutely amazing, this being the first time ever flying a helicopter for the both of us, it was a thrill just to try that and the views over the falls was stunning.

We then did the Macuco Safari, which starts with a quick trail through the forests that ends at the waterside. We were then taken by boat up the river through the canyon facing the rapids until reaching falls where you stop for a few minutes to enjoy the view. The boat continues to one of the falls called “The Three Musketeers” where we were taken for a “waterfall bath”, which is basically going as close to the fall as possible, ensuring that everyone gets completely soaked. It was great fun and gives you an amazing sense of the powerful forces of the water masses.
See a glimpse of both helicopter and boat ride on my video.

The last part of the day we spent on the catwalks and trails that gives great panoramic views of the Argentinian side of the falls before ending up in front of biggest of them all: Devil’s Throat.

The second day we went to the Iguazú National Park on the Argentinian side. We went there early to avoid the crowds. We first took the Lower Circuit trail that, as the name also suggests, goes furthest down along the river bank, ending up at the Bosetti Waterfall where there’s also great views of San Martín Island and the impressive Devil’s Throat and its typical mist can be seen at the far.

We continued on the Upper Circuit trail that starts with a panoramic view of the semicircular chain that begins at Dos Hermanas Waterfalls, going through Chico, Ramírez, Bosetti, Adán y Eva, and Bernabé Méndez Waterfalls, ending at Mbiguá Waterfall lookout as a first stop. Again as the name implies, this path is characterized by having its trails set on top of the waterfalls edge, which allows a vertical view from the top – really impressive.

To go to the Devil’s Throat you have to take a train and of course the line was endless. I think we waited around an hour, which was a complete waste of time since the actual train ride is only 15 min. and the train runs about the same speed as you could walk yourself! From where the train stops, there’s a gangway leading to the balcony that faces the waterfall. I remember this walk a thrilling experience, walking through the rainforest and above the river getting closer and closer to the mist and steam coming from the Devil’s Throat, but I was quite disappointed because it was filled with tourists, so instead of it being a scenic stroll along the gangway, it was a rush trying not to collide with other people going back.

The gangway ends at a balcony, from where you can look over the huge wall of water of Devil’s Throat. Just the roaring sound of the fall is enough to impress. Sadly, the hordes of tourists kills some if the sensation, making it hard to actually find a spot from where you can get a decent shot of the entire fall. Devil’s Throat is still very impressive, but the panoramic views you get from the lower circuit was still my favorite of the day.

Before flying back to Copenhagen, we had one more full day in Buenos Aires, where we had time to see the things we didn’t have time to visit the first days. We went to the famous La Recoleta Cemetery, seeing the grave of Eva Perón amongst others. We then walked to Palermo Viejo, which is a very hip and scenic neighborhood with colonial buildings, lots of small vintage shops and a very hipster vibe. From here we took a taxi to La Boca, because we liked the area so much we wanted to revisit and also to buy another Argentinian football jersey 🙂